Witt O'Brien's LLC.pdf

818 Town and Country Blvd.

Suite 200 Houston, TX 77024 wittobriens.com T: +1 (281) 320-9796 F: +1 (281) 320-9700 E: contractrequests@wittobriens.com

COVER LETTER

March 3, 2026

Craig Palik Clinton Paul as.materielpurchasing@nebraska.gov

RE: Disaster Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Programs, RFP No. 124469 O5 Dear Mr. Palik, Mr. Paul and Members of the Selection Committee:

Witt O’Brien’s is pleased to submit this proposal to the State of Nebraska (the State) to support its Public Assistance (PA), Individual Assistance (IA), and Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) programs.

As a national leader in emergency management, we stand ready to help Nebraska navigate evolving FEMA requirements and implement efficient, compliant, and results-driven recovery and mitigation programs. Our team is committed to strengthening the State’s disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and long-term resilience while maximizing eligible federal funding.

We understand that the State is seeking to select qualified bidders to provide knowledgeable and experienced personnel familiar with all disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery programs administered under the Stafford Act and the National Flood Insurance Act (NFIA), including Public Assistance (PA), Individual Assistance (IA), and Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA). Witt O’Brien’s is fully prepared to provide technically qualified professionals who can support NEMA across these programs, integrate seamlessly with State leadership, and perform under a task order structure that demands responsiveness, precision, and accountability.

Since 2001, Witt O’Brien’s has supported jurisdictions nationwide in securing and managing more than $75 billion in federal disaster assistance following some of the country’s most complex and high-impact events. Our experience spans the full lifecycle of disaster programs — from preliminary damage assessments and project formulation through obligation, reimbursement, appeals, and closeout. We understand not only what FEMA requires, but how to collect, document, and package eligible costs in a manner that produces clear, defensible, and audit-ready files.

We recognize the unique challenges facing Nebraska: fluctuating disaster workloads, evolving FEMA guidance, regulatory scrutiny, administrative capacity constraints, and the need to balance speed with compliance. To address these challenges, Witt O’Brien’s is committed to:

Providing experienced project managers, technical specialists, and program liaisons who bring operational knowledge of PA, IA, and HMA programs and can mobilize rapidly under written task order.

Managing grants from initiation through closeout to reduce audit risk, mitigate funding exposure, and maximize eligible reimbursement.

Docusign Envelope ID: E417B7F1-03C0-4347-938D-AEB821FAD0FC mailto:as.materielpurchasing@nebraska.gov

818 Town and Country Blvd.

Suite 200 Houston, TX 77024 wittobriens.com T: +1 (281) 320-9796 F: +1 (281) 320-9700 E: contractrequests@wittobriens.com

Supporting subrecipients with technical expertise in engineering review, environmental and historic preservation compliance, benefit-cost analysis, debris management, appeals, documentation development, and regulatory interpretation.

Delivering structured reporting, transparent cost tracking, and leadership visibility consistent with NEMA’s weekly, monthly, and task-specific requirements.

Strengthening long-term resilience by integrating mitigation strategies and compliance safeguards into ongoing recovery operations.

We view this opportunity not simply as a staffing engagement, but as a partnership in safeguarding Nebraska’s disaster funding, accelerating recovery timelines, and strengthening statewide resilience.

Our team is committed to operating with integrity, professionalism, and full alignment with State and federal requirements.

We appreciate your time and consideration of our proposal. Witt O’Brien’s reserves the right to negotiate terms and conditions applicable to any final agreement and, if selected, will negotiate in good faith with the State to enter into a mutually agreeable formal written agreement.

If you have any questions about our proposal or require additional information about our services or firm, please contact Suzannah Jones, MPA, MBA, CEM at (979) 229-2350 or sjones@wittobriens.com with a copy to contractrequests@wittobriens.com.

Respectfully, Witt O’Brien’s, LLC

Cheryl Detillieu Joiner, CPCM Director of Contracts & Compliance

Docusign Envelope ID: E417B7F1-03C0-4347-938D-AEB821FAD0FC mailto:contractrequests@wittobriens.com

Attachment A

Bidder Questionnaire

RFP 124469 O5

Bidder Name: _Witt O’Brien’s, LLC________________________________________________________

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: Witt O’Brien’s, LLC was formed in 2009 by a merger between O’Brien’s Response Management (founded in 1983) and Witt Associates (founded in 2001). Our company headquarters are located at 818 Town and Country Blvd., Suite 200, Houston, TX 77024. Witt O’Brien’s is incorporated in Delaware.

