RSM US LLP.pdf

600 Q Sr Suite 130 Lincoln, NE 68508 www.rsmus.com

March 3, 2026 Mr. Craig Palik, Procurement Contract Officer State Purchasing Bureau 1526 K Street, Suite 1301 Lincoln, NE 68508

Dear Mr. Palik:

RSM US LLP (RSM) is excited about the opportunity to present our qualifications for consideration in response to RFP Number 124469 O5 for the State of Nebraska, Department of Administrative Services (DAS), Materiel Division, State Purchasing Bureau. The following proposal demonstrates our understanding of your requirements to select qualified bidders who can provide knowledgeable and experienced personnel familiar with all disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery programs administered under the Stafford Act or National Flood Insurance Act (NFIA), including Public Assistance (PA), Individual Assistance (IA), and Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA).

It further illustrates the approach we will take in providing disaster contingency staffing services for the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). Together with our subcontracting partner, RSM offers a distinctive combination of professionals highly experienced in management, financial, performance, and compliance consulting, supplemented by a team that understands the complexities of working with clients across multiple emergency services requirements, including planning, mitigation, response, and recovery. With that in mind, we have produced a proposal that highlights our differentiators and demonstrates compelling reasons why we are qualified to serve

NEMA.

RSM is the leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services in the middle market with nearly 18,000 professionals in 77 U.S. cities, including ten cities in FEMA Region VII where we employ over 1,400 individuals. We have a designated team of grant administration and compliance specialists that have been committed to providing the services requested for years. As such, we mobilize quickly and responsibly.

Commitment to the industry and experience serving emergency management entities Further, RSM has designated state and local government as one of the top ten dedicated industries of the firm.

Nationally, we serve more than 2,500 public sector clients, including nearly 500 government clients. The clients include state-level agencies, counties, cities, colleges and universities, school boards and other nonprofit organizations.

NEMA will also benefit from our experience serving emergency management. We are very proud to have worked with the states of Iowa, Florida and New Jersey over the past eight (8) years to provide disaster recovery and emergency management consulting services. What does that mean for NEMA? It means that we understand the issues unique to your operations, your constituents and the State, leading to minimal on-the-job training, because you will be served by experienced professionals who understand the industry.

Holistic approach to serving you Without question, the one thing that distinguishes us from the other firms providing disaster recovery consulting services to state agencies such as NEMA is our holistic approach to serving our clients. We understand the unique struggles that NEMA faces with FEMA, as well as the challenges that impacted communities encounter in complying with their Single Audits of the federal funds. Our experience as external and internal auditors for these communities gives us a comprehensive perspective on the entire recovery process.

124469 O5 March 3, 2026 Disaster Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Program Administration File 1 of 4

We know that disaster recovery is more than just picking up debris; it involves a long-term commitment to the communities and agencies we serve. We stay with these communities for years after the event, helping to ensure they remain compliant and supported throughout the recovery process. Additionally, our teams volunteer outside of work for organizations like Team Rubicon, actively delivering impact and support to those in need. By combining unique skillsets into one integrated team, the RSM team can proactively address your needs with qualified insights and industry-accepted practices as those needs evolve.

Another value-added service to working with a large and sophisticated public accounting firm is that you will have access to the thought leadership produced by our national resources. Our professionals are actively engaged on Capitol Hill to ensure that the voice of our clients is heard amid the DC shuffle. Our professionals engage on the most relevant issues affecting the middle market—the latest on tax policy, trade, economics, health care, infrastructure, cybersecurity, financial services and more. We also regularly produce publicly accessible webcasts, articles and videos about these issues, providing a unique window into the intersection of policy and business. In addition, we have published articles and developed training to assist grant recipients and subrecipients with understanding federal compliance requirements, including FEMA Public Assistance and 2 CFR 200. All these services result in meaningful insights and efficiencies for our clients during a period of rapid change. One of our clients sits on the President’s FEMA Review Council.

If selected as a vendor, RSM would like to have an introductory meeting and overview regarding NEMA’s strategy, technology, processes and procedures. This will facilitate faster event-specific deployment for any task orders issued.

This proactive approach demonstrates our commitment to being prepared and ready to support NEMA whenever needed, helping facilitate timely and effective assistance when an emergency event happens.

In closing RSM’s strongest differentiator comes directly from the clients we serve and the partnerships we forge with them. We encourage you to contact our references and ask about their recent interactions with us. Your RSM team looks forward to building a long-term relationship with NEMA and delivering value for your organization now and well into the future. Once you have had the opportunity to review this response, we would be pleased to discuss your needs in greater detail or make a presentation to your team. In the meantime, please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Sincerely, Joel Anderson Partner +1 515 237 7430

Jill Reyes Partner +1 321 508 1895

Solicitation Number: 124469 O5 File 1 of 4

Disaster Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Program Administration

