Eastern Region

The Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Eastern Region is a civilian sub-agency within the FAA that administers federal aviation infrastructure, operations, and safety funding across the northeastern United States and oversees both contract procurement and grant distribution to state transportation departments, airport authorities, and regional agencies. The Eastern Region's contracting activity is minimal and highly fragmented, while its grant-making footprint is substantial and concentrated among a small set of state and regional airport authorities.

Contract activity at the Eastern Region totals 563 awards since 2003, with a combined potential value of $2.82 billion; however, recent volume is negligible. The last five years show only 11 awards: 2 in 2020, 5 in 2021, 1 in 2022, 2 in 2024, and 1 in 2025, with the most recent award closing on March 27, 2025. Only $254.8 million has been obligated across the portfolio (9 percent of combined potential value), suggesting the majority of contract value remains unspent. Among the top five contractors by award count over the last five years, coverage is 100 percent across only seven awards total, indicating extreme fragmentation. Kohler CO. leads by award count with 3 awards valued at $118 thousand combined; Honeywell International Inc. has the single highest-value award at $752 thousand. The competitive base is highly dispersed, with 327 distinct prime contractors across the lifetime portfolio. Set-asides are uncommon: 88 percent of awards use no set-aside designation, while small-business set-asides account for 10 percent, 8(a) awards 2 percent combined (competitive and sole-source), and service-disabled veteran-owned small business awards less than 1 percent.

Grant activity dominates the Eastern Region's workload. The region has distributed 3,675 grants totaling $8.46 billion in federal dollars obligated since 2006, with recent activity steady and accelerating. Awards per year over the last five years: 288 in 2022, 311 in 2023, 379 in 2024, 418 in 2025, and 255 so far in 2026; the most recent grant award closed on August 26, 2026. The recipient base is moderately concentrated among state departments of transportation and airport authorities. The top five recipients by award count (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority, Allegheny County Airport Authority, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, and Delaware River & Bay Authority) account for 12 percent of recent awards; the top five by federal dollars (Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, City of Philadelphia, Maryland Aviation Administration, and Allegheny County Airport Authority) account for 18 percent of federal dollars. Pennsylvania's transportation department and the region's airport authorities receive the largest share of funding. Assistance is predominantly Project Grants (72 percent of awards), with Formula Grants comprising 24 percent and Cooperative Agreements 4 percent.