San Diego Unified Port District

San Diego Unified Port District, doing business as Port Of San Diego, a U.S. local government port authority headquartered in San Diego, California, provides port services, berthing, dockage, and potable water delivery to the U.S. Coast Guard as a prime contractor on firm fixed-price purchase orders, and acts as a prime federal grant recipient for port infrastructure modernization, maritime security, and environmental sustainability initiatives under Maritime Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Department of Defense grant programs.

The Port operates 150 prime awards (96% of its federal footprint) and six sub-awards (4%), spanning sixteen distinct customer agencies. Port services contracts with the Coast Guard are straightforward purchase orders for dockage and potable water support at the Port of San Diego; recent examples include a $27,979.43 purchase order awarded July 27, 2025, for port services, a $15,732.56 September 2024 order for dockage and potable water for Coast Guard Cutter Stratton, and a $6,533.45 order awarded September 24, 2025. These contracts carry no set-aside designation and represent high-frequency, low-value transactional work supporting Coast Guard vessel operations.

Grant work dominates the Port's federal dollar exposure and strategic positioning. The Maritime Administration awarded $37.2 million on August 4, 2026, under the Port Infrastructure Development Program (CFDA 20.823) to rehabilitate berths 24-3 and 24-4 at National City Marine Terminal, including approximately 67,500 square feet of concrete deck replacement, structural steel upgrades, fender and utility systems, and stormwater biofiltration infrastructure (performance through June 28, 2030). The Port also received $15.25 million from Maritime Administration (CFDA 20.823) on August 1, 2025, for structural repairs to Berth 24-11 supporting barge cargo movement between the Pacific Northwest and Southern California, with completion targeted for December 30, 2027. The Environmental Protection Agency awarded $58.6 million under the Clean Ports Program (CFDA 66.051) on January 1, 2025, to electrify operations at the Port's two maritime cargo terminals and develop a zero-emission truck stop, with sub-awards to SkyChargers, the Pasha Group, and the Environmental Health Coalition for equipment procurement and community outreach. Maritime Administration awarded $10 million on January 16, 2025, under the National Infrastructure Investments program (CFDA 20.933) for planning, design, and environmental permitting of on-terminal rail track replacement, realignment, and seismic upgrades (completion April 7, 2031). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded $1 million on March 1, 2025, under the Congressionally Identified Awards and Projects program (CFDA 11.469) for a planning study to design aquaculture facilities including seawater intake, filtration systems, and shore-side infrastructure (completion February 28, 2029).

The Port receives recurring Port Security Grant Program funding from FEMA (CFDA 97.056): $850 thousand on September 1, 2024 (completion August 31, 2027), $1.275 million on September 20, 2022, and additional awards in 2023 and 2025. The Port also holds a cooperative agreement with NOAA dating from October 1, 2022, for a nature-based shoreline restoration project along Harbor Island Park. Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development have awarded funding for economic development and disaster recovery initiatives.

The Port maintains a General Services Administration lease/rental Basic Ordering Agreement (GS09B00063) with 69 task orders valued at $832 thousand in combined potential value, reflecting its role as a lessor of nonresidential buildings and facilities operator. Its top customer by award count is the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Coast Guard (22 awards, $160 thousand potential value), followed by General Services Administration Public Buildings Service (17 awards), and Federal Emergency Management Agency Headquarters (13 awards). The Port's NAICS footprint centers on Port and Harbor Operations (22 awards) and Lessors of Nonresidential Buildings (18 awards), with supplementary work in water supply systems and maritime transportation support.

Recent activity reflects growth in grant-funded infrastructure investment: one award in 2026 (the August $37.2 million Maritime Administration berth rehabilitation grant), nine awards in 2025, six in 2024, four in 2023, and two in 2022. Three awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months. The Port acts as both a direct federal service provider for Coast Guard maritime operations and as a large-scale federal grant recipient driving port modernization and zero-emissions transition across the San Diego maritime complex. As a sub-recipient, the Port has received funding flows from the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and state Office of Emergency Services for maritime ecological restoration, boating access improvements, and emergency management initiatives.