Illinois State Office

The Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service Illinois State Office is a sub-agency within the federal civilian rural lending and housing-support apparatus that executes contracts principally for appraisals, valuations, and related housing-program administrative services tied to rural loan origination and servicing in Illinois.

The office has awarded 2,026 federal contracts since April 2016, with combined potential value of $2.5 million and $2.5 million obligated. Recent activity has declined sharply: the office issued 198 awards in 2020, 161 in 2021, 206 in 2022, 76 in 2023, and 1 award in 2024, with the most recent recorded award dated November 2024. The $2.5 million combined potential value across 2,026 awards reflects the transactional character of the work — individual awards are small-dollar, task-based engagements typical of appraisal-services procurement.

Contract competition is moderately concentrated among the top five awardees by count, who hold 39 percent of recent awards over the last five years. Frank Fox leads by award count with 34 awards totaling $70 thousand in combined potential value, followed by Mike Vigars with 29 awards and $79 thousand, and Obrist Appraisal Inc. with 26 awards and $13 thousand. By potential value, however, concentration is highly fragmented; the top five vendors hold only 12 percent of combined potential value across the same window, with Mike Vigars, Michael Hippler, Frank Fox, and Vogler, Melody H each contributing $64 thousand to $79 thousand. The office has transacted with 136 distinct contractors across the entire portfolio, indicating a long tail of one-off and episodic appraisers and service providers. Three-quarters of awards (1,537 of 2,026) carry no set-aside designation; the remaining 489 awards (24 percent) are small-business set-asides, reflecting the office's use of local and regional appraisal professionals and consultants.

The office has not released recent contract opportunities for public solicitation. The sharp drop in award volume in 2023 and 2024 suggests either reduced program activity, internal staffing changes, or a shift in service-delivery approach. Business development interest should be conditional on clarification of the office's current contracting pipeline and future funding levels for rural housing appraisal and administrative services in Illinois.