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:

Audited Financial Data (2024) Below is the most recent audited financial statement from our parent company. This report has been signed and certified as accurate by the third party independent auditor BDO RCS Auditores Independentes SS Ltda. Due to file size limitations, we provide this link for access to the report.

Ambipar 2024 Financial Data

Additionally, a banking reference is provided at the end of this document.

https://api.mziq.com/mzfilemanager/v2/d/765f69d9-d6b2-42fc-b305-639ec9488ac1/c34f6e99-c4c4-1261-b765-8b95c5e97ac0?origin=1

Witt O’Brien’s is not currently a party to, and has not been a party to, any claim, controversy, legal dispute, litigation, bankruptcy, planned office closures, impending merger or other related legal matter where the basis of the claim involves the same or similar services as those referenced in this Request for Proposal.

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: There is no anticipated change in ownership or control of the company during the twelve (12) months following the solicitation response due date.

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: Employees assigned to this project will primarily work from individual virtual offices located across the United States. Our team is fully equipped to provide remote support through virtual platforms, email, and phone, and we have staff available to travel to Nebraska as needed for meetings, project work, and on-site support. This approach ensures flexibility and responsiveness while leveraging our nationwide resources to deliver high-quality service.

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: Witt O’Brien’s had an agreement with the Nebraska Department of Transportation, Agreement No. UK2306. The agreement expired December 31, 2025.

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: N/A

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: N/A

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:

Summary Matrix The Summary Matrix below provides details on select projects for declared disasters in the past five years that involved more than $50 million in FEMA PA and hazard mitigation projects.

Client Services Provided

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, TN

(2022 – Present)

We assisted the State in submitting FEMA PA project applications for more than $460 million in COVID-19 response and recovery costs. We are also supporting the management of over $800 million in FEMA PA in response to more than 15 other declared disasters (including winter storms, tornadoes, mudslides, flooding, and a bombing event).

King County, WA

(2020 – Present)

Since 2020, we have provided comprehensive post-award grant management, audit, and closeout of more than $1.3 billion in funding to address the impacts of COVID-19. This has included the administration of $266 million in FEMA PA funding for emergency response, including mass vaccinations.

Tulare County, CA

(2023 – Present)

We have provided disaster recovery support to Tulare County (and neighboring jurisdictions) following the “atmospheric river” events that resulted in catastrophic flooding in 2022 - 2023. We are currently managing more than $86 million in FEMA PA—including $1.8 million in Section 406 mitigation—and $22 million in FHWA-ER funding.

Charlotte County, FL

(2023 –2025)

Following Hurricane Ian in 2022, we supported Charlotte County through the FEMA PA program totaling over $83 million spanning 165 projects. We are also supporting the County in Section 404 HMGP and have submitted 44 hazard mitigation projects totaling more than $150 million.

State of New Mexico – Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM)

(2022 – Present)

In response to multiple wildfire and flooding events across the state, we have assisted the DHSEM in developing more than $120 million in mitigation applications (HMGP, BRIC, etc.) and $20 million in hazard mitigation proposals under the FEMA PA Section 406 mitigation program.

As further demonstration of our reimbursement expertise, the Summary Matrix below highlights our success in helping clients secure recovery grant funding not only in FEMA PA but also FEMA HMA, including HMGP, and HUD CDBG-DR programs. (>$100M)

Client Funds/Grant $ Managed

Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) $21.2 B in FEMA PA and HMA, HUD CDBG-DR, and FHWA-ER funding State of Louisiana $16.3 B in FEMA PA and HMA funding Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority $3.6 B in FEMA PA, HMA, and CDBG-DR funding Florida Department of Transportation $2 billion in FEMA PA funding State of Iowa $1.5 billion in FEMA PA funding King County, Washington $1.39 billion in FEMA PA Tennessee Emergency Management Agency $1.2 billion in FEMA PA The Texas General Land Office $1.4 billion in FEMA PA funding State of New Jersey $950 million in FEMA PA and HMA funding Univ. TX Medical Branch (Galveston), Texas $559 million in FEMA PA and HMA funding Jefferson County, Alabama $328 million in FEMA PA funding

