Bedrock GrantsGrant Writing & Management
For security vendors

Does NSGP have an approved vendor list?

Security vendors are often asked whether they are "on the list" for Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) work. FEMA's own statements answer the question, and several real requirements are easy to mistake for approval.

Updated Reviewed against FEMA guidance and the FY2026 NSGP NOFO5 min readBy Bedrock GrantsReport a correction
Short answer

No. FEMA does not maintain a general list of vendors approved to sell products or services to NSGP subrecipients, and it says it does not approve, endorse or certify firms or products (FEMA). A vendor may still need the licenses, registrations, exclusion checks and contract documents a particular purchase requires. An item's place in an allowable equipment category does not mean FEMA has approved the product, manufacturer, vendor, price or project.

What FEMA says

FEMA answers the question directly in a public FAQ:

No. FEMA does not approve, endorse, certify, or recommend any contractors, individuals, firms, or products.

The same FAQ says that while a product may comply with FEMA design guidance, contractors, individuals and firms "shall not state they are, or produce products that are" "FEMA approved" or "FEMA certified" (FEMA, Does FEMA approve, endorse, or certify any products or companies?).

FEMA's vendor page makes a related point about the agency's own buying. Submitting a vendor profile does not place a firm on "a preferred list of vendors to be considered for procurements; FEMA does not maintain such a list" (FEMA, Doing Business with FEMA). That page concerns contracts FEMA awards itself, not grant-funded purchases. No FEMA source we reviewed describes a vendor list for NSGP buyers either.

The equipment list works the same way. FEMA's Authorized Equipment List (AEL) page says: "Note that this list only includes equipment types, not commercially available products."

What gets mistaken for approval

Several real requirements sit near the sale. Each has its own legal function, and none of them is FEMA approval of a vendor or product.

Requirements that touch NSGP vendors, and what each one actually does
ItemWhat it doesWhat it does not doWho decides
AEL category in the NSGP equipment tableNames equipment types that may be allowable for NSGP, with NSGP-specific limits (FY2026 NOFO, pp. 58–64). Equipment must meet mandatory standards, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, and items not on the AEL need FEMA's prior approval (p. 64).Approve a brand, model, price or vendorThe SAA and FEMA, for the applicant's project
Exclusion checkConfirms the vendor is not suspended or debarred. For a covered transaction, the buyer checks SAM.gov, collects a certification or adds a clause (2 CFR 180.300).Approve the vendor. FEMA says the federal rules "do not require recipient or subrecipient contractors to be registered in SAM" (Procurement Under Grants Policy Guide).The buyer
Section 889 reviewKeeps FEMA funds from buying covered telecom and video surveillance equipment or services (2 CFR 200.216; FEMA Policy 405-143-1)Endorse or certify a product. The rule creates no approval or certification status.The buyer, from the manufacturer and model information the vendor discloses
Prequalified list kept by a buyerLets a buyer review qualifications before a purchase. FEMA says such lists "are not contracts," must be current, and cannot stop other firms from qualifying during the solicitation period (Procurement Under Grants Policy Guide; 2 CFR 200.319(e))Replace competition or award workThe buyer that keeps it
State or local vendor registrationEnrolls the vendor in a particular buyer's purchasing or payment systemApprove the vendor for NSGPThat buyer
Cooperative or schedule contractGives eligible buyers access to a contract vehicle, subject to their own authority and grant rules. FEMA says "Nonprofits are not eligible to use MAS," GSA's Multiple Award Schedule (FEMA GSA fact sheet, December 2025).Satisfy competition automaticallyThe buyer, under its grant terms
State licensePermits the vendor to perform regulated work, such as alarm installation or guard services, under state lawMake a cost allowableThe state licensing agency
Project and budget approvalApproves the subrecipient's project and budgetApprove any vendorThe SAA and FEMA
Contract awardSelects a vendor after the buyer's procurementBind any other buyerThe buyer

The cooperative-contract conditions, exclusion paperwork and Section 889 clause are covered in vendor requirements for FEMA-funded security work. For the categories and their limits, see NSGP allowable costs.

