Waccamaw Regional Council Of Governments

Waccamaw Regional Council Of Governments, doing business as Grand Strand Area Transportation Study (GSATS), is a U.S. government entity classified as a Council of Governments and Inter-municipal organization headquartered in Georgetown, South Carolina, functioning as a prime recipient of federal grants in transportation planning, workforce development, and economic development. The organization operates predominantly as a grant sub-recipient (86% of awards), with a much smaller prime grant footprint (14% of awards); it holds no federal contract vehicles and does not serve as a prime contractor.

GSATS serves a tri-county region comprising Georgetown, Horry, and Williamsburg counties in South Carolina, operating as both the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Grand Strand area and as the Waccamaw Local Workforce Development Area (LWDA) administrator. The organization's federal grant work spans transportation infrastructure planning, transit services for seniors and persons with disabilities, workforce training and development, regional economic development strategy, and roadway safety initiatives.

The customer concentration is heavily skewed toward workforce and employment services. The Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration accounts for 144 awards (68% of the 214-award portfolio) through Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding administered to the Waccamaw LWDA. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living follows with 20 awards centered on Older Americans Act programs (nutrition services, supportive services, caregiver support, and Medicare outreach). The Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration holds 19 awards under the Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities program (CFDA 20.513) and Federal Transit Formula Grants (CFDA 20.507). The Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration and the Federal Highway Administration account for 8 and 6 awards respectively, bringing top-five customer coverage to 92% of awards.

As a prime recipient, GSATS holds Federal Transit Administration formula grants totaling $1.3 million for the Preemption Signal System project (awarded July 2026 through July 2028 under CFDA 20.939, Safe Streets and Roads for All), $1.25 million for Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities (awarded September 2025, formula grant extending to September 2034 under CFDA 20.513), and $499,008 for Federal Transit Formula Grants planning activities (awarded August 2025, extending through March 2033 under CFDA 20.507). GSATS also received a $575,000 project grant from the Federal Highway Administration in September 2023 for the GSATS ACTION PLAN under the Safe Streets and Roads for All program. Economic development work includes a $300,000 Economic Development Administration project grant (CFDA 11.302) for Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy development across the tri-county region, awarded January 2022 and extended through December 2027.

In its sub-recipient role, GSATS administers funding to local transit providers and mobility management organizations. Representative sub-awards include $557,173 (FTA Enhanced Mobility, March 2022) for purchase of five ADA-compliant vehicles and mobility management services distributed to Coast Regional Transportation Authority, Horry County Council on Aging, and Neighbor to Neighbor; $1.34 million (FTA Enhanced Mobility, June 2024) for similar vehicle and mobility management sub-grants to Brunswick Transit System, Neighbor to Neighbor SC, and Horry County Council on Aging; and multiple Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act rapid-response and statewide-activities sub-awards flowing from the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce to support incumbent worker training and sector partnerships within the Waccamaw LWDA. GSATS also passes through State Health Insurance Assistance Program, Senior Medicare Patrol, and Older Americans Act nutrition and supportive services funding from the State of South Carolina to local Area Agencies on Aging.

Activity has been volatile, with a spike to 79 awards in 2023 (likely driven by workforce formula-grant timing), declining to 43 awards in 2024, then 15 in 2025, and 20 in 2026 year-to-date. Only four awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, presenting minimal recompete pressure. The organization's federal footprint is heavily dependent on annual or multi-year formula grant cycles from DOL and HHS, with transportation and economic development grants providing supplemental planning and capital funding but representing a smaller dollar and award-count share.