Substance LLC

Substance LLC, doing business as Substance Architecture Interiors Design, is a Des Moines, Iowa-based architectural and engineering firm that delivers design services and facility consulting to federal civilian agencies as a prime contractor under GSA Region 6's $25 million IDIQ contract and related vehicles, competing predominantly under small-business set-asides on a subset of task orders and full-and-open on the remainder.

Substance is a for-profit limited liability company with a twenty-year federal footprint. The firm specializes in architectural design, engineering consulting, and facility management services for federal buildings — with concrete scope spanning pre-design studies, renovation and modernization design, accessibility compliance consulting, mechanical and systems engineering support, interior design, and construction administration. Representative recent work includes a $850,663 furniture design delivery order for the Neal Smith Federal Building in Des Moines (April 2026, Total Small Business set-aside), a $324,208 feasibility study for the Robert V. Denney Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Lincoln, Nebraska (July 2024, no set-aside), and a $363,108 roof replacement design package for the Iowa City Federal Building (November 2021, no set-aside). The firm frequently subcontracts MEP and construction-management scope to Imeg Consultants Corp., Gastinger Walker Architects, and FP&C Consultants KC LLC on larger projects.

Customer concentration is acute: GSA Public Buildings Service Region 6 dominates the footprint, accounting for 87 of 92 awards (69% of all tracked awards) and $56.9 million of the $62.1 million combined potential value (97% concentration). The remaining customer agencies — Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture National Resources Conservation Service regional offices, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts — together represent five awards with modest combined value. Work is performed at federal facilities in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, with administrative oversight at the Des Moines headquarters.

Substance sits on four GSA Region 6 indefinite delivery contracts, the largest being GS06P06GYD0022, a $25 million total small-business IDIQ awarded August 23, 2021 (base year plus four option years, expiring August 22, 2026), which has generated 60 task orders worth $7 million in combined potential value. Three additional IDIQs — GS06P12GZD0001 (36 task orders, $2.9 million), 47PG0221D0009 (18 task orders, $3.5 million), and 47PG0217D0001 (15 task orders, $2.9 million) — round out the vehicle position. Set-aside usage is mixed: Substance competes under Total Small Business designation on roughly 40% of recent task orders and full-and-open on the remainder, suggesting eligibility for but not exclusive reliance on set-asides.

Activity has been sparse and declining. Over the past five years, Substance received four awards in 2026, six in 2024, three in 2022, two in 2023, and one in 2025 — a volatile trajectory with no consistent growth signal. Four awards with ultimate completion dates in the next twenty-four months carry combined potential value of $1.2 million, presenting modest recompete exposure. SCI-reported invoicing is minimal — $697 thousand across all fiscal years FY2022–FY2025, with no more than 0.6 FTEs in any single year, indicating that Substance's SCI-reportable service work represents a small slice of its federal revenue. On SCI-covered contracts, government-paid rates ran median $235.57 per hour, with senior labor reaching $290.49 per hour. Substance does not rely on subcontractors for labor delivery on its own SCI-reportable primes, though it regularly engages specialized MEP and construction-management subs on design scope under the GSA IDIQs.

Substance Architecture is a collaborative design practice established in Des Moines, Iowa. The firm brings together the talent and expertise of some of the region's most recognized design professionals engaged in the disciplines of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Design. Our staff is led by a leadership team that includes three Principals, four Associate Principals, and two Associates. This team reinforces the firm's mission to provide innovative, sustainable, and visually appealing designs and further enhances our ability to serve our clients.