Merrimack Valley Planning Commission

Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, a U.S. local government entity and regional planning commission serving 16 municipalities in Essex County, Massachusetts, operates as a federal grant recipient focused on transportation, environmental remediation, and economic development planning. The organization holds no federal contracts and competes exclusively in grant programs rather than procurement vehicles; it functions as a prime recipient on six federal grant programs administered by the Department of Commerce, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of the Interior.

The commission's federal footprint centers on three capability areas grounded in recent awards. Transportation and active-transportation planning accounts for a $1.176 million project grant from the Federal Highway Administration (CFDA 20.205) awarded on June 18, 2026, to develop planning and design for safe active-transportation infrastructure across a 24-mile spine connecting five communities in the upper Merrimack Valley, with ultimate completion scheduled for January 13, 2029. Brownfield assessment, remediation planning, and revolving-loan-fund management dominate environmental work: the EPA Region 1 awarded cooperative agreements totaling at least $500,000 (October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2026) to conduct Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, develop cleanup plans, and manage a revolving loan fund across fifteen member communities under CERCLA authorization (CFDA 66.818). Economic development strategy work draws from a $810,000 Economic Development Administration project grant (CFDA 11.302) awarded April 1, 2022, to develop and implement a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for Essex County and 16 municipalities, and a separate EDA investment to create an industrial-space study and economic-development roadmap for Haverhill and the broader region (awarded September 13, 2023, with ultimate completion September 13, 2025).

Customer concentration is tight. The Economic Development Administration dominates with 11 awards, followed by EPA (5 awards) and EPA Region 1 (4 awards), accounting for 86% of recent awards. The combined potential value across all 28 awards in the source data totals $16,000, with $11.7 million in obligations across that portfolio—an artifact of how grant awards are reported in potential-value fields. Award volume has been sparse and episodic: one award in 2020, three in 2022, two in 2023, one in 2024, and one in 2026. Only one award faces ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months. The organization serves as a sub-recipient on one award from the University of Massachusetts at Boston under the Clean Water Act National Estuary Program, implementing coastal ecosystem and water-quality research and management tasks. Merrimack Valley Planning Commission operates as a pure-play grant recipient with no teaming relationships, parent-vehicle positions, or prime contract experience.