National A-E Design Services 2018-2023

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) established a Master IDIQ for Architect-Engineer and construction management services on April 16, 2018, with a shared ceiling of $10 million and a last date to order of April 14, 2023—the vehicle is no longer accepting new task orders. The IDIQ funded 216 task orders across four regional subdivisions (Region 1, 2, 3, and 4) through April 18, 2023, when the final order was placed, with combined potential value of $118.3 million and $109.1 million obligated (92% burn rate).

Task orders funded design surveys, environmental assessments and studies, geotechnical engineering, hydrologic modeling, dam assessments and rehabilitation planning, watershed plans, preliminary investigation feasibility reports, and construction management services for NRCS conservation projects nationwide. Recent orders illustrate the portfolio: a $6.9 million supplemental watershed plan and environmental document for Isabela Irrigation Channels in Puerto Rico, a $1.8 million supplemental watershed rehabilitation plan for the Little Schuylkill River system in Pennsylvania, and multiple single-task PIFRs ranging from $39,500 to $550,000.

Aterra-Schnabel Joint Venture leads the vehicle with 31 orders totaling $22.7 million in potential value, followed by Athena Engineering & Environmental, LLC ($14.4 million across 16 orders) and DDK Engineering–Joint Venture ($11.6 million across 17 orders). The top five primes capture 57 percent of combined potential value; 17 distinct primes shared remaining work. The Northeast Region generated the highest volume and value, with 57 orders worth $45.3 million, followed by the Central Region (52 orders, $24 million) and Southeast Region (35 orders, $25.1 million). Across the portfolio, 86 percent of orders carried no set-aside designation, with 14 percent reserved for small business (predominantly sole-source 8(a) awards). Orders typically ranged from $49,970 (standard PIFR baseline) to $1.8 million, with most task-order durations extending 12 to 36 months. Ordering momentum declined in the vehicle's final years—2022 saw 53 orders, but only 29 were placed in 2023 before the April cutoff.

The USDA-NRCS, National Services Specialized Services Team, has awarded a Master IDIQ for Architect-Engineer (A-E) and construction management services for various engineering functions in a variety of fields including design services, geotechnical engineering, hydrologic modeling, design surveys, environmental assessments and studies, dam assessments and planning, conservation planning, design reviews, architectural and structural designs, technical document development and construction management services for a wide range of projects within the NRCS.