Bruce L. Caswell
Thanks, Jessica, and good morning. As we enter the back half of the fiscal year, I'm pleased to report solid results representing another strong quarter. While David will get into greater detail in a few moments, I'm proud to share that we reported revenue of $1.36 billion in the quarter, representing a solid 3% organic growth year over year. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 13.7% in Q2, and is in the upper end of our near-term guidance range, showing we are delivering on an earlier commitment. We believe these results reflect the strength and resilience of our business, our role as a partner to government in delivering complex programs efficiently at scale, and our earned reputation for technology innovation in government services. Before diving into an update on the business, I want to address the macro environment in which we are operating. As you know, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, operates within the executive office of the president, working closely with the Office of Management and Budget, or OMB. The DOGE began its work shortly after the inauguration and continues its efforts to streamline government, reflecting the administration's priorities. In February, when the DOGE was beginning their work, we noted that we share the administration's goal of modernizing programs through technology standardization and performance-based contracting to deliver high-quality services in an accountable manner. While our sector continues to operate as expected in an environment of some uncertainty, we believe this also presents an important opportunity to showcase our ideas on more effective models for the delivery of critical citizen services. Our teams are well prepared for this moment, as the DOGE objectives align with many of our recent Maximus Forward initiatives, of which I've spoken on prior calls. Under our Maximus Forward transformation, we questioned traditional structures and processes, sought to apply technology and innovation to drive more efficient operations, and focused on customer satisfaction. Further, we've emphasized employee engagement and enabled critical reinvestment in the business. In the context of applying a similar mindset to the work we do on behalf of our customers, let me share two recent examples of which I'm especially proud. First, on our federal No Surprises Act contract, where we provide arbitration services to resolve out-of-network payment disputes between insurance providers and care facilities, we recently implemented an AI solution that is designed to streamline the independent dispute resolution process. This greatly enhanced process efficiency, cutting down on manual effort and boosting throughput. This automation helped clear a backlog of disputes, ensured SLA targets were met, reduced temporary labor costs, provided more meaningful work for our employees, and supported significant growth in project volumes. Secondly, working with the Department of Veterans Affairs, or VA, we've invested significantly to accelerate case preparation on our MDE contract. In the past, organizing and categorizing the information in medical records was a labor-intensive and highly repetitive process, with case files averaging between 5,500 pages. Given the importance of this program to the VA and our commitment to provide timely service to our nation's veterans, there was an urgent need for investment in automation. By leveraging tools such as AWS, GovCloud, and Amazon Textract, Maximus developed a proprietary AI and machine learning-powered records processing system. Since implementation, we have reduced the time required for manual case preparation, enabling us to take on greater volumes in the wake of the PACT Act. This solution has also enabled us to shift labor to higher-value work, such as quality assurance, contributing to the VA's objective of faster claim resolution for our deserving veterans. Innovation like this requires program and operational knowledge, gained through years of delivery, coupled with industry-leading technical acumen and meaningful investment. These are hallmarks of our business model and are best realized when we are aligned with our customers on a common mission objective, in this case, providing the best service possible for those who served our nation. The implementation of new innovative solutions for these two federal customers are two positive examples of the ways in which we are collaborating and executing on shared priorities. We believe these also serve as solid proof points that our investments in AI and our people are paying off. We are working closely to support our customers and DOGE representatives to address questions on certain contracts and program operations. In some cases, it has led to further discussions about opportunities for efficiencies, consolidation, and innovation. We will continue to be responsive to questions from the administration as they arise and welcome opportunities to demonstrate how our work delivers value for American taxpayers in support of over 100 million citizens in critical program areas like veterans benefits, student loan servicing, and Medicare. The impact of DOGE decisions on the business to date has been limited to a handful of small contracts where budget or scope has now been modified, some of which were already scheduled to end this fiscal year. More specifically, to date, these actions are estimated to total about $4 million in FY 2025 revenue, a de minimis figure on our base of $5 billion plus of revenue. That said, the environment in which we are operating continues to evolve, and we are maintaining a balanced stance of both supporting our customers in response to inquiries as well as leaning into opportunities to shape the future of certain programs. As an example, like others in our sector, we have fielded requests for pricing concessions on certain contracts, which leads to a process of mutual negotiation in due course. We recognize that this is an ongoing process, which may lead to further requests and reflects the systematic review of government spending that has been a communicated priority of the administration. As a result, as David will discuss further, we maintain a more cautious view of the second half of this fiscal year, consistent with our standpoint when we provided guidance earlier. Our objective remains to demonstrate how our work delivers value and accountability for American taxpayers. Another proof point of our alignment with the administration is at the state level. Recently, guidance was issued to reaffirm states' authority to use private sector partners that meet merit system principles. This framework, administered by the Office of Personnel Management, or OPM, is fundamental to the agency's mandate to ensure transparency, fairness, and merit-based management of employees across the public and private sectors. The challenge for states is that managing growing complex populations often exceeds the realistic constraints of the government workforce, leading to reduced service quality and a poor citizen experience. For many states, scaling up a permanent workforce is neither a practical nor cost-effective solution. Maximus was the first organization in our sector to certify that its systems of personnel management meet the high standards government demands of its own workforce, fully complying with government merit system principles. We refer to the federal guidance as flexibility to contract because, from the state customer perspective, they can choose what's in their interest, ideally balancing their workforce to perform inherently governmental functions while partnering with private