What some states say

State administering agencies add their own rules. The examples below are what each document actually does; none is an approved vendor list.

  • Maryland: a statement that no list exists. The Maryland Department of Emergency Management's NSGP FAQ says it "does not maintain a list of qualified vendors and/or contractors who perform security upgrades," and keeps no list of vendors that follow Build America, Buy America (MDEM, checked October 16, 2026).
  • California: a license condition on cost. Cal OES says it "will verify contractor licensing certification," and costs may be disallowed if the contractor is not properly licensed for the work. Bids and invoices must show the contractor's license number, make, model and quantity (Cal OES FY2024 NSGP-NSS supplement, March 2026).
  • Florida: a competition rule for guard contracts. FDEM's guide says contract security "must be competitively procured" and that sole-source procurement for contract security "is not allowable" (FDEM FY2024 NSGP guide).

Each of these binds the buyer's purchase or claim. None of them lists, ranks or certifies firms. Rules change by round, so read the current state guidance for the buyer's award.

What vendors may truthfully say in marketing

Accurate claims describe the product, the firm's status and the buyer's role. Statements like these can be true when the facts support them:

  • "Our video systems fall within a category on the FY2026 NSGP equipment list. Your State Administrative Agency and FEMA decide whether your project is allowable."
  • "We disclose the manufacturer and model of every networked device so you can review Section 889 compliance."
  • "We hold the state licenses required for this work, and we will provide the license numbers with our quote."
  • "We are not excluded from federal awards, and we will sign the exclusion certification your procurement requires."
  • "We provide itemized quotes when your procurement asks for them."

Avoid claims of status that does not exist. Under FEMA's FAQ, a firm may not describe itself or its products as "FEMA approved" or "FEMA certified." The same logic rules out "NSGP approved," a "Section 889 certified" badge, or any suggestion that a product's category guarantees funding. Allowability is decided for the applicant's project, and the buyer's procurement decides the vendor.

For what to tell a prospect about the grant process itself, see NSGP rules for security vendors. Bidding conduct is in how to bid on an NSGP security project.

Sources

  1. FEMA, Does FEMA approve, endorse, or certify any products or companies?
  2. FEMA, Doing Business with FEMA
  3. FEMA, Authorized Equipment List
  4. FEMA, FY2026 Nonprofit Security Grant Program NOFO (equipment list and standards, procurement, contracted security)
  5. FEMA, Procurement Under Grants Policy Guide, Version 2.1 (July 2025)
  6. FEMA, Purchasing Under a FEMA Award: Using the GSA Schedule (December 2025)
  7. FEMA Policy 405-143-1, Prohibitions on Expending FEMA Award Funds for Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services
  8. 2 CFR 200.216, Prohibition on certain telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment
  9. 2 CFR 200.319, Competition (prequalified lists)
  10. 2 CFR 180.300, Verifying that a lower-tier participant is not excluded
  11. Maryland Department of Emergency Management, Nonprofit Security Grant Program (FAQ)
  12. Cal OES, FY2024 NSGP-NSS California Supplement to the Federal NOFO (March 2026)
  13. Florida Division of Emergency Management, FY2024 NSGP Application Guide (April 2024)

Related guides

For security vendors

NSGP rules for security vendors

How NSGP money reaches a security vendor, when the vendor gets paid, when early planning help bars a bid, and what vendors may tell grant-funded prospects.

For security vendors

Vendor requirements

What a security vendor needs to sell to an NSGP-funded buyer: licenses, exclusion checks, Section 889, contract clauses, Davis-Bacon, Buy America and records.

For security vendors

How to bid on NSGP projects

How security vendors bid on NSGP-funded work: reading the request, contact rules, what a responsive quote includes, how buyers evaluate, and invoicing after award.

NSGP step by step

NSGP allowable costs

The 36 equipment codes on the FY2026 NSGP list, including cameras, access control, doors, and barriers, plus costs NSGP will not cover.

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