DOI Fish and Wildlife Service Region 6

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 6 is a civilian sub-agency that administers federal contracts and grants for wildlife management, habitat conservation, and fish restoration work across the central United States and territories. Region 6 manages both competitive procurement for equipment, services, and supplies and cooperative-funding mechanisms with state fish and wildlife agencies.

Region 6 awarded 7,998 federal contracts totaling $360.1 million in combined potential value since 2006, with $355.3 million obligated. Recent contract activity shows volatility: 313 awards in 2022, 27 in 2023, 82 in 2024, 231 in 2025, and 207 year-to-date in 2026. The most recent award closed on September 25, 2026. The competitive landscape is highly fragmented, with the top five primes by award count holding only 8 percent of recent awards. Federal Contracts LLC leads by count with 23 awards over the last five years ($1.1 million combined potential value), followed by Nelson & Sons, Inc. (17 awards, $319 thousand) and Deere & Company (12 awards, $1.7 million). By potential value, Caterpillar Inc. ranks first ($1.9 million across 8 awards), Aero S E A T Inc. second ($1.8 million across 9 awards), and Deere & Company third ($1.7 million). The top five by-value primes hold only 2 percent of combined potential value across the portfolio—a sign that many awards are small-dollar purchases or task orders. Two-thirds of awards carry no set-aside designation (5,294 awards); small-business set-asides account for 31 percent (2,457 awards), with 8(a) sole source and competitive 8(a) each representing 1 percent.

Region 6 obligated $1.92 billion in federal grant dollars across 2,863 awards since 2006, with combined total dollars (federal plus non-federal match) reaching $2.85 billion. Grant activity held steady in recent years: 306 awards in 2022, 275 in 2023, 286 in 2024, and 292 in 2025, with 40 awards year-to-date in 2026 (most recent award closed April 1, 2026). Grant recipients are concentrated, with the top five holding 57 percent of recent awards and 33 percent of federal dollars. Nebraska Game & Parks Commission leads by count (186 awards, $100.3 million federal dollars), followed by Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (135 awards, $116.9 million) and South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks (133 awards, $102.7 million). By federal dollars obligated, Colorado Department of Natural Resources dominates ($165.2 million across 116 awards), followed by Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks ($147.3 million across 74 awards) and Utah ($116.9 million). Formula Grants comprise the majority of funding (59 percent, 1,684 awards), with Cooperative Agreements as the secondary mechanism (27 percent, 787 awards) and Project Grants representing 14 percent (387 awards).