REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
April 7, 2026
FROM
CRISANTA GONZALEZ, Director of Emergency Management, Office of Emergency Services
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Synergy Disaster Recovery, LLC for Consulting and Planning Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Contract with Synergy Disaster Recovery, LLC, to provide consulting and planning services for the update of the San Bernardino County Operational Area Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, in the amount of $229,309, for the term of April 7, 2026 through October 7, 2027.
(Presenter: Crisanta Gonzalez, Director, 356-3998)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote and Fulfill the Countywide Vision.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Enhance Readiness for Major Emergency Responses.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total cost of the contract is funded by the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), which was awarded by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to San Bernardino County (County) and accepted by the Board of Supervisors on March 25, 2025. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Office of Emergency Services’ (OES) 2025-26 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
OES is responsible for maintaining and updating the County’s Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP). The MJHMP serves as the foundational mitigation planning document used to reduce risks from natural disasters by identifying hazards, assessing risks, and establishing mitigation strategies within the County Operational Area (OA).
Maintaining an approved and current MJHMP is required for the County and participating jurisdictions within the OA to remain eligible for certain disaster assistance funds and certain federal and state mitigation grant programs, in accordance with 44 CFR § 201.6. The current MJHMP was approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on December 1, 2022 and expires on December 1, 2027.
On February 14, 2025, OES was awarded HMGP funding in the amount of $524,987 for the purpose of hiring a contractor to update and draft the County’s MJHMP. The total award includes management and administration costs and a 25% match requirement for project costs, which will be met through salary costs for overseeing the MJHMP development. The grant funding is provided by FEMA and administered through Cal OES.
As per the contract requirements, Synergy Disaster Recovery, LLC will update the existing MJHMP in accordance with FEMA and Cal OES planning guidance, including hazard identification, risk assessment, and mitigation strategy development. Synergy Disaster Recovery, LLC will also prepare jurisdiction-specific annexes and will support the review and approval process of the MJHMP with Cal OES and FEMA to ensure the updated MJHMP meets federal and state requirements.
The contract period aligns with the approved HMGP grant term of February 14, 2025 through February 13, 2028, to allow adequate time for research, MJHMP development, FEMA and Cal OES approval, MJHMP adoption, and grant reporting and closeout activities. The contract incorporates the County’s standard contract terms and conditions and does not include material deviations from County contract policies.
OES recommends approval of this contract to enhance the County’s ongoing efforts to strengthen disaster resilience and to maintain eligibility for mitigation funding that supports efforts to reduce long-term risks to public safety, property, and critical infrastructure.
PROCUREMENT
The recommended contract with Synergy Disaster Recovery, LLC, was procured based on successful competitive procurement through the County’s Request for Proposal (RFP) process under solicitation No. OES126-OESAD-6159, in accordance with federal, state, and local procurement requirements. The RFP was released on February 3, 2026, and a total of seven vendors submitted proposals by the deadline.
|
Proposals |
Bids |
|
Chloeta Holdings LLC |
$238,043.77 |
|
DragonLady Defense, LLC |
$418,699.00 |
|
Integrated Solutions Consulting, Corp |
$374,790.24 |
|
Jacob Green & Associates, Inc. |
$395,000.00 |
|
Resilience Solutions Consulting LLC |
$231,125.00 |
|
Stantec Consulting Services Inc. |
$345,030.00 |
|
Synergy Disaster Recovery, LLC |
$229,309.00 |
An evaluation committee comprised of representatives from OES assessed submitted proposals against the minimum qualifications outlined in the RFP, with award consideration based entirely on cost. Following a thorough review and scoring of all proposals, the evaluation committee selected Synergy Disaster Recovery, LLC as the recommended vendor.
The vendors not recommended for contract award were notified and advised of the opportunity to submit a formal written protest based on the criteria in the RFP. No protests were received when the award letters were sent and the Purchasing Department supports this competitive procurement based on the solicitation mentioned above.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Grace B. Parsons, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on March 17, 2026; Risk Management (Stephanie Pacheco, Staff Analyst II, 386-9039) on March 6, 2026; Purchasing (Alberto Cazares, Lead Buyer, 387-5732) on March 17, 2026; County Finance and Administration (Carl Lofton, Administrative Analyst, 387-5404) on March 20, 2026.