RSM US LLP

March 3, 2026

Table of Contents

CORPORATE OVERVIEW

BIDDER IDENTIFICATION AND INFORMATION

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP

OFFICE LOCATION

RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE STATE

BIDDER'S EMPLOYEE RELATIONS TO STATE

CONTRACT PERFORMANCE

SUMMARY OF BIDDER’S CORPORATE EXPERIENCE

RSM Narrative Projects RSM’s Experience providing Federal Single Audits DCMC Narrative Projects

SUBCONTRACTORS

TECHNICAL RESPONSE

Describe bidder’s process for providing PA technical services Why RSM? Our compelling value proposition Strategy Driven Approach Tailored to NEMA Needs Quality Assurance / Quality Control Project Management and Reporting Public Assistance Approach

Describe bidder’s process for providing IA technical services Individual Assistance Approach

Describe bidder’s process for providing HMGP technical services Hazard Mitigation Approach

HOURLY RATES

Attachment A Bidder Questionnaire

RFP 124469 O5

Bidder Name: RSM US LLP______________________________________________________________

Bidder should provide a response to all questions in this attachment to meet the requirements of the

RFP.

CORPORATE OVERVIEW

1.1

BIDDER IDENTIFICATION AND INFORMATION

The bidder should provide the full company or corporate name, address of the company's headquarters, entity organization (corporation, partnership, proprietorship), state in which the bidder is incorporated or otherwise organized to do business, year in which the bidder first organized to do business and whether the name and form of organization has changed since first organized.

Response:

RSM US LLP is a limited liability partnership incorporated on December 30, 1994, under the laws of Iowa and head quartered at 30 South Wacker Dr, Suite 3300 Chicago, IL. We are legally authorized to do business in all 50 states with 77 offices across the US, including Lincoln and Omaha.

RSM is the leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services focused on the modern middle market, with nearly 18,000 people in 77 U.S. cities as shown in Figure 1. We are a licensed CPA firm and the U.S. member of RSM International, a global network of independent audit, tax, and consulting firms with 65,000 professionals across 120 countries. RSM brings deep, nationwide experience supporting complex grant programs across numerous states and federal funding streams. This experience is exemplified by the extensive and dynamic group of professionals RSM has dedicated to the public sector who are committed to delivering The Power of Being Understood® to our clients and our communities.

RSM’s National Grants Management Practice is led by a Florida-based CPA, supported by former state agency leaders and geographically diverse project teams with deep operational experience. As outlined in Figure 2, this depth and reach deliver direct experience administering billions of dollars in federal and state grants across emergency management, economic development, health and human services, and housing programs, among others. The practice includes more than 200 professionals dedicated exclusively to grants administration, compliance, audit, and program operations nationwide. In addition, RSM has nearly 800 professional staff dedicated to serving public entities, allowing our grant management teams to leverage public sector focused specialists with a wide variety of expertise. This scale and distribution allow RSM to align quickly with our clients, adapt as guidance or priorities change, and provide direct access to both national policy insight and on-the-ground grants experience. Figure 2.

Figure 1.

1.2

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The bidder should provide financial statements applicable to the firm. If publicly held, the bidder should provide a copy of the corporation's most recent audited financial reports and statements, and the name, address, and telephone number of the fiscally responsible representative of the bidder’s financial or banking organization.

If the bidder is not a publicly held corporation, either the reports and statements required of a publicly held corporation, or a description of the organization, including size, longevity, client base, areas of specialization and expertise, and any other pertinent information, should be submitted in such a manner that solicitation evaluators may reasonably formulate a determination about the stability and financial strength of the organization. Additionally, a non-publicly held firm should provide a banking reference.

The bidder must disclose any and all judgments, pending or expected litigation, or other real or potential financial reversals, which might materially affect the viability or stability of the organization, or state that no such condition is known to exist.

The State may elect to use a third party to conduct credit checks as part of the corporate overview evaluation.

Response:

As a limited liability partnership, RSM US has no requirement to prepare financial statements for external release. We affirm, however, that RSM has the capacity—both in size and financial strength—to serve our clients, as illustrated by the following:

• Founded in 1926, today RSM US is the fifth largest assurance, tax and consulting firm in the United States, as ranked in Accounting Today's 2025 Top 100 Report.

• For the most recent fiscal year ended April 30, 2025, RSM reported revenue of US$4.0 billion, an increase of 1% in comparison to the prior year. The average of our last three fiscal years of revenue is $USD3.9 billion.

• In addition to cash and short-term investments, RSM US maintains a revolving credit facility for operational and other borrowing needs, and on June 1, 2021, the firm issued $150 million in senior notes which are due in seven, ten and twelve years.

• The firm is also very well capitalized, with a significant partner and principal investment by its 1,182 partners and principals. All partners and principals are individuals, and no one partner, or principal has more than 1% of the total capital investment in the firm.

o A bank reference is as follows:

US Bank Andrew Feikema, Senior Vice President, Relationship Manager 800 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55402 Phone: 612.757.9703 Email: andrew.feikema@usbank.com

• As of May 1, 2025, RSM US LLP was assigned a low-risk viability rating by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). An independent D&B comprehensive credit report for RSM US LLP (DUNS # 07-348-2424) can be ordered via the D&B website.

