Office of Economic Impact and Diversity

The Department of Energy Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, a sub-agency within the civilian Department of Energy, administers federal contracts and grants focused on economic development and workforce participation in the energy sector, including renewable energy deployment and small-business opportunity programs.

On the contract side, the Office has awarded 65 contracts totaling $66.9 million in combined potential value since 2007, with $60.3 million obligated to date. Recent contract volume has moderated: 3 awards in 2021, 4 in 2022, 14 in 2023, 9 in 2024, and 1 year-to-date in 2025. Competition among contract primes is highly fragmented. Over the last five years, Carahsoft Technology Corp leads by award count with 3 awards ($257 thousand combined potential value), followed by Great Eastern Resort Management Inc. and West Publishing Corporation, each with 3 awards. However, by combined potential value, Carahsoft, West Publishing, and the National Academy of Sciences collectively hold only 1 percent of recent contract potential value, signaling that no single prime or small cluster dominates the portfolio. The Office awarded 49 distinct prime contractors across the lifetime portfolio. The vast majority of awards—61 of 65 (94%)—carry no set-aside designation; the remainder consists of 2 awards under 8(a) Sole Source, 1 under Competitive 8(a), and 1 small-business award.

Grant activity shows a different pattern. The Office has awarded 25 grants totaling $14.2 million in combined federal dollars obligated since 2010. Award volume is sporadic: 1 grant in 2015, 3 in 2016, 5 in 2017, 10 in 2020, and 3 in 2023; no recent grant awards have been recorded since September 2023. Grant recipient concentration is highly fragmented—the top two recipients by federal dollars, Black Owners Of Solar Services ($2.9 million) and Interstate Renewable Energy Council Inc. ($1.2 million), hold 29 percent of recent federal dollars. All 25 recipients across the portfolio are distinct. Grants are structured predominantly as Cooperative Agreements (24 awards, 96 percent); a single Project Grant makes up the remainder. Grant recipients include organizations focused on renewable energy deployment and minority business participation in the energy sector.

No recent contract opportunities or grant opportunities are recorded against the Office.