DLH Holdings Corp

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of

DLH Holdings Corp.:

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements and Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of DLH Holdings Corp. and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of September 30, 2024 and 2023, the related consolidated statements of operations, cash flows, and changes in shareholders’ equity for each of the years in the two-year period ended September 30, 2024, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the "consolidated financial statements"). We also have audited the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2024, based on the criteria established in 2013 Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”).

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries as of September 30, 2024 and 2023, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended September 30, 2024, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2024, based on criteria established in 2013 Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by COSO.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying management’s report on internal control over financial reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that responds to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Critical Audit Matters

The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

Revenue Recognition

Critical Audit Matter Description

As described in Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s consolidated revenues for the year ended September 30, 2024 were $395.9 million. As described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company generally recognizes revenue over time as services are provided, as most of its contracts involve a continuous transfer of control to the customer. The Company accounts for a contract when there is a commitment by both parties (customer and Company), payment terms are determinable, there is commercial substance, and collectability is probable. When control is transferred over time, revenue is recognized based on the extent of progress towards completion of the performance obligation. The Company satisfies performance obligations as services are rendered. For time-and-materials contracts, revenue is recognized to the extent of billable rates times hours delivered plus materials and other reimbursable costs incurred. Revenue for cost-reimbursable contracts is recorded as reimbursable costs are incurred, including an estimated share of the applicable contractual fees earned. For firm-fixed-price contracts, the consideration received for performance is set at a predetermined price. Generally, the Company’s firm fixed price contracts are a fixed fee for monthly services and therefore recognized using a straight-line method for recognition as progress is made towards the completion of the performance obligations. Contract modifications are reviewed to determine whether they should be accounted for as part of the original performance obligation or as a separate contract. Contract modifications can occur throughout the life of the contract and can affect the transaction price, extend the period of performance, adjust funding, or create new performance obligations. Contract modifications impact performance obligations when the modification either creates new or changes the existing enforceable rights and obligations. The effect of a contract modification on the transaction price and the measure of progress for the performance obligation to which it relates is recognized as an adjustment to revenue and profit cumulatively. Amounts are invoiced as work progresses in accordance with agreed-upon contractual terms. In part, revenue recognition occurs before the Company has the right to bill, resulting in contract assets. These contract assets are reported within Accounts receivable, net on the consolidated balance sheets and are invoiced in accordance with payment terms defined in each contract. Period end balances will vary from period to period due to agreed-upon contractual terms.

The principal consideration for our determination that performing procedures relating to revenue recognized over time is a critical audit matter is a high degree of auditor effort in performing procedures related to the Company’s revenue recognition, including testing of contract assets.

Response:

The following are the primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter. To test the recognition of revenue, our audit procedures included among others, the testing of internal controls over the proper accumulation of labor costs by contract. This testing covered the review and approval of timesheets, the review and approval of vendor invoices, the processing of the labor hours utilized in the sales invoices, the review and approval of sales invoices, the review and approval of sales contracts, and the review and approval of project setup in the general ledger system for the related revenue contracts. Our control testing on contracts focused on inspecting the key provisions and deliverables within customer contracts. We evaluated management’s application of their revenue recognition policies in the determination of revenue recognition conclusions. We selected a sample of revenue transactions and performed the following procedures: for time and material contracts, we examined the recorded timesheet data related to the selected invoices, which corroborated management's assessment towards the completion of the performance obligation; and we inspected the signed contract related to the selected invoice, noting each task has an agreed upon unit price per contract and the unit price matched what was shown on the invoice. For cost reimbursable contracts, we examined the recorded timesheet data related to the selected invoices, which corroborated management's assessment towards the completion of the performance obligation; and we inspected the signed contract related to the selected invoice, noting each task has an agreed upon unit price per contract and the unit price matched what was shown on the invoice. We also inspected the supporting evidence for any non-labor costs that are included in the transaction price. For firm fixed price contracts, we examined the recorded timesheet data related to the selected invoices, which corroborated management's assessment towards the completion of the performance obligation; and we inspected the signed contract related to the selected invoice, noting the period of performance was within the period of performance in the contract. We also tested for proper revenue recognition cut off in relation to revenue in which recognition occurred before the Company had a right to bill. To test the contract assets, we selected a sample of balances and reviewed the signed contract, timesheet data related to the contract assets, and invoices billed subsequent to year-end that related to the contract assets that existed as of September 30, 2024.

/s/WithumSmith+Brown, PC

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2007.

East Brunswick, New Jersey

December 4, 2024

PCAOB ID Number 100