Galveston, Texas $300 million in FEMA PA and HMA funding State of Kansas $256 million in FEMA PA funding Charlotte County, Florida $160 million in FEMA HMA funding Alabama Emergency Management Agency $147.5 million in FEMA HMA funding Bay Medical Center, Florida $124 million in FEMA PA funding Tulare County, California $108 million in FEMA PA and FHWA-ER funding City of Houston (TX) $100 million in FEMA PA funding

References

Reference #1 – New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (NM DHSEM) - Prime

Time Period March 2023 – February 2025 (end of initial contract term) Extended until December, 2026

Scheduled & Actual Completion Dates February 2025 & December 2026

Witt O’Brien’s Responsibilities WOB supports both Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation efforts through:

1. Technical Assistance (TA) for FEMA 406 Mitigation:

• Guiding sub-applicants on available mitigation options.

• Reviewing Hazard Mitigation Proposals (HMPs).

• Coordinating with FEMA on Requests for Information (RFIs).

2. HMGP (Hazard Mitigation Grant Program) Projects:

• Developing applications and conducting Benefit-Cost Analyses (BCAs).

• Coordinating RFI responses to FEMA RFIs

• Facilitating sub-grant agreement execution and conducting kick-off meetings.

• Processing sub-grant amendments and reimbursement requests, completing quarterly reports, procurement reviews, and final closeouts.

Cost Estimate and Funding:

This effort encompasses a Not-To-Exceed (NTE) contract value of $3.2 million, covering technical assistance, project management, and long-term recovery services for large-scale and smaller, community-based mitigation projects.

Customer Contact Information Jeremy Klass, PhD, CFM Response and Recovery Bureau Chief

(505) 479-0170; jeremy.klass@dhsem.nm.gov

Project Description As a subconsultant to Plexos Group, LLC, we are currently providing HMA and FEMA PA Section 406 mitigation staff augmentation services to the NM DHSEM. Our support includes providing technical assistance to sub-recipients with education, outreach, and application development tasks for multiple disaster declarations.

While supporting NM DHSEM, we have developed over $121 million i[JD3.1]n HMA applications, including providing SOW, cost estimating, and BCA services. We have provided grants management services and project implementation support, including processing payments and technical monitoring to disaster and non-disaster mitigation grants, including

BRIC, FMA, Community Assistance Program – State Support Services Element (CAP-SSSE), PDM-L, PDM, and HMGP.

Under the PA 406 mitigation program, we have developed over $20 million in hazard mitigation proposals and completed the FEMA-required hydrologic and hydraulic studies for over 100 culverts.

Reference #2 - State of Tennessee - Prime

Time Period September 20, 2022 – September 19, 2025

Scheduled & Actual Completion Dates September 19, 2025

Witt O’Brien’s Responsibilities • Preparing and submitting project applications and supporting documentation for more than 250 applicants.

• Comprehensive FEMA PA support, including staff augmentation.

• Direct assistance to over 100 sub-applicants.

• Enhance the FEMA PA program.

Customer Contact Information Jessica Burr Public Assistance Program Administrator 629-250-1047; jessica.burr@tn.gov

Project Description In 2022, we partnered with TEMA to assist with FEMA PA-funded projects related to COVID-

19. To date, our team has secured over $460 million in COVID-19 cost reimbursements for the State by preparing and submitting project applications and supporting documentation for more than 250 applicants.

As a result of our successful support of COVID-19, we were asked to provide comprehensive FEMA PA support to TEMA including staff augmentation for PA liaison staff for all their disaster work, including new major disaster declarations. This includes full grant lifecycle work from FEMA’s Request for Public Assistance (RPA) to closeout support. Our support for the State includes direct assistance to over 100 sub-applicants, including the development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) to improve efficiency and compliance. Our team currently manages over $800 million in FEMA PA funding across the State, covering more than 15 natural disasters (e.g., winter storms, tornadoes, mudslides, flooding) and a bombing event.

To assist the project formulation process, our team is providing staff augmentation support as TEMA Regional Liaisons to provide technical support to sub-applicants, which includes counties, municipalities, schools and universities, special districts, utilities, non-profits, and houses of worship. Our liaisons are walking the sub-applicants through the entire FEMA PA process from beginning to end, including project formulation. We assist them in collecting damages, entering data into Grants Portal, reviewing documentation, supporting site inspections, and providing cost estimation support.

