Defense Environmental and Restoration Program

The Defense Environmental and Restoration Program (DERP) is a Department of Defense initiative that began in 1975 with the Installation Restoration Program (IRP) to address contamination from hazardous substances, pollutants, and contaminants at active military installations, Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS), and Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) locations across the United States. In 2001, the program expanded to include the Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP), which addresses sites containing unexploded ordnance, discarded military munitions, and munitions constituents. The program operates under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund.

Contract awards under DERP typically range from $50,000 to $30 million, with performance periods spanning 1-5 years. Primary services include environmental site assessments, remedial investigations, feasibility studies, and long-term monitoring of contaminated sites, with a particular focus on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination and unexploded ordnance removal. Major prime contractors include AECOM Technical Services, Inc., Cape-Weston JV3 LLC, and Trevet-Noreas JV LLC, with frequent subcontracting for specialized laboratory and unexploded ordnance services. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are the primary funding agencies, with work predominantly performed at military installations in Hawaii, Guam, and California. While some contracts utilize 8(a) and small business set-asides, the majority are unrestricted awards through various indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract vehicles specific to environmental remediation services.