IBTS partners with Houston-Galveston Area Council to offer 'disaster planning, recovery services' to local governments

The Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS) recently announced that it is entering into a partnership with the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) to provide local governments disaster recovery services, according to a press release.

IBTS services are now available through H-GAC's Cooperative purchasing program HGACBuy.

"IBTS understands that preparing for, and recovering from, natural disasters is often overwhelming for jurisdictions," IBTS Director of Municipal Services Chris Miller said, according to the press release. "Procurement processes add additional costs and delays to an already onerous process. IBTS is proud to offer our disaster planning and recovery services through HGACBuy knowing that we can provide jurisdictions with the customized assistance they need in a manner that reduces costs, while ensuring a transparent and fair procurement process."

IBTS services are available across the nation to local governments and nonprofits providing governmental services. Available services include disaster preparedness and recovery-related professional planning, consulting and interim recovery.

The Institute is a nonprofit organization with decades of experience working after disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina, Ike, Sandy, Harvey and Maria. Through HGACBuy, jurisdictions can avoid lengthy bidding periods and can directly hire IBTS for these services through the cooperative.

The IBTS’ board of directors includes representatives from the Council of State Governments (CSG), the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), the National Association of Counties (NACo), the National Governor’s Association and the National League of Cities (NLC).