Program Management Value add-on: Witt O’Brien’s was hired by the State of Tennessee to enhance the FEMA PA program. Upon initiation, the team uncovered opportunities for the State to increase efficiency. By implementing best practices for Recipient program management, we transformed the State’s approach, eliminating labor intensive and costly tracking of individual COVID-19 projects. This implementation streamlined operations and resulted in substantial financial savings, cutting thousands of dollars in unnecessary expenses.

Reference #3 - City of Houston - Prime

Time Period July 2024 – June 2025

Scheduled & Actual Completion Dates June 2025

Witt O’Brien’s Responsibilities In addition to our comprehensive disaster recovery efforts, our team provided crucial strategic support to the City of Houston in several key areas.

One of our primary contributions was in the realm of Funding Strategy. We offered strategic advice on funding priorities, ensuring expedited funding for both Category A (Debris Removal) and Category B (Emergency Protective Measures) projects. Our efforts included collaborative work with FEMA and drafting a formal letter to the Governor of Texas, requesting additional financial support to bolster the city’s recovery efforts.

Furthermore, we took the lead on Project Formulation, working closely with city officials and FEMA to ensure that local recovery priorities were adequately addressed. This collaborative initiative was vital for aligning city needs with federal resources, facilitating a more effective recovery process.

Additionally, our team conducted a thorough Legislative Analysis, assessing pending legislation at the state level that could potentially impose negative impacts on disaster-related taxes. By identifying these risks early, we were able to advise the city on proactive measures to mitigate adverse effects.

Finally, we played a pivotal role in developing a strategy for Local Cost Share. Our team supported the city in successfully soliciting state funds to cover the local cost share, ensuring that Houston received the necessary financial backing to aid its recovery efforts.

Customer Contact Information Fazal Syed Assistant Director, Finance Department, Financial Reporting and Operations Division

(832) 393-9037; Fazal.Syed@houstontx.gov

Project Description In 2022, Witt O’Brien’s signed a five-year agreement with the City of Houston to provide standby assistance for disaster recovery efforts. In June 2024, the City was hit by a powerful Derecho (DR-4781 - Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), followed by Hurricane Beryl (DR-4798) in July. Our team quickly mobilized, arriving on the ground in Houston within just 24 hours after Hurricane Beryl made landfall.

The team provides technical assistance and staff augmentation for the full range of FEMA PA tasks. We started with damage assessment, creating detailed inventories and collecting supporting documentation, followed by procurement analysis, site inspections, and project formulation. To provide City personnel with the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate the recovery process, we organized just-in-time training sessions that focused on damage inventories, documentation, procurement processes, and site inspections. Our support has included engaging with more than 25 City departments, including Finance, Public Works, Solid Waste, the Houston Airport System, and the Houston Fire and Police Departments, as well as General Services. Our commitment to supporting Houston's recovery continues strongly, with ongoing projects that have exceeded $100 million in value.

The team has supported initial projects of more than $111 million for Hurricane Beryl (of which $90 million is emergency work Categories A and B) and $40 million for the derecho ($38 million for emergency Cat A and B).

Subcontractor References

Plexos – State of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity

Time Period April 2020 to July 2020

Scheduled & Actual Completion Dates April 2020 to July 2020

Plexos Responsibilities - Deploying IT Support

- Staff Augmentation

- Virtual Call Center Solution

Customer Contact Information Scott Edelman PE, SVP, AECOM 336-314-3435; scott.edelman@aecom.com;

Project Description The State of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity needed to quickly increase capacity of its unemployment hotline to handle massive surges in COVID-19 unemployment claims.

Through a contractual relationship with AECOM, Plexos rapidly deployed much-needed IT support and a virtual call center solution and staffing augmentation. Over the course of the program, Plexos hired, trained, and equipped more than 750 Floridians to work remotely and safely from their homes. Our call center services helped hundreds of thousands of Floridians with questions about their claims.

TerraFort – Santa Cruz County, CA

Time Period July 2024 – Present

Scheduled & Actual Completion Dates Scheduled: June 2026 Actual: November 2025

Terrafort Responsibilities TerraFort is responsible for all disaster recovery activities from damage assessments through to appeals and grant closeout. This also includes after action reviews, business process reengineering, and continuous improvement.