• RSM US and RSM Canada are member firms of RSM International, a global network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms with 65,000 people across 120 countries. RSM International's combined global fee income was US$10 billion in calendar year 2024.

• Please see also 124469 O5 - RSM US LLP File 2 of 4 - PROPRIETARY INFORMATION for a confidential statement from RSM’s Chief Financial Officer regarding financial strength of our organization.

mailto:andrew.feikema@usbank.com http://www.dnb.com/

1.3

CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP

If any change in ownership or control of the company is anticipated during the twelve (12) months following the solicitation response due date, the bidder should describe the circumstances of such change and indicate when the change will likely occur.

Any change of ownership to an awarded bidder(s) will require notification to the State.

Response:

Our U.S. market is led by Brian Becker, managing partner and CEO of RSM US LLP. He oversees nearly 18,000 assurance, tax and consulting professionals across 77 offices in the U.S., six in Canada, four in India and one in El Salvador. RSM US and RSM UK recently announced plans to merge, creating a transatlantic enterprise with more than 23,000 people across six countries, including the U.S., Canada, the UK, Ireland, India and El Salvador. No other changes in ownership or structure are anticipated that would impact our ability to perform this engagement.

1.4

OFFICE LOCATION

The bidder’s office location responsible for performance pursuant to an award of a contract with the State of Nebraska should be identified.

Response:

As a large, national firm with a focus on grants management, RSM can leverage offices and geographically diverse staff whenever and wherever disaster strikes.

This national presence includes our Lincoln, Nebraska office located at 600 Q Sr, Suite 130 Lincoln, NE 68508 as well as an office in Omaha and 30 other offices within the Midwest region as shown in Figure 3. Because of RSM’s strong presence in the Midwest, we can offer the resources of a large, national practice as well as the local, boots-on-the-ground knowledge only obtained from living and working in the communities we’ll be supporting.

1.5

RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE STATE

The bidder should describe any dealings with the State over the previous ten (10) years. If the organization, its predecessor, or any Party named in the bidder’s solicitation response has contracted with the State, the bidder should identify the contract number(s) and/or any other information available to identify such contract(s). If no such contracts exist, so declare.

Response:

RSM has no prior contracts with the State of Nebraska within the past ten (10) years to disclose. We have provided services at the local government level.

DCMC has no work with the State of Nebraska. However, they have worked in the State with the City of Lincoln, Omaha Public Power District, and as a subcontractor to JEO Consulting.

Figure 3.

1.6

BIDDER'S EMPLOYEE RELATIONS TO STATE

If any Party named in the bidder’s solicitation response is or was an employee of the State within the past twelve (12) months, identify the individual(s) by name, State agency with whom employed, job title or position held with the State, and separation date.

If no such relationship exists or has existed, so declare.

If any employee of any agency of the State of Nebraska is employed by the bidder or is a subcontractor to the bidder, as of the due date for solicitation response submission, identify all such persons by name, position held with the bidder, and position held with the State (including job title and agency). Describe the responsibilities of such persons within the proposing organization. If, after review of this information by the State, it is determined that a conflict of interest exists or may exist, the bidder may be disqualified from further consideration in this solicitation. If no such relationship exists, so declare.

Response:

No parties named within this response are or were employed by the State of Nebraska within the past 12 months. Further, no former State of Nebraska employees are employed by any party within this response.

1.7

CONTRACT PERFORMANCE

If the bidder or any proposed subcontractor has had a contract terminated for default during the past ten (10) years, all such instances must be described as required below. Termination for default is defined as a notice to stop performance delivery due to the bidder’s non-performance or poor performance, and the issue was either not litigated due to inaction on the part of the bidder or litigated and such litigation determined the bidder to be in default.

It is mandatory that the bidder submit full details of all termination for default experienced during the past ten (10) years, including the other Party's name, address, and telephone number. The response to this section must present the bidder’s position on the matter. The State will evaluate the facts and will score the bidder’s solicitation response accordingly. If no such termination for default has been experienced by the bidder in the past ten (10) years, so declare.

If at any time during the past five (5) years, the bidder has had a contract terminated for convenience, non-performance, non-allocation of funds, or any other reason, describe fully all circumstances surrounding such termination, including the name and address of the other contracting Party.

Response:

RSM has an exemplary record of performance, having had no contracts terminated for cause within the past ten (10) years. In addition, neither RSM, nor any of its senior officers, directors, or other management are subject to sanctions. Further, RSM and its management (company officials, participants, ultimate beneficial owners) have not been accused of abuse of power or involved in any criminal cases or proceedings.

We are confident your RSM Team is up to the tasks outlined in the scope of work because these are services we’ve been provided to recipients / state agencies for nearly a decade with members of this team having proven themselves time and time again. RSM was one of the first contractors brought in to assist the State of Florida after Hurricane Irma, and the Florida Division of Emergency Management has continued to choose RSM when disasters strike. In addition, RSM has been repeatedly recognized as a standout contractor for our professionalism, dedication, and knowledge of compliance matters as demonstrated in Figure 4. Figure 4.

