Three Firms to Compete for Army Corps’ $12.5 Million Engineering Contract

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers named Affinis Freese and Nichols JV, Athena Engineering & Environmental LLC and RJH Consultants Inc. to vie for orders under a firm-fixed-price geotechnical services deal running through 2031.

First Published: July 25, 2026, 3:27 PM ET

OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS — Three engineering firms will compete for work under a $12.5 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contract for geotechnical architect and engineering services, the Department of Defense said.

The firm-fixed-price award pits Affinis Freese and Nichols JV of Overland Park, Kansas, against Athena Engineering & Environmental LLCof Goodlettsville, Tennessee, andRJH Consultants Inc.of Englewood, Colorado, as announced on war.gov. Bids drew six offers solicited over the internet, with work locations and funding set at each order and an estimated completion date of July 31, 2031.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office in Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity for the award, which appeared among eight Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 24, 2026.

“We’ve been growing our federal portfolio for years by building long-lasting relationships,” said Jason Davis, principal and vice president of federal services at Affinis. “This JV with Freese and Nichols is an extension of that work.”

Geotechnical architect and engineering services cover the study of soil, rock and groundwater beneath planned structures. The Corps relies on that analysis before it builds dams, levees, flood barriers and other water-control projects across the country. Indefinite-delivery contracts like this one let the government issue task orders as needs arise rather than commit the full sum upfront.

The joint venture at the center of the award formed under the Small Business Administration’s Mentor-Protégé Program. The Affinis Freese and Nichols JV pairs Affinis as the small-business protégé with Freese and Nichols, a privately owned engineering, planning and consulting firm serving as the mentor, according to affinis.us. The two companies worked together for almost 10 years on other federal projects before creating the venture, according to affinis.us.

The Mentor-Protégé Program helps small firms grow by pairing them with established companies that guide them through federal contracting, strategic planning and operations. Freese and Nichols will provide national expertise, operational capacity and business development support to help Affinis expand into new federal markets, according to affinis.us. The structure lets a small firm chase federal work it could not win alone, while the larger partner gains access to set-aside opportunities.

Multi-firm competitive contracts are routine for the Corps, which awards hundreds of engineering task orders each year. The design splits risk across vendors and keeps prices in check by forcing bidders to compete on each order rather than locking in a single provider for five years.

The arrangement has happened before. The Corps regularly issues indefinite-delivery contracts to pools of qualified firms, then distributes individual assignments as projects move forward, a model it has used across its districts for decades.

The Omaha district will decide which firm wins each task order as projects arise through the July 31, 2031, completion window. A schedule for the first order has not been announced.

The Corps traces its engineering roots to the Revolutionary War, when the Continental Congress created the post of chief engineer in 1775. Congress established the permanent Army Corps of Engineers in 1802 and tied it to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. Over more than two centuries the Corps expanded from fortifications to the nation’s dams, harbors and flood-control networks, work that now flows to small firms and joint ventures like the three competing here.

The total value of contracts awarded to Affinis Freese and Nichols JV, Overland Park, Kansas (W9128F-26-D-A033) in 2026 reached $12,500,000. Overall, this award was announced among 8 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 24, 2026. The total value of contracts awarded to Affinis Freese and Nichols JV, Overland Park, Kansas (W9128F-26-D-A033);Athena Engineering & Environmental LLCin 2026 reached $12,500,000.