Customer Contact Information David Reid Director, Office of Response, Recovery, and Resilience

(831) 454-3407; David.Reid@santacruzcountyca.gov

Project Description TerraFort was hired by Santa Cruz County in June 2024 following several years of overwhelming major disaster declarations.

mailto:scott.edelman@aecom.com

Our team was tasked to conduct a comprehensive audit of the County’s response and recovery readiness capabilities with a focus on processes and systems that support efficient disaster recovery.

Additionally, TerraFort took over all cost recovery activities from County staff including implementing the TerraFort platform to enhance organization and operational readiness.

TerraFort conducted all site inspections, developed the Damage Dimensions and Descriptions, Scopes of Work and Cost estimates for new disasters and worked with FEMA and the State of California to remediate issues with past FEMA Public Assistance projects.

Finally, TerraFort has also been responsible for all appeals, closeout activities as well as broader grant compliance functions. The original scope of work included two years worth of the most recent disaster declarations but has since been expanded to include all legacy disasters as well as future events that may be declared.

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:

TECHNICAL RESPONSE

2.1

Describe bidder’s process for providing PA technical services.

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:

Introduction Witt O’Brien’s understands that the State of Nebraska serves a dual and uniquely complex role under the FEMA Public Assistance (PA) Program. As the Recipient, the State is responsible for program oversight, policy implementation, compliance monitoring, technical guidance, financial stewardship, and ensuring timely reimbursement of federal funds. At the same time, the State may also serve as an applicant for its own eligible projects—requiring internal coordination, documentation, cost validation, and adherence to the same federal requirements imposed on its sub-recipients. Simultaneously, the State must support and manage a diverse portfolio of sub-recipients—each with varying levels of experience, capacity, and disaster impact. Our team has operated on both sides of this framework.

Witt O’Brien’s includes former State emergency management and recovery leaders who have administered FEMA PA programs from the Recipient perspective—developing policy, managing federal-state coordination, overseeing grants management systems, monitoring compliance, and balancing statewide recovery priorities. We understand the pressures associated with cash flow management, quarterly reporting, audit risk, closeout backlogs, and ensuring federal compliance while maintaining strong local partnerships. We also understand the operational realities of advancing the State’s own projects through damage inventory development, project formulation, documentation standards, procurement compliance, and closeout.

Equally important, we have extensive experience supporting sub-recipients directly—helping local governments, school districts, utilities, and special districts navigate eligibility determinations, cost reasonableness, documentation standards, and long-term compliance requirements.

We understand how local execution directly affects the State’s oversight responsibilities and audit exposure.

Our technical approach, described below, reflects a comprehensive Public Assistance lifecycle process applicable to all FEMA PA applicants.

What differentiates our team is our practical understanding of the nuanced interplay between Recipient and applicant roles. We structure our support to strengthen the State’s oversight function while simultaneously building sub-recipient capability, accelerating obligation timelines, reducing risk exposure, and positioning Nebraska for efficient reimbursement and compliant closeout.

In short, we understand the State’s responsibility to lead, oversee, and perform—and we structure our support to enhance each of those roles.

We possess extensive experience—spanning over two decades—in collaborating with FEMA PA applicants at all levels of government including state, county, and municipal entities. To that end, we are uniquely positioned to assist the state of Nebraska as we comprise former professionals who have served at the state level in key leadership roles such as state directors, deputy directors, and PA disaster recovery experts. This diverse experience provides us with an intimate understanding of the challenges and priorities inherent at each level of government. Consequently, we are able to effectively represent our clients’ interests and perspectives.

We are particularly attuned to the nuanced challenges facing state applicants who bear the responsibility of managing pass-through funding to sub-applicants, serving as the primary liaison with FEMA, advocating for local jurisdictions, and overseeing their own state level PA projects. Our team maintains a current and comprehensive understanding of the legal, regulatory, and policy framework governing FEMA PA—including the ongoing revisions and updates that characterize the disaster recovery environment.

The FEMA PA process (consistent with the PAPPG v5 and the Public Assistance Program Delivery Guide) includes eight phases, each with key tasks required to secure funding for emergency work (Categories A and B) and to establish the approvals necessary for permanent project work in additional PA categories. As shown in Exhibit 1, our nine-step technical approach aligns with these eight phases.

Note that some activities can be performed concurrently. Also, we recognize that our team may be engaged at any stage of the PA process—including after initial steps have already been completed.

