Meet RecoveryFile
Better Documentation Starts With a Better System
RecoveryFile is an Excel-based FEMA Public Assistance documentation system developed specifically for public agencies.
It provides a structured way to capture, organize, track, and review the records that support a FEMA PA project—including labor, equipment, materials, contracts, mutual aid, project costs, and supporting documentation.
RecoveryFile helps agencies begin building the project file while the work is happening—not months later when documentation is requested.
No FEMA project number is needed to get started.
How RecoveryFile Works
Build the File Before the Request Comes.
RecoveryFile is designed around a simple approach to FEMA Public Assistance documentation: capture the right information early, organize it consistently, connect it to the project, and identify documentation gaps earlier in the recovery process.
Instead of waiting until project development or a documentation request to begin assembling records, RecoveryFile gives agencies a structured system they can use throughout recovery.
Turn Scattered Records Into an Organized Project File
Disaster documentation is often created across an entire organization.
Payroll may maintain employee records. Finance maintains invoices and payments. Procurement maintains solicitations and contracts. Public Works maintains operational records. Emergency Management maintains incident documentation.
RecoveryFile provides a structure for bringing those records together around the project—without requiring departments to recreate documentation that already exists.
The principle is simple:
DO NOT DUPLICATE A GOOD RECORD.
If an existing agency record captures the information needed, use it. RecoveryFile helps identify, organize, and connect those source records to the project while providing additional documentation tools where gaps exist.
Project File Organization
A strong project file should not depend on one employee knowing where everything is located.
RecoveryFile includes a standardized electronic project file structure designed to help agencies consistently organize records throughout the life of a FEMA Public Assistance project.
The file structure covers project administration, damage and eligibility, scope and cost development, labor, equipment, materials, procurement and contracts, invoices and payments, mutual aid, insurance and other funding, environmental and historic preservation, Section 406 mitigation, project submission, and closeout.
The goal is simple:
A reviewer should be able to understand the project, trace the costs, and locate the supporting records without reconstructing the file from memory.
Department Documentation Tools
Disaster Documentation Is an Agency-Wide Responsibility
FEMA Public Assistance documentation does not come from one department.
RecoveryFile includes practical tools designed to help agencies establish documentation responsibilities across the organization and capture important information closer to when the work occurs.
Field and department personnel don't need to build the FEMA project. Their role is to document the facts and preserve the source records that help explain what happened and what work was performed.
Five questions help guide that documentation:
WHEN did it happen?
WHERE did it happen?
WHAT happened or what work was performed?
WHO or WHAT resources were used?
WHAT RECORD supports it?
Field and department staff document the facts. Grants and project staff build the project.
Project Readiness & Quality Review
Find the Gaps Before the Documentation Request
RecoveryFile helps agencies look beyond how much documentation has been collected and focus on whether the project file tells a complete, traceable story.
Built-in documentation and quality-review tools help identify missing records, unresolved issues, and documentation gaps earlier in the recovery process.
RecoveryFile helps agencies ask:
Can we explain what happened?
Can we demonstrate what work was performed?
Can we trace the costs?
Can we locate the supporting documentation?
Can someone unfamiliar with the project understand the file?
The goal is to identify what still needs attention while there is time to address it—not when a documentation request, project review, or closeout is already underway.
What's Included
RecoveryFile Workbook
Documentation Guide
Field Documentation Pack
Project File System
Project Readiness Review
Management & Department Tools
Quick Start Guide
Excel-based FEMA PA documentation system for organizing projects, tracking costs and supporting records, identifying documentation needs, and supporting project-file review.
Practical guidance for capturing, organizing, and maintaining FEMA Public Assistance documentation throughout recovery.
Editable and printable forms for disaster activities, equipment, materials, damage conditions, photographs, rented equipment, mutual aid, and other field documentation.
Standardized 15-section electronic folder structure for organizing project records consistently from project administration through closeout.
Structured checklist for identifying missing documentation, unresolved items, and project-file gaps before review or closeout.
Resources to help departments understand documentation responsibilities and preserve the records needed to support project development.
Straightforward instructions to help agencies begin using RecoveryFile without needing extensive FEMA PA experience.
RecoveryFile is more than a workbook. Your Single Agency License includes a complete set of tools and resources designed to support FEMA PA documentation from initial capture through project-file review.
See RecoveryFile in Action
Watch how RecoveryFile helps an agency create a project, connect costs and supporting records, identify missing documentation, and review project readiness—all within one organized Excel workbook.
RecoveryFile Single Agency License
One Agency. Multiple Departments. Multiple Projects.
RecoveryFile is licensed to your agency for internal use across departments and may be used for multiple FEMA Public Assistance projects and disaster events.
Your Single Agency License includes:
• Unlimited internal agency users
• Use across multiple departments
• Use for multiple FEMA PA projects and disasters
• Internal use on shared drives, networks, or SharePoint
• Editable and printable documentation tools
• No per-user fees
• No annual subscription
One-time license: $1,495
RecoveryFile is designed to give your agency a documentation system it can continue using—not another recurring software subscription.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is RecoveryFile?
RecoveryFile is an Excel-based FEMA Public Assistance documentation system and toolkit designed to help public agencies capture, organize, track, and review project documentation throughout disaster recovery.
Do we need a FEMA project number before using RecoveryFile?
No. RecoveryFile is designed so agencies can begin organizing documentation as work occurs. A FEMA project number is not required to get started.
Does RecoveryFile determine whether work or costs are FEMA eligible?
No. RecoveryFile is a documentation and project-organization system. It does not determine FEMA eligibility, replace FEMA review, or guarantee reimbursement.
Does RecoveryFile replace FEMA Grants Portal?
No. RecoveryFile is not a FEMA system and does not replace Grants Portal. It helps agencies organize and maintain the documentation used to develop and support FEMA Public Assistance projects.
Do departments have to replace their existing forms or records?
No. RecoveryFile is designed to work with existing agency records whenever they adequately capture the information needed. If a good source record already exists, use it.
Can multiple employees and departments use RecoveryFile?
Yes. The Single Agency License allows internal use across departments within the purchasing agency. There are no per-user fees.
Can we use RecoveryFile for more than one disaster or FEMA PA project?
Yes. The Single Agency License permits the purchasing agency to use RecoveryFile for multiple FEMA Public Assistance projects and disaster events.
Is RecoveryFile a subscription?
No. RecoveryFile is sold as a one-time Single Agency License for $1,495. There is no annual subscription or per-user fee.
Can our disaster recovery consultant use RecoveryFile?
Yes. An agency's contractor or consultant may access RecoveryFile solely to support work performed for the licensed agency. The license cannot be transferred or used by the consultant for other clients.
What do we receive after purchasing RecoveryFile?
The RecoveryFile package includes the Excel-based documentation system, Documentation Guide, Field Documentation Pack, standardized Project File System, Project Readiness Review Checklist, Management & Department Tools, and Quick Start Guide.
RecoveryFile is an independent product of Crest Pointe Consulting & Management, LLC. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by FEMA or the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. RecoveryFile is a documentation and organizational tool and does not determine eligibility or guarantee FEMA reimbursement.
Build the File Before the Request Comes.
Give your agency the structure to capture, organize, and maintain FEMA Public Assistance documentation from the beginning of recovery.
Single Agency License • $1,495 • No Annual Subscription • No Per-User Fees