Federal sub-agency · Department of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Service

Agricultural Research Service obligated $380.3M on federal contracts in FY2026 across 3,220 contract actions (+9.5% vs FY2025). Its largest recipient was MERRICK & COMPANY ($33.8M). It also awarded $143.5M in federal grants and other assistance in FY2026.

Obligations · FY2026
$380.3M
Actions
3,220
New awards: 1,405
Sole-source
15%
Small business
72%
Open in the contracts explorerRelationship graphFederal contracts

Spending by fiscal year

Obligations per federal fiscal year (October–September).

  1. 374.1MFY2017
  2. 256.5MFY2018
  3. 271.8MFY2019
  4. 430.5MFY2020
  5. 300.4MFY2021
  6. 333.6MFY2022
  7. 358.5MFY2023
  8. 366.8MFY2024
  9. 347.2MFY2025
  10. 380.3MFY2026
  11. -5.2KFY2027

Top recipients

Obligations in FY2026.

  1. MERRICK & COMPANY$33.8M8.9%
  2. MILL CREEK FIRELAKE JV LLC$24.9M6.6%
  3. COVINGTON FIRELAKE JV, LLC$24.9M6.5%
  4. MCKENZIE CONSTRUCTION & SITE DEVELOPMENT LLC$11.4M3.0%
  5. CAS FSE JV II LLC$11.2M2.9%
  6. YOUR RECRUITING COMPANY, INC.$7.4M1.9%
  7. SH MECHANICAL INC.$7.3M1.9%
  8. PROCON INTERNATIONAL LLC$6.3M1.7%
  9. BROWN POINT FACILITY MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS, LLC$5.9M1.6%
  10. FIRELAKE CONSTRUCTION INC$5.8M1.5%

What was bought · Where the work was performed

Obligations in FY2026.

What was bought

  1. Construction & real property$141.6M37%
  2. Professional services$84.8M22%
  3. Other equipment & supplies$57.6M15%
  4. Equipment maintenance$46.8M12%
  5. Facilities & utilities$22.9M6.0%
  6. IT & telecom$17.8M4.7%
  7. Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles$4.8M1.3%
  8. Research & development$1.6M0.4%
  9. Transportation & logistics$991.7K0.3%
  10. Health & medical$825K0.2%
  11. Fuel$283.5K0.1%
  12. Education & social services$210.2K0.1%

Where the work was performed

  1. Kansas$89.6M24%
  2. Maryland$54.6M14%
  3. Louisiana$24.4M6.4%
  4. California$20.9M5.5%
  5. North Dakota$14.8M3.9%
  6. District of Columbia$13.7M3.6%
  7. Georgia$12.3M3.2%
  8. Oklahoma$11.5M3.0%
  9. Illinois$11.3M3.0%
  10. Iowa$11M2.9%

Integrity signals

Shares of the year's obligations, next to the country's.

  • Low competition30%
    US 39% · $112.8M
  • Sole-source awards15%
    US 30% · $55.7M
  • Single-offer competitions15%
    US 8.7% · $57M
  • Urgency justifications9.1%
    US 5.1% · $34.7M
  • Year-end rush34%
    US 6.0% · $128.3M
  • Undefinitized contracts5.3%
    US 5.0% · $20.2M
  • Time-and-materials pricing1.4%
    US 4.2% · $5.1M

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Offices with the most sole-source money

  1. USDA ARS AFM APD$56.1M15%
  2. USDA ARS PWA AAO ACQ/PER PROP$304.1K77%
  3. USDA ARS SEA AAO ACQ/PER PROP$72.2K0.0%

Contracts terminated for default: 3

Largest awards

  1. DESIGN-BUILD-BRIDGING CONSTRUCTION SERVICES FOR THE MODERNIZATION OF THE U.S. NATIONAL POULTRY RESEARCH CENTER (USNPRC), SEPRL CAMPUS IN ATHENS, GA THIS IS A TWO-PHASE DESIGN-BUILD ACQUISITION. ONE SOLICITATION COVERS BOTH PHASES. PHASE I IS THE PRE-SELECTION PHASE IN WHICH THE GOVERNMENT WILL "SHORTLIST" MAXIMUM OF (4) OF THE MOST HIGHLY QUALIFIED OFFERORS. ONLY THOSE FIRMS SELECTED IN PHASE I WILL BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE TO THE PHASE II. DETAILED DESIGN CRITERIA WILL THEN BE ADDED BY AMENDMENT TO THE SOLICITATION TO START THE PHASE II STAGE OF THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. EACH FIRM SELECTED FOR PARTICIPATION IN PHASE II WILL THEN SUBMIT A DESIGN-BUILD TECHNICAL PROPOSAL, THE REMAINDER OF THE PERFORMANCE CAPABILITY PROPOSAL AND PRICE PROPOSAL.$149.6M
    M. A. MORTENSON COMPANY· Clarke County, GA· Construction & real property· Jul 31, 2017 – Dec 5, 2025· AG3K25C170001
  2. NBAF - ACCELERATED PROJECT MANAGEMENT, STAND-UP PLANNING AND RECOMMISSIONING$35.8M
    MERRICK & COMPANY· Riley County, KS· Professional services· Aug 29, 2025 – Sep 25, 2026· 1232SA25C0028
  3. SECURITY GUARD SERVICES$25.2M
    DEFENSE CONTRACTING ACTIVITY, LLC· Riley County, KS· Facilities & utilities· Mar 4, 2021 – May 27, 2026· 12805B21F0011
  4. NBAF - BAS SUPPORT$20.1M
    MERRICK & COMPANY· Pottawatomie County, KS· Professional services· Feb 20, 2026 – Jul 8, 2026· 1232SA26C0001
  5. CONSTRUCTION OF THE HOUMA SUGARCANE LAB/OFFICE BUILDING$20M
    COVINGTON FIRELAKE JV, LLC· Terrebonne Parish, LA· Construction & real property· Sep 9, 2026 – Sep 9, 2026· 1232SA26C0016
  6. BELTSVILLE AREA RESEARCH CENTER (BARC) STEAM SYSTEM REPAIR$18.3M
    CPF LLC· Prince George's County, MD· Construction & real property· Mar 31, 2017 – Sep 28, 2026· AG32SCC160024
  7. CONSTRUCTION OF SUGARCANE GREENHOUSES - USDA, ARS, SOUTHEAST AREA / HOUMA, LA$13.2M
    JUSTIN J. REEVES, L.L.C· Terrebonne Parish, LA· Construction & real property· Aug 7, 2025 – Aug 10, 2026· 1232SA25C0020
  8. PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) SERVICES TO PERFORM OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE AND ENHANCEMENTS FOR A SPECIFIC NIFA GRANTS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. NIFA REQUIRES CONTRACTOR SUPPORT FOR BEST EFFORT IN MEETING THE OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE, AND ENHANCEME$10.6M
    TCG INC· District of Columbia, DC· IT & telecom· Feb 29, 2024 – Apr 27, 2026· 1232SA24F0023