Exhibit 1: Witt O’Brien’s Technical Approach to the FEMA PA Process

CONDUCT PROJECT INITIATION

OUTCOME: Establishment of working relationships and clarification of your expectations, priorities, and immediate support needs.

During this step, we will help the state formally begin the FEMA PA grant process to maximize your cost recovery. At the kick-off meeting we will confirm your current PA status, clarify expectations, and identify any immediate steps we can take to initiate FEMA procedures and speed up your recovery.

Contract Kick-off We will begin our contractual engagement with the state by holding a formal kick-off meeting to discuss the project management approach including developing a shared vision of goals, timelines, deliverables, and approach. Our discussion may include financial reimbursement goals under FEMA’s PA program, recovery goals for the community, or other goals related to program administration. We will also establish operational procedures, discuss use of state systems of record, and identify expectations and requirements the state has for our support.

Following this meeting, we will develop a Project Management Plan (PMP), which will serve as the roadmap for our management of the project. It will include high‐level tasks; activities; deliverables; schedule; key milestones; staffing; and methods for monitoring, controlling, and reporting on the work.

Communication and Coordination As part of the PMP, we will work with the state to identify the relevant internal and external stakeholders—including FEMA, state, and local organizations—to be involved throughout the process. We will develop a Communication Management Plan to ensure that the state and other project stakeholders receive the necessary information to help with project understanding and oversight. Our CMP will define the communications requirements, including regularly scheduled meetings and project update reports. These meetings will allow us to discuss issues that impact the work effort and ensure all partners understand the progress that has been made.

Review of Current FEMA PA Status As part of project initiation, we will assess the disasters for which our support is needed and where you are in the PA process for each. For new disasters, our team can assist as follows:

• Pre-declaration. If you are in the pre-declaration phase, we can help with coordination, staffing, management of Preliminary Damage

Assessments (PDAs) and drafting declaration requests. Effective PDAs are key to securing a major disaster declaration from the federal government and developing situational awareness on the impacts to communities during an incident. Obtaining a Stafford Act Major Disaster Declaration requires the state to meet required cost thresholds based on population and per-capita indicators. Our expert team of program and policy experts can deploy to the state to serve as a force multiplier during the damage assessment phase, bringing capacity and the latest tools to support the state with quick and effective PDAs. Our team is experienced in developing successful disaster declaration requests and appeals.

• Post-declaration. If you have a declaration but have not yet requested assistance from FEMA, we can help submit the required Request for Public Assistance (RPA) for FEMA PA funding. Submitting an RPA through FEMA PA Grants Portal must occur within 30 days of the respective area being designated for PA in the declaration. If an extension past the 30 days is required for submission of the RPA, our team can also support that effort.

• Support the Exploratory Call. Once the RPA is approved, preparation for project formulation and the grants management phases of project applications will begin. Following the RPA, FEMA will conduct an Exploratory Call (EC) with the applicant to introduce FEMA staff and review disaster impacts. Our staff can assist in collecting the data needed for the EC and in preparing for the Recovery Scoping Meeting (RSM).

Immediate Funding Needs Our team will ensure the process for addressing any immediate needs funding is worked on alongside the regular project process. We will partner with the state to develop an initial funding strategy to maximize cash flow priorities. This will include a review of emergency work reimbursement options to include expedited funding requests. For example, the state might prioritize expedited funding applications to more quickly access funds—in other words submit as soon as practical for Categories A and B (emergency work). Once the RPA is approved, our team can provide support as the state identifies temporary emergency work critical to maintaining operations vital to public health and safety that can be funded under FEMA PA emergency work.

PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, GUIDANCE, & TRAINING

OUTCOME: Leaders and program personnel are equipped with technical knowledge of FEMA PA and any new policy guidance.

Compliance with current Federal procurement guidelines is paramount for maximizing access to and keeping PA funding. Financial compliance issues often arise from inadequate documentation and violations of Federal procurement regulations and policies. From the beginning of the process, our priority will be to provide your staff with technical assistance, programmatic guidance, and training (as needed) regarding procurement and other substantive and procedural requirements for eligibility and funding from the FEMA PA program. This step will typically begin following the kick-off meeting and will continue as needed throughout the entire process.

