Commission approves contract with consultants to pursue FEMA appeals, firm to be reimbursed by FEMA

Cocke County commissioners approved a contract with Delivering Results Solutions (DRS) for disaster program management and FEMA-claims consulting, following a budget committee recommendation and staff presentations. Commissioners and staff said the firm specializes in FEMA closeout and appeals; commissioners were told the firm's fees are typically reimbursable by FEMA at a high rate.

Budget committee members explained DRS responded to a county solicitation and scored highest among seven bids. The contract discussion stressed DRS's experience with FEMA appeals; county staff said DRS will handle an appeal the county has 60 days to file after FEMA denied a claim related to the county jail. A county official described DRS's proposed fee structure as an hourly arrangement up to 5% of recovered funds, and said FEMA reimburses many such consultant fees under the program's rules.

The board voted on a motion to accept a contract with DRS; the motion passed on a roll-call vote at the meeting. County staff told the commissioners that the consultant work is intended to accelerate reimbursements and help close out multiple FEMA categories, and that consultant fees would be treated as reimbursable project costs in many instances.

The contract was described at the meeting as limited to FEMA-related consulting, appeals and documentation support; specifics of deliverables and the final engagement letter were included in the commission packet. Commissioners asked about fee caps, the competitive selection process and the planned timeline for appeals work; staff said DRS expected to begin outreach to FEMA immediately if approved.

By approving the contract the commission authorized county staff to proceed with the engagement and to pursue FEMA appeals with DRS's assistance.