“Always setting the bar high. We truly appreciate your team’s unwavering dedication.”

-FDEM Contract Manager

1.8

SUMMARY OF BIDDER’S CORPORATE EXPERIENCE

The bidder should provide a summary matrix listing the bidder’s previous projects similar to this Solicitation in size, scope, and complexity. The State will use no more than three (3) narrative project descriptions submitted by the bidder during its evaluation of the solicitation response.

The bidder should address the following:

i. Provide narrative descriptions to highlight the similarities between the bidder’s experience and this Solicitation. These descriptions should include:

a) The time period of the project,

b) The scheduled and actual completion dates,

c) The bidder’s responsibilities,

d) For reference purposes, a customer name (including the name of a contact person, a current telephone number, a facsimile number, and e-mail address); and

e) Each project description should identify whether the work was performed as the prime Vendor or as a subcontractor. If a bidder performed as the prime Vendor, the description should provide the originally scheduled completion date and budget, as well as the actual (or currently planned) completion date and actual (or currently planned) budget.

ii. Bidder and Subcontractor(s) experience should be listed separately. Narrative descriptions submitted for Subcontractors should be specifically identified as subcontractor projects.

iii. If the work was performed as a subcontractor, the narrative description should identify the same information as requested for the bidders above. In addition, subcontractors should identify what share of contract costs, project responsibilities, and time period were performed as a subcontractor.

Response:

Throughout RSM’s nearly 100 years serving clients in the Midwest region, the firm has provided services to many state, county, and municipal governments. We have the experience providing the grant management services being requested, and Table 1 below showcases some of that experience, highlighting a representative sample of grants management projects similar in size and scope to the services being requested under this solicitation.

Name of Agency Work performed

Florida Division of Emergency Management

FEMA Public Assistance Grants Management: Since 2017, RSM has provided FEMA Public Assistance grant management administration services from project approval to closeout, across multiple regions within the State of Florida for Hurricanes Irma, Michael, Idalia, Helene, and Milton, total over $650M in recovery funds managed across more than 3500 projects. In addition, this includes providing technical assistance to Applicants as it relates to FEMA policies and procedures, project formulation, hazard mitigation, and documentation best practices.

State of Iowa

Local Government Relief Fund administration and FEMA Public Assistance: In 2020, RSM was awarded as a contractor to administer $100 million in CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds for the Governor’s office of the State of Iowa. The State used these funds to create the Local Government Relief Fund. Additionally, the State allocated an additional $25 million for the FEMA Public Assistance local match, which RSM administered, as well. RSM currently assists the State with ongoing Federal grant reporting requirements and is also working on other Federal programs for more than $500M in Federal funds related to COVID support, broadband, workforce development, cyber and other funding. Most recently, RSM was selected as a subcontractor for Non-Congregate Sheltering assistance related to 2024 flooding and tornadoes in advance of the upcoming winter season.

Florida Department of Commerce

(FloridaCommerce) Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Grant Compliance: RSM has provided grant management services to FloridaCommerce for CDBG-DR as a part of the Rebuild Florida program, specifically following Hurricane Michael. These services included providing technical application assistance to Florida’s designated fiscally constrained communities in order to submit project applications for review and approval, as well as performing David Bacon Act monitoring and compliance services on a select number of development projects. Most recently, RSM was awarded the CDBG-DR compliance and monitoring contract for the 2023-2024 season, which includes four (4) declared disaster events. That award is currently being contracted.

Florida Department of Commerce

(FloridaCommerce)

Broadband Programs Grant Compliance and Monitoring: RSM is providing grant compliance and monitoring services to the Office of Broadband for the Broadband Opportunity Program, Broadband Infrastructure Program and Digital Connectivity Program, as funded by the US Treasury’s ARPA and Capital Projects Funds and approved by the Florida Legislature. In addition, we have provided CDBG-DR services to the agency in past, specifically providing technical assistance to fiscally constrained communities to facilitate the submission of project applications.

New Jersey Transit

Integrity Oversight Monitoring: Since 2019, RSM has provided integrity oversight monitoring services of construction for recovery and renovation work related to Super Storm Sandy. We performed a fraud risk assessment and development of an audit plan, and then risk assessment and testing for grant management, procurement, disbursements, change management, construction fieldwork monitoring, Davis-Bason and DBE/MBE compliance and claims monitoring.

Georgia Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget

American Rescue Plan Act Grant Monitoring: RSM has been working with the Georgia Governor’s office to provide risk assessment, audit, and budget review services related to over $3 billion in Federal ARPA funding.

This work encompasses assisting more than 200 subrecipients with a wide range of efforts including updating broadband networks, water/sewer infrastructure, updating hospitals in underserved communities, and capital projects to improve the State of Georgia.

City of Dawson Springs, KY

FEMA Public Assistance Grants Management: Since December 2021, RSM has provided FEMA Public Assistance grant management services to the City of Dawson Springs (the City), ensuring recovery efforts are documented in accordance with Federal grant requirements and working with the City’s FEMA PDMG to formulate project worksheets. We also assisted the City with preparing a long-term response and recovery plan, as well as facilitation of a workgroup for the development of a long-term economic resiliency plan.