Conduct Detailed Review of Existing Policies and Procedures As requested, we will conduct a detailed review of your existing program to assess your readiness to execute the FEMA PA program. Our focus is on reviewing relevant procurement policies; documentation; and activity tracking mechanisms that were in place before the disaster, such as pay policies, purchasing policies, bid documents, standard contracts, work orders, and time/equipment logs. Our staff has the expertise to advise and guide on elements needing revision for better alignment with Federal and State requirements. If feasible, this can include setting up conference calls or in-person meetings to exchange information and documentation necessary to begin project formulation.

Other areas include review of pay and purchasing policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to disasters, time and activity tracking mechanisms, and history of disaster recovery with FEMA.

Establish Cost Documentation Processes To support FEMA documentation requests, our staff will ensure the state has the documentation needed to create disaster projects for FEMA PA obligation. A key element will be developing and/or validating processes for obtaining, analyzing, and gathering cost documentation. This includes purchasing policies, pay policies, bargaining agreements, and insurance policies, which must be in place before and during the disaster. Additional documents include Force Account Labor (FAL), Force Account Equipment (FAE) and Contract Work summaries for work already completed and detailed scope and estimates for work yet to be completed. The remainder of the supporting documents include details on all internal or contract activities with a heavy emphasis on the procurement of goods and services.

Assess Data Management Systems We support clients early in the PA process in determining what system/process to use for cost tracking, progress reporting, and document retention. As required, this will include in-progress reviews to keep the state current on project progress. We are experienced at adapting to and using a variety of systems, processes, and procedures. Regardless of the process used, we will collaborate with you to implement a robust file-keeping and organization process from the first day of our engagement. We will ensure documentation is submitted respectively in the FEMA PA Grants Portal as well as any other system the state uses. Grants Portal will serve as the formal submission of applications, project information, and key documentation for the assigned Program Delivery Manager (PDMG) who will help shepherd projects through FEMA’s Consolidated Resource Centers (CRC) to reimbursement.

Establish Procurement Processes As part of this initial step, we will work with the state to determine our team’s role in procuring contractors for disaster recovery services. We can assist the state in procuring contractors for emergency services, debris removal, monitoring, and permanent work in accordance with your procurement guidelines, the applicable state guidelines, and 2 CFR Part 200 Federal procurement regulations. This would include setting up the procurement process and schedule including templates for Requests for Proposals (RFPs), evaluation processes for review and selection, and contract award documents. We can also help draft RFPs to solicit data on contractor capabilities including technical and management skills, prior experience, past performance and client satisfaction, price, and availability.

Identify Alternative Funding Sources The primary objective of the cost-recovery process should be to maximize the state’s reimbursements from all available program funding streams. If requested, we can monitor other funding opportunities—such as HUD’s CDBG-DR funding—which can provide state/local match for FEMA PA grant funding and will closely coordinate with you to pursue other supplementary funding options that might become available to maximize your total assistance from all sources.

PREPARE FOR RECOVERY SCOPING MEETING (RSM)

OUTCOME: Successful preparation and participation in the RSM with FEMA.

At the end of Phase I of the FEMA PA process (Applicant Coordination & Evaluation), FEMA conducts an RSM to review damages and impacts, begin gathering documentation, start developing a list of projects, and review priorities. It is essential to be prepared for this meeting, e.g., to discuss any strategies you wish to employ with respect to project development. Our team will provide support to the state in collecting documentation and materials needed for this meeting.

Develop Preliminary Damage Inventory (DI) The DI is a list of all emergency and permanent work activities for which the applicant is seeking reimbursement. The applicant has 60 days from the RSM to finalize the DI and upload it to the FEMA PA Grants Portal. For this reason, it is important to begin building the DI as soon as feasible—even as damage is still being identified.

We will assist the state in collecting the necessary data and documentation for inclusion in the preliminary DI. Key information includes location, description, primary cause of damage, PA Category of Work, type of labor, and approximate cost. This often requires collecting response and temporary emergency repair cost data including video and/or photographic information, state payroll documentation, procurement and contracting documents, mutual aid agreements, invoices, labor contracts, and insurance policies.

Identify Site Inspection Priorities FEMA will use the DI to logically group damages into PA projects (for project formulation) and identify priorities for site inspections. We will assist you in identifying these priorities, which include critical infrastructure that might require constructing temporary facilities for essential services to remain operational as well as repair of infrastructure. In addition, we will analyze the damage documentation to identify those facilities/locations that might need additional information for FEMA to justify eligibility.

