The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded a $250 million contract to Resilience Action Partners, which is a joint venture between Ogilvy and engineering and consulting services company Michael Baker International, following a competitive review. This represents a renewed effort for the joint team initially formed after being awarded a $130 million FEMA contract in 2015.

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According to Sam.Gov, a government-led site dedicated to listing potential government contracts, the formal rebid process for this particular contract kicked off in February. Given this is a government contract, Ogilvy and FEMA said they were limited in what they could disclose. 

As part of the 5-year contract, the team will continue to work with ​​FEMA's Community Engagement and Risk Communication program, which supports national, regional, and local efforts dedicated to helping communities have a better understanding of and build a stronger resilience to natural disasters.  According to a statement by Ogilvy, the partnership will be taking its goal to the “next level.”

“When we first started this journey with FEMA, we all understood the importance of speaking and engaging with communities differently about the changing risks that exist today,” Meg Bartow, executive VP of resilience and social impact at Ogilvy and CERC executive sponsor, said in a statement. “Over the past several years we have been able to take that to the next level, moving from a focus on increasing awareness of risks to driving action that reduces those risks. We look forward to working with FEMA and our partners at Michael Baker International to continue working to ensure communities can grow, get stronger, and thrive.” 

Compared to the last contract which enlisted Ogilvy PR’s help, it seems the agency’s responsibilities will have a broader scope. Ogilvy’s FEMA CERC team will combine talent from over 20 cities across the country, including experts that span public relations, growth and innovation, advertising, health, experience, and behavioral science. The team is led out of Ogilvy’s Washington, D.C. office by Bartow and Lisa Miller, senior VP and program director of the CERC program.

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This renewed contract comes after the Biden Administration had committed $3.46 billion to FEMA to help reduce the effects of climate change across the country.