Department of the Interior

The Department of the Interior, a cabinet department overseeing natural resource conservation and management, administers both federal contract and grant programs across its bureaus and field offices. The department's contract and grant activity reflects its broad mandate spanning public lands, wildlife, water resources, geological surveys, and tribal affairs. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service account for material portions of recent activity.

The Department of the Interior awarded 605,451 federal contracts cumulatively since 1978, with combined potential value of $88.42 billion and $87.72 billion obligated. Recent awards total 16,802 in 2023, 15,594 in 2024, 15,014 in 2025, 11,527 in 2026, and 12 recorded as of the latest recorded date in 2027. The most recent recorded award date is in 2027. Among the top five primes by award count over the last five years, Countertrade Products, Inc. leads with 1,720 awards and $201.9 million combined potential value, followed by Federal Contracts LLC (535 awards, $50.5 million) and Regency Consulting Inc. (426 awards, $58.9 million). By potential value, Countertrade Products, Inc. remains the leader at $201.9 million across 1,720 awards; Ldss, Inc. holds $101.1 million across 245 awards. The top five primes by award count cover 4 percent of recent awards, and the top five by potential value cover 1 percent of combined potential value, indicating highly fragmented competition across 92,434 distinct prime contractors. About 69 percent of awards carry no set-aside designation; 23 percent are small-business set-asides of all types, with Indian Small Business Economic Enterprise (1 percent, 7,496 awards) and Buy Indian (1 percent, 5,556 awards) representing meaningful sub-categories reflective of the department's trust and treaty responsibilities. 8(a) sole-source awards account for 2 percent of the portfolio.

The Department of the Interior obligated $77.21 billion in federal grant funding across 145,010 cumulative grant awards since 1008, with combined total dollars (federal plus non-federal share) of $118.36 billion. Grant awards totaled 7,354 in 2024, 5,397 in 2025, 426 in 2026, 1 in 2040, and 1 in 3007; the extreme future dates in the latter records indicate data quality issues that should be noted when interpreting grant portfolio depth. Among the top five recipients by award count over the last five years, American Conservation Experience leads with 755 awards and $84.6 million federal dollars, followed by National Experienced Workforce Solutions, Inc. (712 awards, $119 million) and The Student Conservation Association, Inc. (594 awards, $43.5 million). By federal dollars obligated, the Department of Natural Resources Illinois ranks first at $612.4 million across 252 awards; Texas Parks and Wildlife Department follows with $386.6 million across 363 awards. The top five recipients by award count cover 10 percent of recent awards, and the top five by federal dollars cover 2 percent of all federal dollars, indicating highly fragmented recipient distribution across 9,788 distinct recipients. Cooperative Agreements dominate the assistance-type mix at 44 percent of awards, with Project Grants comprising 37 percent, Formula Grants 17 percent, and Block Grants 2 percent.

Recent contract opportunities span diverse requirements across the department's field presence. The Bureau of Indian Affairs posted solicitations for greenhouse construction at Wingate High School in Fort Wingate, New Mexico (Indian Small Business Economic Enterprise set-aside, due November 19, 2026), occupational therapy and speech pathology services for tribal schools (due November 19, 2026), refuse services at BIA Shiprock (due October 23, 2026), and a lowboy trailer for Crow Creek Agency (due October 30, 2026). The U.S. Geological Survey issued a broad agency announcement for high-resolution 3D elevation and hydrography mapping data through the 3D National Topographic Mapping Data Collaboration Announcement, eligible to federal agencies, state and local governments, tribes, academic institutions, and private sector applicants (due December 4, 2026). The Department posted opportunities for exclusive-use helicopter flight services in Yosemite National Park (Total Small Business set-aside, due November 13, 2026) and multi-engine amphibious water-scooping aviation services (pre-solicitation, due October 26, 2026). Several sole-source notices indicate emergency repairs and specialized equipment services where single sources are justified by geographic exclusivity or authorization constraints.

Recent grant opportunities emphasize conservation, research, and ecosystem stewardship through multiple funding instruments. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the Wolf Livestock Loss Demonstration Project Grant Program, providing federal assistance to states and federally recognized tribes for depredation prevention and compensation (due January 15, 2027). The U.S. Geological Survey solicited research through multiple Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit partnerships addressing aquatic contaminants and insectivorous birds, invasive species risk assessment and control, chronic wasting disease management, ecosystem monitoring, and floodplain connectivity—all due November 14, 2026 or shortly thereafter, and restricted to CESU-affiliated partners. The National Fish Passage Program provides technical and financial assistance through U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service field offices nationwide for fish passage and aquatic connectivity projects, with applications accepted through April 30, 2027. The Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue and Response Grant Program supports eligible marine mammal stranding participants and network collaborators for rescue, care, research, and capacity development (due November 30, 2026). State-focused opportunities include Recovery Land Acquisition grants supporting Endangered Species Act recovery plans (due November 20, 2026, eligible to state agencies with active cooperative agreements) and the Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition Grant program (due October 30, 2026, also state-restricted). The National Parks Business Plan Internship supports graduate-level business and operations training for national parks, open to state, local, and tribal governments, educational institutions, and nonprofits (due January 4, 2027).

The Department of the Interior manages public lands and minerals, national parks, and wildlife refuges and upholds Federal trust responsibilities to Indian tribes and Native Alaskans. Additionally, Interior is responsible for endangered species conservation and other environmental conservation efforts.