To: Board of Supervisors
From: Monica Nino, County Administrator
Report Title: Contract for Emergency Management Function Study - IEM International, Inc.
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the County Administrator, or designee, to execute a contract with IEM International, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $476,555 to conduct a comprehensive organizational study of the County's emergency management function for the period January 1, 2025 through March 31, 2027.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Up to $476,555; 100% Measure X. On November 12, 2024, the Board of Supervisors directed $7.4 million in new, one-time allocations from Measure X surplus, of which $500,000 was authorized to conduct a comprehensive study of the County’s system of emergency management services, including the Office of Emergency Services and community alert and warning functions. The allocation is budgeted in the County Administrator’s Office, who with the support of various County emergency services leaders, will oversee the performance of the contracted services.
BACKGROUND:
History of the Office of Emergency Services (OES)
In 1997, the Office of Emergency Services (OES) was placed under the direction of the Office of the Sheriff, at a time when the County’s population was 896,235 residents. The OES leads the County’s emergency management program, establishing coordinated systems and processes for the County government to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters impacting the community. The OES implements the emergency management program by planning, training, and organizing resources to protect residents, property, the environment, and infrastructure from potential threats, including natural disasters (e.g., floods, wildfires, and earthquakes), technological incidents (e.g., dam failures), and human-caused events (e.g., terrorism).
Over the last decade, the responsibilities of the OES have evolved and increased significantly. With the continuous expansion in responsibility, mandates, and hazards, it is crucial for the emergency management program to undergo this comprehensive operational assessment to ensure that the OES is fully equipped and resourced to meet the current and future mission and needs of the community.
History of the Community Warning System (CWS)
The CWS is the County's official all-hazard public alert system, designed to protect life and health by delivering timely and accurate emergency alerts when an imminent threat requires immediate protective action. CWS alerts are issued on behalf of public entities, including law enforcement, fire agencies, and the County Health Officer, and may be activated for various emergencies such as hazardous materials incidents, wildfires, police activity, severe weather, and more. Alerts are distributed through multiple channels, including phone calls, text messages, email, outdoor sirens, CWSAlerts.com, social media, Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs), Emergency Alerts Service (EAS), and National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio. Protective actions may include instructions such as “Shelter in Place, “Evacuate Immediately”, “Move to Higher Ground”, or “Avoid the Area”.
The system is managed by the Emergency Services Division of the Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Hazardous Materials division of the County Health Services department. It is important to note that CWS is a unit within the Office of Emergency Services (OES) under the management of the Sheriff’s Office. The CWS unit is responsible for system operations, infrastructure maintenance, alert protocol development, public training and outreach, 24/7 technical support, and agency training across the County.
The CWS was established in response to a series of high-profile chemical incidents in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1988, the nonprofit Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER) <https://www.crhmro.org/CAER/> was formed to foster collaboration among public agencies, industry, and residents. In 1993, CAER <https://www.crhmro.org/CAER/> and the County Health Services department convened the Community Notification Committee, a multi-stakeholder task force that designed a unified emergency notification system.
By December 1993, the Community Notification Committee produced the Community Emergency Notification Report <https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/87011/Original-CAER-Community-Emergency-Notification-Report-and-Assessment> after an extensive, collaborative evaluation process. This effort included over two dozen public meetings, site visits to leading emergency alert systems in Texas and California, and in-depth assessments of existing infrastructure, legal mandates, and multilingual communication needs. The final report recommended a phased implementation of outdoor sirens, mass telephone alerting systems, and coordinated public outreach. Following review by the County Hazardous Materials Commission, the Board of Supervisors adopted recommendations outlined in the final report. In the years following, the County entered into agreements with major industrial facilities, granting trained facility operators the authority to activate the system during hazardous materials incidents.
In 2001, operational responsibility for the CWS transitioned from CAER <https://www.crhmro.org/CAER/> to the County and, on November 1, 2010, an Interdepartmental Services Agreement <https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/87010/Interdepartmental-Services-Agreement-ISA---between-Health-Services-and-Office-of-the-Sheriff> transitioned system oversight and maintenance from the Health Services department to the Sheriff’s Office. Since then, the County's CWS has maintained, operated, and expanded the system's infrastructure, training, and emergency alert delivery capabilities.