Federal grants & assistance awarded

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

Agricultural Research Service obligated $143.5M in federal assistance in FY2026, on 1,271 actions (339 new awards), −39% vs FY2025. Its largest program was 10.001 · Agricultural Research Basic and Applied Research ($143.5M).

Assistance · FY2026
$143.5M
New awards
339
Actions
1,271
Since FY2021
$1.5B

Assistance by fiscal year

  1. 251.9MFY2021
  2. 270.8MFY2022
  3. 319.6MFY2023
  4. 322.2MFY2024
  5. 233.6MFY2025
  6. 143.5MFY2026

By type

  1. Grants$78.9M55%
  2. Other assistance$64.7M45%

Top programs

  1. 10.001 · Agricultural Research Basic and Applied Research$143.5M100%

Top recipients (organizations)

  1. TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE RESEARCH$14.3M10.0%
    COLLEGE STATION, TX
  2. NATIONAL EXPERIENCED WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, INC$11.3M7.9%
    ARLINGTON, VA
  3. NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY$6.8M4.7%
    FARGO, ND
  4. BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA$6.6M4.6%
    LINCOLN, NE
  5. AUBURN UNIVERSITY$6.3M4.4%
    AUBURN, AL
  6. KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY$5.7M3.9%
    MANHATTAN, KS
  7. BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE$5.5M3.8%
    HOUSTON, TX
  8. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS$5.3M3.7%
    DAVIS, CA

Where it went

  1. Texas$22.4M16%
  2. Virginia$12.7M8.9%
  3. North Dakota$9.7M6.8%
  4. California$7.9M5.5%
  5. Alabama$7.1M5.0%
  6. Nebraska$6.6M4.6%
  7. Kansas$6M4.2%
  8. Wisconsin$5.8M4.0%
  9. Florida$5.6M3.9%
  10. Missouri$4.8M3.4%

By state of the place of performance.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Subawards under this agency's awards

First-tier subawards that recipients of this agency's contracts and financial assistance reported, by the fiscal year of the subaward.

FY2026

  • Sub-contracts: $21.2M (125 subawards)
  • Sub-grants: $2.5M (25 subawards)

82 sub-recipients

Largest sub-recipients

  1. JOHNSON CONTROLS BUILDING SOLUTIONS, LLC$5.3M22%
    MILWAUKEE, WI · 9 subawards
  2. P1 CONSTRUCTION LLC$3.9M17%
    LENEXA, KS · 15 subawards
  3. TRADE MECHANICAL CONTRACTORS INC$2.7M11%
    OKLAHOMA CITY, OK · 1 subaward
  4. CONTROL SERVICE CO INC$1.4M6.1%
    LEES SUMMIT, MO · 1 subaward
  5. CL CONSTRUCTION LLC$851.3K3.6%
    WAHOO, NE · 1 subaward
  6. TATE ENGINEERING SYSTEMS INC$761.9K3.2%
    DELMAR, MD · 2 subawards
  7. ROBERT J HILL$744.9K3.1%
    WHITE, SD · 1 subaward
  8. MVP LLC$571.2K2.4%
    GRANDVIEW, MO · 3 subawards
  9. SOUTHWEST STEEL FABRICATION LLC$507.4K2.1%
    BONNER SPRINGS, KS · 5 subawards
  10. GLOBAL GRAB TECHNOLOGIES, INC.$500.9K2.1%
    FRANKLIN, TN · 1 subaward

Primes report first-tier subawards of $30,000 or more themselves, and many go unreported (GAO-24-106214). Reporting moved from FSRS to SAM.gov in March 2025 and fewer sub-contracts have been reported since. Amounts are what primes reported; they are never added to prime award totals.

Source: Subawards (first-tier sub-contracts and sub-grants reported under FFATA) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov (reports filed in SAM.gov, formerly FSRS)), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026 · Subawards loaded from FY2021.

Committees that oversee and fund it

Congressional committees whose jurisdiction includes this agency, and the appropriations subcommittees that write its spending bill (Analisa's reading of the House and Senate rules; committees share jurisdiction). Leaders as currently published.

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Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.