RSM Narrative Projects The tasks and services outlined in this solicitation’s scope of work: assisting sub-recipients in preparation and review of their projects, analyzing, identifying, and finding solutions to problems, providing technical assistance to sub-recipients, these are services RSM provides to communities throughout the US. With extensive experience serving recipient / state – level agencies, RSM and our grant management professionals have supported a variety of federal grant programs, including FEMA Public Assistance, FEMA Individual Assistance, and block grant funding under CDBG-DR, and by partnering with DCMC, your RSM team will bring significant hazard mitigation experience as well. This combination of expertise means that no matter what the future holds for FEMA, RSM is well positioned to support NEMA and the State of Nebraska today and in the future. Tables 2 - 4 below highlight some of RSM’s experience that most closely aligns to the scope of work outlines in the solicitation. Narrative project descriptions for our teaming partner, DCMC, can be found in Table 6.

Florida Division of Emergency Management

Darryn Gipson Deputy Programmatic Team Lead

+1 850 815 4454 Darryn.Gipson@em.myflorida.com

Since 2017, RSM has served as a prime contractor providing FEMA Public Assistance grant management administration services from project approval to closeout to the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). Later, when the State of Florida was hit by back-to-back hurricanes in 2024 and 2025, RSM expanded our relationship with FDEM and our team began assisting with project formulation, working with sub-recipients prior to obligation to facilitate completion of project worksheets, reviewing streamline project applications for accuracy and policy compliance as well as providing technical assistance to address and troubleshoot potential compliance concerns as early in the project life cycle as possible to reduce deobligations. In this capacity, RSM collaborates with PDMGs, state programmatic

Table 1.

coordinators and other contractors to support an efficient project formulation and obligation process in order to get funding back to Florida’s communities.

Currently, RSM serves sub-recipients in 41 of Florida’s 67 counties across five active, federally-declared disasters: Hurricanes Irma, Michael, Idalia, Helene and Milton. Through this work, RSM has managed over 3,500 individual projects, representing more than $650 million in recovery funds with over $440 million having been paid to sub-recipients to date.

As a long-standing FEMA PA contractor, RSM has extension experience with FEMA Grants Portal and the state grant management systems, utilizing both to perform in-depth compliance analysis of project worksheet documentation, process payments, time extensions, amendments, and large and small project closeouts.

State of Iowa—Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Allison McLeary Director, Disaster Recovery Programs

+1 225 937 2384 Allison.McLeary@tetratech.com

In July 2024, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved the State of Iowa’s request for utilizing hotels and recreational vehicles as non-congregate sheltering under DR-4796-IA, DR-4784-IA and DR-4779-IA, (including Iowa Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds and Tornadoes).

RSM, as a subcontractor to TetraTech, provided Disaster Management Consulting Services for the State of Iowa, authorized for the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD). RSM assisted with program management by reviewing FEMA Public Assistance (PA) Non-Congregate Shelter (NCS) requirements and Disaster Specific Guidance (DSG) and established and implemented processes to monitor compliance with FEMA PA and State program requirements. RSM additionally assisted with case management by reviewing eligibility requirements and reviewing processes to ensure compliance with FEMA Individual Assistance (IA) Disaster Case Management (DCM) program requirements. No impediments pertaining to this RFP.

New Jersey Transit

Aamir Marvi, CPA, CIA, CCA, CCSA Senior Director, Internal IA and Capital Audits

+1 973 491 8704 AMarv@njtransit.com

Since 2019, New Jersey Transit has entrusted RSM to provide integrity oversight monitoring services for recovery and renovation construction work related to Super Storm Sandy. In this capacity, RSM has performed fraud risk assessments and developed audit plan(s).

In addition, RSM has performed testing for grant management, procurement, disbursements, change management, construction fieldwork monitoring, DBE / MBD compliance and claims.

Additionally, RSM is performing oversight monitoring for COVID-19 Recovery funding that includes contract and labor testing, monitoring for allowable costs and testing for completeness and accuracy of more than $4.4 billion in CARES Act, CRRSAA and ARPA funds.

Table 2.

Table 3.

Table 4.

RSM’s Experience providing Federal Single Audits In addition to RSM’s significant experience with FEMA grant administration, RSM has extensive federal grant expertise due to performance of Federal Single Audits. Federal Single Audits are a rigorous examination or audit of federal grant programs where an entity expends more than $1,000,000 (as of October 1, 2024) in federal grants, funds, or awards within a given year. Federal grants impacting the single audit can range from FEMA PA or IA to HMGP, BRIC, or CDBG-DR.

