County Of Santa Cruz

County of Santa Cruz, doing business as Board of Supervisors, is a U.S. local government entity headquartered in Nogales, Arizona, that operates as a federal grant recipient and prime contractor in solid waste management, airport infrastructure development, detainee services, and workforce and economic development programs. The county competes full-and-open with no set-aside designations across its federal footprint.

County of Santa Cruz's federal work splits between 40% prime awards (contracts and grants) and 60% sub-recipient awards routed through state agencies. On the prime contract side, the county holds two recurring purchase orders from the International Boundary and Water Commission U.S.-Mexico for landfill services at Rio Rico and Nogales landfills — orders of $4,653.90, $5,400, and $4,800 awarded in successive years (February 2024 through February 2026, with ultimate completion through January 2027) for solid waste disposal supporting the Commission's border operations. The county also holds a $200,000 firm-fixed-price purchase order from U.S. Customs and Border Protection for detainee services at the Nogales port of entry, awarded September 30, 2023, with ultimate completion through September 29, 2027.

The county's prime grant portfolio centers on airport infrastructure and regional economic development. The Federal Aviation Administration Western Pacific Region has awarded the county four project grants under the Airport Improvement Program (CFDA 20.106) for Nogales Airport fuel farm and taxiway expansion: $166,569.29 in August 2023 to construct a double-pump fuel facility; $133,364.81 in September 2024 for design of a 200-foot taxiway; $631,578.95 in September 2025 for Phase 2 fuel farm expansion (two additional tanks); and $615,789.47 in September 2025 for associated fuel farm construction. The Federal Highway Administration awarded $320,000 under the Safe Streets and Roads for All program (CFDA 20.939) in July 2026 for the I-19 West Frontage Road Intersection and Safety Improvements Study, with performance through July 2028. The Economic Development Administration awarded $375,119 in August 2022 under the Economic Adjustment Assistance program (CFDA 11.307) for a cuisine tourism strategy and implementation plan, and $633,000 in February 2024 for Santa Cruz River/Sonoran Corridor (I-19) recompete strategy development, ultimately completing June 2026. The National Endowment for the Arts awarded a project grant in January 2026 to support multidisciplinary arts education programs for middle and high school students. The Federal Aviation Administration also awarded $650,000 in December 2021 under American Rescue Plan Act economic assistance to support airport operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, with ultimate completion through December 2025.

County of Santa Cruz's sub-recipient footprint dominates by volume — 70 of 116 awards are sub-awards flowing through state intermediaries. The Arizona Department of Economic Security is the primary state pass-through, routing sub-awards for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs including Adult and Dislocated Worker programs, youth services, and family support and access programs. The Arizona Department of Health Services routes sub-awards for public health surveillance, vaccine stewardship, overdose response, emergency preparedness, and pandemic relief. The Arizona Department of Education channels adult education grants. The Executive Office of State of Arizona passes through STOP (Services Training Officers Prosecutors) program funding. The Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs routes Emergency Management Performance Grant funding. The source includes one FEMA sub-award in April 2022 under the FY 2019 Pre-Disaster Mitigation program for the Ephraim Canyon Flood Project. Two CDBG sub-awards in July 2026 fund park improvements — tennis and pickleball courts with ADA-accessible sidewalks at Robert Damon Recreational Complex in Rio Rico — and an April 2026 CDBG sub-award of $287,500 funds playground installation and improvements at downtown Nogales.

Activity has grown from ten awards in 2022 to twenty in 2024, with a moderation to sixteen awards in 2025 and ten in 2026 (through July). Four awards carry ultimate completion dates within the next twenty-four months, representing combined potential value of $205,000 in recompete exposure. Combined potential value across the full 116-award footprint is $402,000, though obligated dollars total $49.3 million — a ratio indicating that many awards carry sub-million potential values with larger actual performance dollars. The top five customer agencies by award count account for 59% of all awards: the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (20 awards), the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (19 awards), the International Boundary and Water Commission (15 awards, $104,000 combined potential value), and the Federal Aviation Administration Western Pacific Region (8 awards). By potential value, the Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection ($275,000 from the single detainee services award) represents 68% of documented ceiling value, with the remaining 26% spread across IBWC, DOL, HHS ACF, and FAA awards.