ASSESS AND DOCUMENT DAMAGES

OUTCOME: Finalized DI and detailed Damage Descriptions and Dimensions (DDDs) for Project Formulation.

During Phase II of the FEMA PA process (Impacts & Eligibility), FEMA and the applicant work together to obtain information on impacts and damage to logically group these into projects. FEMAthen validates the damages and determines eligibility to initiate development of the Scope of Work (SOW) and cost estimates. During Step 4, we will assist you in documenting damages for upload to FEMA Grants Portal.

Finalize DI In close coordination with the state, we will work with each affected department to finalize data collection for the DI and enter relevant information into Grants Portal. Once the DI is prepared and uploaded into Grants Portal, our team will work with the state to respond to FEMA RFIs and triage the list of damaged facilities/locations to schedule and assist with damage inspections, as needed, for the DDDs.

Develop DDDs We are highly trained in the preparation of detailed DDDs, which FEMA uses to assess eligibility. The DDDs are then uploaded to Grants Portal and routed to the CRC for compliance and quality assurance (QA) in preparation for SOW and cost estimation.

The DDDs require Essential Elements of Information (EEIs), which consists of questions and required documentation. To complete the EEIs for each project, our team will work directly with the department and/or individual responsible for oversight of the work or for gathering the required supporting documentation.

• Emergency work. For work that has already been completed (e.g., Categories A and B Emergency Work), staff will collect data on contractor invoicing, billing, and other essential documentation that will define the eligible damage and approved costs for that project.

• Site inspections. For permanent work to be completed, damage information is collected through site inspections. Our team can also provide full coordination and management of site inspections. Should you require specific assistance with inspections, we can assemble the technical staff (e.g., site inspection coordinators, cost estimators, professional engineers) needed to inspect public buildings, roads, electric distribution and generation systems, and other public infrastructure.

It is important during site inspection process to note potential environmental requirements applicable to the area of damage to get a head start on meeting the FEMA National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements. In addition, a focus on possible Section 406 hazard mitigation opportunities should be recorded site by site, combining the damage-related impacts with cost-effective mitigation early in the process to prevent similar damage from a future event.

CONDUCT PROJECT FORMULATION

OUTCOME: Sufficient documentation of SOW and costs provided to FEMA for validation and obligation.

The following are conducted in preparation for developing project applications for submission to FEMA. The SOW will be developed based on the DDDs and will describe what the state will undertake to address the eligible damage. The costs will be based on actual costs (if the work is completed) or estimates for work to be completed. FEMA and the state typically work together to document the SOW and cost estimates in an application for FEMA obligation.

It is important that the state be engaged throughout this process. Involving the applicant in project formulation ensures the project is realistic, well-aligned, and more likely to succeed. Early applicant engagement brings subject matter knowledge, fosters ownership and clearer communication, improves budgeting and risk management, and strengthens funding proposals—leading to better solutions, fewer delays, and greater cost control. Below are some considerations we can assist with.

Conduct Damage/Location Grouping Project formulation includes the step of methodically grouping multiple damages or locations into a single project application (formerly called a Project Worksheet or PW), usually based on types of similar damage and functions. In alignment with the state’s priorities for recovery, we will coordinate with all departments and offices to triage all DDDs and determine the opportunities that will be most efficient when deciding how to logically group the facilities to best meet your recovery objectives and maximize funding. These decisions will be consistent with how the state plans to perform the restoration work, via contract or self-perform with their own workforce. Our extensive knowledge and experience will help the state address its priorities for recovery.

Develop Cost Narrative We bring extensive experience in demonstrating, documenting, and substantiating compliance with Federal procurement requirements, particularly if emergency and exigent circumstances were necessary for lifesaving and/or public health emergency conditions. Substantiating these processes at the beginning of the funding justification phase will reduce FEMA’s Requests for Information (RFIs) and assist in the timely obligation and reimbursement of all emergency costs incurred.

This process is most successful when applicants can first provide a cost estimate based on what they believe to be the budget to reasonably perform the approved SOW. It is often through eligibility justifications that we knit together the pieces of information into a single narrative to “tell your story.” Too often, we find that the FEMA CRC and applicants engage in a “back-and-forth” RFI process that only serves…