RSM has audited program 97.036 for FEMA Public Assistance (Figure 5) for federally declared disasters as a major program in each of the last five (5) fiscal years, at a minimum. The compliance requirements that are routinely audited for the FEMA PA program are shown in the matrix above and include eligibility and allowability of costs, as well as procurement requirements under 2 CFR § 200 of federal regulations. In our experience, these are the two main areas of focus with regard to issues noted during the validation. Other emergency management-related federal grant programs, such as HMGP, BRIC, FMA and CDBG-DR are evaluated annually for inclusion as a major program in each client’s Single Audit. We have included our experience providing these services for FEMA Region VII clients in Table 5.

Audit Experience for Government Entities (Prior Three Years) Entity Type Client Name Service Years Single Audit

School District Kansas City Public Schools, Missouri 2007 - Present North Kansas City School District 2007 - Present

Special Districts and Authorities Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, Missouri 2006 - 2023

City and County Governments

City of Blue Springs, Missouri 2012 - Present City of Springfield, Missouri 2016 - Present Platte County, Missouri 2011 - Present

City of Lawrence, Kansas 2018 - Present

City of Leawood, Kansas 2022 - Present

Governmental Pension Plans

Jackson County, Missouri Revised Pension Plan 2012 - Present KCATA Union Employees' Funded Pension Plan 2012 - Present KCATA Retirement Plan for Salaried Employees 2006 - Present City of Springfield, MO Police and Fire Pension Plan 2016 - Present

DCMC Narrative Projects

City of Lincoln, Nebraska

After the March 2019 spring floods, the City of Lincoln, LTU Water Department, and Lincoln Water System (LWS) engaged the DCMC Team to provide Professional Services and FEMA Administrative Services to assist in the City’s recovery of its damaged water utility infrastructure.

DCMC provided recovery program subject matter expertise and developed, submitted, and managed recovery grant applications in compliance with federal regulations. The DCMC team assisted the City in gathering documentation to support damages and preparing and uploading all required documentation for the Request for Reimbursements (RFRs) to the FEMA Grants Portal. They maintained a summary of projects spreadsheet to include all projects’ final cost, amounts requested for reimbursement, amounts paid by both the State and insurance, and remaining monies due.

Table 5.

Figure 5.

In collaboration with the City, LTU Water Department, and LWS, DCMC facilitated the project development for more than fifteen (15) projects funded with FEMA Public Assistance program funds, with an overall cost that resulted in approved funding of more than $8M. Among those were four Category F (Utilities) projects for the City of Lincoln, totaling over $7M. These permanent work projects aim to restore sewer and potable water to pre-event conditions.

Some of the tasks have been to redo pipes damaged by the event and lay down new connections to aid with the restoration of the utilities infrastructure. In addition, with DCMC’s assistance, the City received over $2M in 406 mitigation project funding to prevent future damage to its water utility infrastructure.

Throughout the process, we verified accuracy through a pre-audit format before submission and reviewed documentation to ensure projects remained within the original scope of work as provided in EMMIE. We successfully coordinated the closeout process with the City through Nebraska Emergency Management and worked closely with the State Auditor to resolve any issues.

Florida Division of Emergency

Management

The State of Florida faced catastrophic losses due to Hurricane Sally, the most destructive storm to strike the Alabama-Florida border region in nearly twenty years. As a result, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) hired the DCMC Team in December of 2020 to provide disaster recovery support related to Hurricane Sally damages.

Under the Hurricane Sally declaration, the DCMC team has assisted 91 applicants. DCMC has also worked on 726 projects currently processing through FEMA’s Grants Portal, 706 of which have been obligated, totaling over $205M. The DCMC team has processed Requests For Reimbursement (RFRs) totaling over $151M on over 600 projects, $149M of which has already been fully approved and released to applicants. 177 projects have already been submitted for closeout with obligations totaling $136M. DCMC’s PA Staff work directly with the applicants to process these projects, from initial formulation through closeout. The team engages with FEMA and applicants to guide the applicants through the process and maximize funding.

Puerto Rico’s Central Office for

Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency

Beginning in 2018, Puerto Rico’s Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction, and Resiliency engaged the DCMC Team to support Puerto Rico’s response and recovery from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. In the immediate aftermath of these hurricanes, the DCMC Team was tapped to help the government navigate the myriad of complex response issues in the short term and preposition the agency to take optimal advantage of billions of dollars of FEMA Public Assistance (PA) and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding as well as leverage HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Program for project cost-sharing through a comprehensive global match strategy. The team established a management structure for grant activities, implemented new grant management software to track the billions of dollars of funding expected from these disasters, and managed and reviewed documentation to justify reimbursement. In fewer than six months after the island was utterly devastated, the DCMC Team supported processing approximately $573M in obligated funds. The team increased that to over $2B by the end of the first year. To support the island’s sustainable long-term recovery, DCMC was also actively engaged in helping Puerto Rico to fulfill its goal of building back better and stronger through the development and adoption of the most recent iteration of the International Building Code (IBC), advisory base flood elevation adoption, island wide hazard mitigation plan development, and the creation of a robust code enforcement and training program.

