Rural Utilities Services

The Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service Washington Office Rural Utilities Services, a sub-agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture charged with financing and funding rural water, wastewater, solid waste, and electric utility infrastructure, operates both contract and grant programs supporting rural development priorities. The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is the primary sub-office driving meaningful activity.

Contract activity at the agency is modest and concentrated among a small number of primes. Over 52 total federal contract awards since 2015, combined potential value stands at $78.1 million, with $76.4 million obligated. Award volume has remained steady over the last five years: 6 awards in 2021, 7 in 2022, 8 in 2023, 8 in 2024, and 2 year-to-date in 2025. The most recent recorded award date is June 16, 2025. Among active primes over the last five years, Falcon Capital Advisors LLC leads by award count with 11 awards totaling $15.5 million combined potential value, though by potential value the landscape fragments: Agile Decision Sciences LLC ($18.9 million on 1 award), Solv LLC ($18.2 million on 1 award), and Falcon Capital ($15.5 million) collectively represent 79 percent of recent combined potential value. The top five award-count leaders hold 64 percent of recent awards. Competitive concentration is moderately concentrated by value and by count. The contract set-aside mix is heavily unrestricted: 87 percent of awards carry no set-aside designation, with 10 percent total small business and 4 percent 8(a) sole source. Among the 29 distinct prime contractors awarded cumulatively, many receive single or handful awards; 45 of 52 awards show no set-aside restriction.

Grant activity dominates the recent solicitation pipeline. The agency has posted five grant opportunities as of October 2026, reflecting active fund deployment under Inflation Reduction Act authorities and baseline rural infrastructure programs. The Affordable Rural Cooperative (ARC) Energy Program (due November 20, 2026) offers approximately $175 million in appropriated budget authority for loan and grant funds to electric cooperatives to deploy advanced transmission infrastructure and nuclear power supply. The Powering Affordable Reliable Technology (PART) Energy Program (due October 9, 2026) makes approximately $410 million available for renewable energy and energy storage project loans. The Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program (due December 31, 2026) and Solid Waste Management Grant Program (due December 31, 2026) both target private 501(c)(3) nonprofits with regional capacity to deliver training on water, wastewater, and solid waste management to rural associations. The Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program (due September 30, 2026) channels grant funds through eligible nonprofits to establish revolving loan and sub-grant funds for low-to-moderate-income individuals' household water well and wastewater systems. No historical grant awards or recipients are reported in the source data.