Purpose of Emergency Management Organizational Study
On July 21, 2025, the County released a comprehensive Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking proposals from qualified vendors to conduct assessments of the Office of Emergency Services (the “OES”) and the Community Warning System (the “CWS”). Given the interconnectedness of the OES and CWS, the assessments will consider both systems as a combined emergency management function and present comprehensive findings and recommendations that identify both systems' strengths and opportunities to further develop. The assessments will evaluate current structures, staffing, policies, and technology to provide evidence-based insights on the County’s readiness to address future emergency events, and an actionable plan composed of short- and long-term recommendations and strategies for optimizing emergency management operations, including “quick wins” for immediate improvements.
The RFP communicated the County’s goal of maintaining resilient and responsive emergency management systems to effectively protect and serve the community into the future with the following expected outcomes of the study:
• Maximize Organizational Effectiveness: Opportunities to streamline operations and coordination between the OES and CWS, leading to the most effective emergency management.
• Optimized Resource Allocation: Understanding current and future staffing and other emergency management equipment and resource needs across both systems.
• Technological Advancements: Integrated technology solutions that enhance communication, situational awareness, and operational efficiency.
• Community Engagement and Trust: Improved public outreach and communication strategies that foster community trust and ensure timely, accurate emergency alerts.
Results of Request for Proposal & Evaluation Process
On August 25, 2025, the RFP response period closed and the County received 11 responses. The RFP evaluation process was facilitated by the County Administrator’s Office and an RFP Review Panel consisting of six (6) subject matter experts from various stakeholder departments and agencies was formed, including representatives from:
• Contra Costa County Office of Education
• Office of the Sheriff-Coroner
• Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
• Employment and Human Services Department
• Health Services Department
• City of Martinez (as representative of the Public Manager’s Association)
Review Panel members were provided the 11 RFP responses on September 5, 2025. The Review Panel subsequently convened on September 11, 2025 to discuss initial feedback regarding the proposal responses received and again on September 24, 2025 to determine which respondents would be invited to participate in an in-person interview process.
On October 23, 2025, the Review Panel held in-person interviews with the top three RFP respondents, including: Constant Associates, Inc., Integrated Solutions Consulting, and IEM International, Inc. The Review Panel unanimously recommended IEM International, Inc for the contract award.
Due Diligence Review/Contract Development Process
Following the Review Panel’s recommendation, the County Administrator’s Office conducted a conducted thorough reference checks of eight (8) prior IEM clients. All references included strong endorsements of IEM, specifically citing the following areas of strength:
• Strong subject matter expert networks and outreach capabilities,
• Inclusive and collaborative engagement approach with stakeholders,
• Seamless collaboration and professionalism,
• Comprehensive support in complex environments, and
• High value outcomes aligned with organizational goals.
Over the same period, the County Administrator’s Office engaged IEM in contract negotiations resulting in a final proposed contract agreement between both parties on December 19, 2025.
Conclusion
Approval of this request will allow the County Administrator’s Office to contract with IEM for the completion of comprehensive, multi-dimensional assessments of both the Office of Emergency Services (OES) and the Community Warning System (CWS) to evaluate organizational effectiveness, structural alignment, staffing capacity, compliance posture, policy framework, and technological infrastructure, as well as provide an in-depth understanding of the County’s emergency management function as a whole across all involved County departments. The study will help inform whether the current state and infrastructure is equipped to meet future challenges. This contractor will also be able to provide actionable recommendations, founded on best practices and supported by evidence-based insights and comprehensive findings to support the County’s efforts to strengthen its capabilities to plan for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the impacts of emergencies and disasters.
If approved, the contractor will approach the study and other deliverables in a phased approach that includes information collection, stakeholder engagement, comprehensive assessment and data analysis, interim briefing, communication, and feedback, draft reports and recommendation developments, and final comprehensive reports with assessment findings, cost models, implementation timelines, risk mitigation strategies and actionable recommendations.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The County Administrator’s Office will not receive the vetted services of this contractor needed to fulfill a comprehensive assessment of the County’s emergency management services, including the Office of Emergency Services and the Community Warning System, nor will it be able to expend the Measure X allocation intended for this specific purpose.