In 2021, as long-term recovery efforts intensified, Puerto Rico tasked the DCMC Team with helping its municipalities, universities, hospitals, private non-profits, and Commonwealth agencies develop nearly $5.3B in HMGP project applications. Tasks included scope of work development, budget and cost estimate creation, benefit-cost analysis, GIS mapping, environmental review, request for information response development, and project appeals. This 30%+ over submission of the available grant funding ensured Puerto Rico would retain maximum flexibility and access to the allocated grant funding under the HMGP. Submitted projects included generators, microgrids, floodwalls, saferooms, culverts, bridges, seawalls, wind and seismic structural retrofits, landslide and soil stabilization projects, and large-scale improvements to the island’s electrical generation plants. In addition, we provided strategic programmatic guidance to ensure Puerto Rico can optimally leverage HMGP funding, Public Assistance funding, and HUD’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery and Mitigation funding to bring Puerto Rico’s vision for long-term recovery to fruition.

1.9

SUBCONTRACTORS

If the awarded bidder(s) intends to subcontract any part of its performance hereunder, the awarded bidder(s) should provide:

i. name, address, and telephone number of the subcontractor(s),

ii. specific tasks for each subcontractor(s),

iii. percentage of performance hours intended for each subcontract; and

iv. total percentage of subcontractor(s) performance hours.

No Response Required:

To supplement our team, RSM is expanding our relationship with DCMC Partners. RSM and DCMC have forged a successful working relationship, partnering to provide emergency management grant management services in the State of Utah. That same partnership of RSM’s vast grant management and compliance expertise with DCMC’s extensive mitigation experience is what we are purposing for the State of Nebraska.

This combination of firms would allow NEMA to experience the best of both worlds – a team of qualified, compliance and performance consultants, complemented by deeply experienced hazard mitigation, disaster recovery and resiliency subject matter specialists.

As the full scope of work under this solicitation is not known and will be determined on a Task Order basis, exact percentages and hours of work assigned to DCMC members of the team will be confirmed and negotiated when and if a Task Order is issued. However, as the primary contractor, RSM team members will be responsible for the majority of work completed under any Task Order with DCMC serving a supporting role.

Table 6.

DCMC Partners (DCMC) is a limited liability company founded in 2014, providing crisis and program management consulting services. As of 2020, DCMC is part of LEMOINE. DCMC’s emergency management experts—from its founding partners to the recovery specialists—has a more than 35-year track record of helping clients across the nation, including states, local governments, schools, utilities, healthcare providers, and other private nonprofits, successfully address the disaster recovery process. DCMC provides its clients with expertise in all areas of disaster recovery, including preparedness, response, recovery, long-term recovery planning, mitigation, resiliency, insurance, grant management, and appeals. When supporting clients through the recovery process, DCMC draws on experience that includes involvement in nearly every significant disaster in the U.S. since the early 1990s.

DCMC’s unmatched success in delivering support to clients draws upon its extensive experience with federal recovery programs, including FEMA’s Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation programs. Many of DCMC’s team members are former policy makers and program professionals at the federal level. They are intimately familiar with the laws and regulations governing disaster recovery, and they understand how the federal government has changed, implemented, and enforced these regulations over the years. Program eligibility and reimbursement rules are often complicated, and retaining funding requires that applicants justify their eligibility, go through the proper reimbursement process, and implement cost-effective mitigation measures. DCMC supports clients at every step of this process.

DCMC’s emergency management experience spans a full spectrum of project scope and client size. DCMC’s experts have worked many of the largest and most complex disasters in U.S.

history, including Hurricane Helene; Hurricane Beryl in Texas; Hurricanes Milton, Idalia, Ian, Nicole, Michael, Katrina, and Rita in Florida; Hurricane Ida in New York and Louisiana;

Hurricanes Laura, Sally, and Delta throughout Louisiana and Alabama; the nationwide COVID- 19 Pandemic; Hurricanes Irma and María (working for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico); 2016 floods in Louisiana; Midwest Floods of 2008;

Hurricane Sandy; BP Oil Spill; Hurricanes Gustav and Ike (working with the Cities of Galveston and Houston, and the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston); and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (working for the State of Louisiana), among others.

TECHNICAL RESPONSE

2.1

Describe bidder’s process for providing PA technical services.

The bidder should address the following:

i. Bidder’s process for reviewing projects for sub-recipients not yet obligated by FEMA

ii. Bidder’s process for reviewing projects for sub-recipient(s) after obligation to ensure eligible payments made to sub-recipient(s) and smooth closeout process

iii. Bidder’s process for working with sub-recipients to ensure needs of project are met (Please provide at least one narrative description of previous work with a sub-recipient)

Response:

Why RSM? Our compelling value proposition RSM has a dynamic group of professionals committed to serving government clients and providing the services and tasks outlined in the scope of work. RSM’s public sector bench strength is shown in Figure 7, highlighting the deep pool of experienced professionals serving state and local governments across the nation that your RSM Team can leverage to support NEMA. Your RSM Team dedicates 100% of their time to serving government services organizations, including public safety and emergency management agencies at the state and local level.

Figure 6.

Figure 7.

