Empire Electric Association, Inc.

Empire Electric Association, Inc., operating as Empire Electric Association Inc., is a non-profit electric cooperative headquartered in Cortez, Colorado, that has been registered to receive federal awards since 2003. The organization provides electrical utility services to over 12,000 homes and businesses across Southwest Colorado and Southeast Utah. Empire Electric Association supplies the federal government with essential electrical utility services, primarily supporting Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Service facilities in the Southwest Colorado region through firm fixed-price purchase order contracts.

Empire Electric Association has established a consistent track record of providing electrical utility services to federal facilities through sole source purchase order contracts awarded by the Albuquerque Acquisition Office and the Indian Health Service. Between August 2021 and December 2025, the organization received seven federal contract awards totaling approximately $517,380.79 for electric utility services. These contracts included: a $68,893.73 award for electrical utility services to the Ute Mountain Ute Agency (August 2021), a $63,532.28 contract for similar services (November 2022), a $98,000 purchase order for electric utility services at the Bureau of Indian Affairs Ute Mountain Ute Agency (November 2023), a $113,000 contract for electrical utility services to the BIA Ute Mountain Ute Agency (January 2024), a $73,311.94 award from the Indian Health Service for electricity to a modular building at the Ute Mountain Ute Health Center with performance extending through January 31, 2028 (January 2023), and two additional awards in December 2025 for $90,642.84 for electric utility service supporting the Ute Mountain Ute Agency (extending through December 31, 2026). All contracts were awarded without set-aside designations and selected the organization as the sole source incumbent utility provider, recognizing its specialized utility infrastructure capabilities and established relationships with these federal agencies in the region.

Empire Electric Association has received federal grant sub-awards from the Colorado Energy Office, demonstrating its involvement in modernization and infrastructure improvement initiatives. In October 2024, the organization received a sub-grant to implement an advanced vegetation management strategy, which includes partnering with a vegetation management services provider, deploying drones for equipment inspections, subscribing to a utility vegetation management program utilizing high-resolution satellite imagery for five years to identify potential vegetation encroachment on power lines, and purchasing a drone with training and certification for two employees to conduct visual inspections of vegetation and overhead system infrastructure. In December 2024, Empire Electric Association received an additional sub-grant to replace 17 manual oil circuit reclosers with state-of-the-art remote control G & W Viper electronic reclosers combined with SEL-651R recloser controls, with seven devices located in Dolores County and ten devices in Montezuma County, Colorado. These grant sub-awards reflect the organization's commitment to advancing grid reliability, reducing operational costs through technology, and implementing modern utility infrastructure solutions in its service territory.