sector providers like Maximus. With the anticipated demand for services likely increasing in the near future, as states contemplate possible changes to Medicaid and other benefit programs, there's no better time to have this flexibility. We believe our track record in this area is unmatched. During the pandemic, flexibility to contract guidance was attached to emergency pandemic response bills, which enabled the private sector to support states in processing claims for unemployment insurance benefits. Maximus became the leading provider of these services. With flexibility to contract reactivated, we are once again supporting our state customers as they examine the benefits of a hybrid public-private model. Last quarter, I discussed the early developments in the area of Medicaid, specifically potential changes to reduce the level of federal Medicaid spending. As we stand here today, three months later, there's been little actionable movement in this area, but the contours of possible legislative changes are emerging. While it's too early to speculate on what may make its way into a final bill, interest remains high in areas that include program integrity and work requirements. As discussed in February, changes that require customer engagement, such as verifying eligibility, typically increase our activity volume, which is our primary contracting model for state Medicaid programs. Therefore, a reduction in Medicaid recipients may not necessarily decrease consumer engagement, especially if eligibility verification or activity reporting requirements become more frequent than today. Additionally, in many of our largest states, we also manage state-based exchanges where customers can enroll if they are no longer eligible for Medicaid. This helps maintain our ongoing engagement with those consumers. Now let me turn to the business, beginning with the federal segment. I'm pleased to report that the strategic intent of the 2021 acquisition of Veterans Valuation Services, or VES, is manifesting beyond our primary goal of becoming a valued partner to the VA. The synergies in our pipeline, meaning opportunities that neither legacy company could successfully win, are coming to bid in the near future. As a combined entity with a period of proven success behind us, we believe we have the qualifications and credibility to be a serious competitor on new programs. Combined with the solid deep customer relationships we've built over time, we're optimistic in our ability to drive scale on new performance and volume-based contracts now in the capture phase. Within the U.S. Services segment, our Clinical Assessments business and programs are particularly strong and continue to see solid growth. We've secured a number of new and rebid contracts in the fiscal year, which are proof points of a growing clinical services pipeline and our continued delivery on the strategic pillar we've referred to as the future of health. Two recent awards in the clinical space include the following: First, in the state of Kansas, we recently secured new work with the Department for Aging and Disability Services to operate the statewide home and community-based services, or HCBS, assessment organization. Our team of clinicians will conduct health assessments to support Kansas' goals for integrated solutions that promote the well-being of people with physical disabilities, frail elderly, and brain injury HCBS waiver programs, as well as the programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, known as PACE. Maximus will collaborate with community agencies and organizations to improve access to long-term services and supports. We believe this win, with an estimated total contract value, or TCV, of $40 million over a five-and-a-half-year period, is a solid example of our expertise and growing reputation in state clinical assessments. Second, in the state of California, we recently secured the rebid of our independent medical review program, valued at $150 million TCV over a three-year base period. This project showcases our partnership with states, in this case, between California and Maximus, where we conduct independent medical reviews related to disputes between physicians and claims administrators about necessary medical treatment for injured workers. New assessment programs have kicked off in three additional states, all of which contribute to the bottom line this fiscal year. We continue to invest in the growth and optimization of the Clinical Assessments business through new technology and capabilities, reaffirming our commitment to the future of health strategic pillar. I would now like to share our pipeline and the trends we're seeing in federal procurement. As has been the case for some time now, we are seeing delays in federal procurement processes, mostly in civilian agencies, resulting in new awards pushing to the right. For incumbents, a potential silver lining to these delays are the unexpected bridge or extension contracts on current programs. In one such instance, we were recently granted a $189 million bridge contract on a program for an eighteen-month period. Consistent with the administration's focus on innovation through performance-based contracting that leverages commercial solutions, our teams are shaping tomorrow's opportunities. We call this shifting left, and our pipeline is building with opportunities to which we believe our capabilities are well positioned. Proposals in prep and proposals submitted in aggregate are 25% higher than last quarter, which demonstrates many government customers moving forward with procurements. We are optimistic that given the recent prioritization of federal procurement reform, the procurement process is anticipated to improve. Now let me share some of our more common data points for awards reporting and the pipeline. Through the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, signed awards totaled $2.9 billion of total contract value. Further, at March 31, there were $451 million worth of contracts that have been awarded but not yet signed. These awards translate into a book-to-bill of approximately 0.8 times using our standard reporting for the trailing twelve-month period. This represents a step up from our book-to-bill at September 30, and tracks to our expectations for an improved metric in this fiscal year. As we've mentioned on prior calls, the lower book-to-bill is largely due to the lower than normal period of rebid activity we experienced in fiscal year 2024. With many of our larger rebids behind us and well secured, we expect to continue seeing a positive trend in this metric. Our total pipeline of sales opportunities at March 31 was $41.2 billion compared to $41.4 billion reported at December 31. The current pipeline is comprised of approximately $2 billion in proposals pending, $3 billion in proposals in preparation, and $36.3 billion in opportunities we are tracking. Of our current pipeline, approximately 55% represents new work. Additionally, 60% of the $41.2 billion total pipeline is attributable to our U.S. Federal Services segment. In closing, we're proud to share that Maximus has once again been recognized by Fortune as one of America's most innovative companies, a distinction that places us among the top 300 companies nationwide known for shaping the future through product excellence, operational innovation, and a strong internal culture of creativity. This recognition acknowledges our track record in deploying AI, robotic process automation, and advanced analytics to help government agencies deliver faster, more efficient services to the people who need them most. And with that, I'll turn the call over to David.