To fully serve you, your RSM Team is led by a CPA and Certified Fraud Examiner, supported by grant administration specialists, fraud examiners and internal auditors who are familiar with these programs. This includes FEMA Public Assistance across multiple versions of PAPPG, the new PA delivery model from 2017, and the more simplified processes that began in 2022 as well as FEMA Individual Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grant Programs.

Jill Reyes is a CPA with over 20 years of experience serving State and Local governments and specializing in Large Project Closeouts. Jill also serves RSM as the National Grants Management Practice Lead. Working closely with Jill is Joel Anderson, also a CPA, Joel leads our Midwest Region Grants Management practice. Jill and Joel, in conjunction with dedicated disaster recovery professionals, including Ryan Ecker, Elizabeth Johnson, and Regina Oliver bring not only FEMA PA and IA knowledge but also 2 CFR 200 and OMB guidance expertise.

Your RSM Team includes highly experienced professionals, educators in their fields, and national leaders.

Our team is supplemented by our subcontracting partner DCMC, a recognized national leader in emergency management, homeland security, program management and cost engineering. Across the entire team, we have members deeply rooted in the areas impacted by recent natural disasters and highly experienced in grant administration across the country.

Emergency Management is in a time of great change. The shape of federal funding and FEMA in the near future is as yet unknown. However, as RSM has professionals dedicated to this industry, we monitor and analyze trends within emergency management as well as compliance matters, financial reporting issues and regulatory changes. Members of your RSM Team leadership have participated at the national, regional and local level in industry events, discussing hot topics including Federal grant compliance. This focus on emergency management means our team is at the forefront of emerging trends in the industry as evidenced by our regular attendance and participation at the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) Annual Forum and various state and local emergency management conference across the country. This forward focus means your RSM Team is prepared to support NEMA and the State of Nebraska not just today but in the future, no matter how the disaster response and recovery landscape changes.

In addition to our involvement in the broader emergency management ecosystem, we have front-line knowledge of industry innovations as well as recent FEMA developments such as 428 PA Alternative Procedures (PAAP) projects, the increase to the small project threshold, expedited projects, 406 mitigation and the simplification to the overall FEMA PA process. We proudly sponsored several emergency management conferences, including NHC, GHC, FEPA, NEMA and FTEM. Conferences are attended by our team leads, to help ensure our team is well-prepared to focus on the FEMA objectives and maintain a forward-looking perspective.

As a full-service assurance, tax, and consulting firm, we have the ability to draw from subject matter professionals in all areas of our practice to support the project and any complex or emerging areas. Our Region VII Practice has been serving the Midwest marketplace for 98 years. RSM has ten offices in Region VII—more than most other professional services firms in the region. In addition, as most of your RSM Team is located within the Midwest, we are able to co-locate to Lincoln, utilizing any space allotted by the Agency, within two business days, at your request.

We have nearly 1,400 professionals and staff based in Region VII. The governmental/not-for-profit sector is one of our largest dedicated industry segments in the Midwest. Our offices have a strong government and not-for-profit client base with a significant emphasis on state and local government. Your RSM Team’s leaders—Jill, Ryan, Elizabeth, Regina and Joel – serve your industry and state agencies 100% of the time. Jill has been serving government clients for more than 23 years.

However, our experience is best demonstrated not by what we say about ourselves, but by what our clients say about us and our work. Throughout this response you will find statements from clients and sub-recipients with whom we’ve worked, including Figure 8.

Industry specific knowledge with specialized focus

Focus on the Midwest region

“Your team’s diligence sets a high standard and serves as a model for other vendors. Please accept our sincere thanks and appreciation for the excellence you bring to this partnership.”

- FDEM Recovery Senior Staff

Figure 8.

Table 7, below is a representative list of some of these clients, specifically current and former Midwest-based government clients:

County and Municipal Governments and Agencies

• Adams Dairy Landing CID

• Woods Chapel CID

• Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW)

• Sunset Plaza CID

• North Blue Springs CID

• Leawood Firefighter’s Relief Association

• City of Riverdale, Iowa

• Adams Farm TDD

• Fall Creek CID

• White Oak CID

• Downtown CID

• City of Council Bluffs Iowa

• City of Bettendorf

• Nebraska City Public Library

• Des Moines Independent Comm School District

• City of Des Moines Iowa

• City of Excelsior Springs Missouri

• Polk County Iowa

• Iowa City Community School District

• Cedar Rapids Community School District

• City of Columbia Missouri

• The School District of Nebraska City Missouri

• United Way of East Central Iowa

• City of Davenport

• City of Dubuque

• City of Maquoketa

• City of Mason City

• Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority

• Keokuk Housing Authority

• County of Scott

• Lee County Iowa

• Linn County

• Des Moines Water Works

• Heartland Area Agency 11

• City of Atalissa

• City of Springfield Missouri

• Des Moines Water Works Pension Plan

• Jackson County Missouri Revise Pension Plan

• Nebraska City Area Transportation Authority

• Scott County Kids

• Asbury Community Fire Department

• City of Topeka Nebraska

• City of Donnellson

• Des Moines County Iowa

•…