Richard J. Mertens, Inc.

Richard J. Mertens, Inc., a small business quarry materials supplier based in Warrenton, Missouri, operates exclusively as a prime contractor delivering riprap, shot rock, Type 1 river rock, and crushed stone to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers across the Missouri River system. The company competes under small-business set-asides (Total Small Business on select purchase orders) and full-and-open designations; the source carries no SBA 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or women-owned certifications.

Richard J. Mertens is a specialized, single-customer supplier. The Department of the Army Corps of Engineers (and its Kansas City District) account for 95% of all awards (20 of 21 total) and 100% of combined potential value ($20.4 million). The vendor holds two standing Blanket Purchase Agreements with the Corps — a $5 million BPA and a $7 million multiple-award BPA for quarry materials along Missouri River miles 0–498, both originally awarded in November 2020 and 2021 respectively. Work is performed at quarry operations in Missouri with delivery and in-water placement to barge-loading sites and river stabilization projects along the Missouri River. Recent representative work includes a $313,500 purchase order from the Kansas City District (awarded April 13, 2026) for 7,500 short tons of Type 1 river rock with selective quarrying and controlled blasting to meet ASTM specifications, to be delivered by May 27, 2026; a $331,600 BPA call (July 28, 2025) for riprap rock delivery to Glasgow, Missouri; and a $423,550 BPA call (January 14, 2025) for rock materials to Washington, Missouri.

Activity has been irregular but recently accelerating — four awards in 2021, then one in 2023, one in 2024, three in 2025, and one in 2026 so far. The vendor holds nine task orders under BPA W912DQ21A1007 ($2.4 million combined potential value) and four under BPA W912DQ14A1009 ($279 thousand). Combined dollars obligated across all awards stand at $3.6 million (17% of the $20.4 million potential value), reflecting the indefinite-quantity nature of the BPA vehicles and the vendor's role as on-call supplier rather than a firm-fixed-commitment contractor. The company's NAICS footprint is predominantly Other Crushed and Broken Stone Mining and Quarrying (12 awards) and Dimension Stone Mining and Quarrying (8 awards), with primary PSC coding in Mineral Construction Materials, Bulk. Richard J. Mertens has maintained federal registration since 2004 and operates with no subcontractor footprint — all 21 awards are prime contracts.

Crushed limestone quarry and delivery