Cooper Tacia Awarded $24.5 Million Army Deal for South Carolina Child Center

The Raleigh, North Carolina, contractor beat three rival bids to build a child development center in Columbia, South Carolina, for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with completion set for August 2028.

First Published: August 3, 2026, 1:29 PM ET

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — Cooper Tacia General Contracting Co., a Raleigh, North Carolina, builder that started splitting firewood in 1996, received a $24.5 million Army contract to build a child development center in Columbia, South Carolina, as announced on war.gov.

The firm-fixed-price award drew four bids solicited over the Internet. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Charleston, South Carolina, obligated the full $24.5 million in fiscal 2026 military construction funds at award. Work carries an estimated completion date of August 19, 2028.

John Cooper serves as president and chief executive officer of the company, which took the Cooper Tacia name in 2020 to honor co-founder Chris Tacia, according to coopertacia.com. The firm offers general contracting, construction management and design-build services for public, education, commercial, industrial, healthcare and aviation projects, according to coopertacia.com. The award marks the largest contract the company has secured, surpassing its previous record of $23,657,005, according to firestore:contracts. It also stands as the firm’s first federal contract of 2026 and the 21st Department of Defense contract in North Carolina this year.

Child development centers on Army installations provide licensed day care and early education for the children of soldiers and civilian staff. Reliable on-post child care ranks among the most requested family services on military bases, and shortages have long pushed service members onto waiting lists. A new center in Columbia expands capacity near Fort Jackson, the Army’s largest basic training installation.

The project channels federal construction dollars into the local economy through subcontracts, materials purchases and jobs during the two-year build. For military families stationed nearby, the payoff comes in day-care slots rather than dollars, easing a bottleneck that can force parents to choose between duty schedules and dependent care.

The contract sits in the lower tier of this year’s Army spending. It falls between the 2026 Army portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $9.1 million and its maximum of $53.9 billion, according to firestore:contracts. The award landed among 11 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on August 3, 2026.

This has happened before. Cooper Tacia has built government buildings, schools and community centers across the Southeast for years, expanding from residential work into public projects after the 2008 recession pushed founder John Cooper into commercial construction, according to coopertacia.com. The firm pivoted first to hospitality projects in Raleigh before moving into industrial and government work.

The next decision on the project rests with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Charleston, which will oversee construction and certify milestones through the estimated completion date of August 19, 2028. A date for the next contract action has not been announced.

Military child care has drawn federal attention before, as happened after Congress passed the Military Child Care Act of 1989 to set safety and staffing standards across installations. The law followed reports of abuse and neglect at some centers and required inspections and higher caregiver training. Decades later, the Army continues to build and modernize centers to meet demand, and firms like Cooper Tacia carry out that mandate one installation at a time.

This contract represents the 1st contract awarded to Cooper Tacia General Contracting Co., in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $24,500,000. It is also the 21st Department of Defense contract awarded in North Carolina during 2026. This is the largest contract ever awarded to Cooper Tacia General Contracting Co., surpassing the company’s previous record of $23,657,005, and it is notable within the Army portfolio. Specifically, it falls between the 2026 Army portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $9,051,490 and maximum of $53,859,843,289. Overall, this award was announced among 11 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on August 3, 2026.