Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning C

Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, doing business as N I R, is a U.S. local government planning entity and inter-municipal council of governments based in Portage, Indiana that acts as a federal grant recipient for transportation, economic development, and environmental planning work across a three-county region in northwestern Indiana (Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties). The vendor operates as a prime grant recipient (82% of recent awards) and as a sub-recipient under state transportation grants, with no federal contract vehicles; all federal engagement flows through direct grant awards and pass-through arrangements from state grantors.

NIRPC's federal footprint is dominated by the Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration, which accounts for 75 of 119 recent awards across formula grants and planning awards. The Federal Highway Administration represents the second-largest customer base with 22 awards, followed by the Economic Development Administration (8 awards), the Forest Service (5 awards), and the Fish and Wildlife Service (2 awards). This concentration—94% of awards across five agencies—reflects NIRPC's regional role as the designated recipient and pass-through entity for transit funding and economic planning strategy development across the three-county service area.

NIRPC's grant work centers on three capability domains. Transit operations and capital funding dominate the portfolio: recipients have received $6.16 million under the Federal Transit Formula Grants program (CFDA 20.507) for vehicle replacement and operating assistance distributed to seven sub-recipient transit operators including Lake County Community Services, Opportunity Enterprises, Porter County Aging and Community Services, East Chicago Transit, City of Valparaiso, North Township Dial-A-Ride, and LaPorte Transporte. The Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities program (CFDA 20.513) has provided $1.12 million and $855,275 in separate formula grants for specialized paratransit services, vehicle procurement, and operating support for seniors and individuals with disabilities across Lake and Porter counties. Economic development strategy work under the Economic Development Administration (CFDA 11.302) has yielded $350,000 and additional awards for comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS) development and implementation across the region. Recent activity includes a $400,000 Federal Highway Administration Safe Streets and Roads for All (CFDA 20.939) project grant obligated December 11, 2025, through June 11, 2028, to develop a Regional Safety Action Plan addressing roadway fatalities and serious injuries. NIRPC also administers a $300,000 Forest Service Cooperative Forestry Assistance grant (CFDA 10.664) under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Communitree program for community tree planting and forestry management.

NIRPC acts as a sub-recipient under the Indiana Department of Transportation on planning awards; the source lists 21 sub-awards from INDOT spanning planning work (NAICS code 18) with the most recent sub-award dated April 13, 2026. These sub-awards represent ongoing work within NIRPC's regional planning mandate rather than contract performance.

Award volume has grown from five per year in 2022–2023 to 16 in 2024, with 11 awarded in 2025 and 2 through April 2026. Nine awards carry ultimate completion dates within the next twenty-four months, representing potential recompete or continuation action across the transit and economic development funding streams. NIRPC's federal engagement reflects its statutory role as a metropolitan planning organization and regional planning authority rather than a commercial vendor posture; all prime awards are grants, not contracts, and the organization competes for federal planning and grant-administration funding rather than procurement vehicles.