Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the independent federal regulatory agency established in 1970 to consolidate environmental protection responsibilities, enforcing laws to protect air, water, and land from pollution while contracting for scientific research, remediation services, regulatory support, and information technology.

What is the Environmental Protection Agency?

EPA's mission spans research, standard-setting, enforcement, and assistance. Organizationally, EPA operates through national program offices (Office of Air and Radiation, Office of Water, Office of Land and Emergency Management, Office of Chemical Safety) and 10 regional offices that implement programs at the state and local level. The Superfund program (CERCLA) is one of EPA's largest contracting drivers, funding the investigation and cleanup of contaminated sites on the National Priorities List.

EPA contracting is concentrated in several areas: environmental research and technical services (scientific studies, risk assessment, pollution monitoring), Superfund remediation contracts (investigation, removal, and remedial actions at contaminated sites), compliance assistance and enforcement support, IT modernization (EPA operates numerous regulatory databases and public-facing reporting systems), and environmental justice outreach and technical assistance.

The EPA All-In-One contract vehicle is one of the agency's primary vehicles for environmental services. EPAOAM (Operations and Maintenance) contracts support EPA laboratory facilities. ORISE (Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education) provides personnel support for EPA research programs. Small businesses compete effectively on environmental services set-asides, particularly for site investigation and technical assistance contracts.

Why EPA matters for government contractors

EPA obligates approximately $1.5-2 billion annually in contracts. Environmental consulting firms, remediation contractors, IT services companies, and scientific research organizations are the primary contractor categories. Superfund remediation contracts often span years and involve large total contract values.

Example

An environmental engineering firm wins a Superfund removal action contract at a contaminated industrial site in the Midwest. The firm conducts a site characterization, develops a remedial action plan, performs soil excavation and treatment, and provides groundwater monitoring for five years post-remediation. The contract is issued under EPA's regional Superfund contract vehicle and monitored by EPA's regional project officer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Superfund program and how does it create contracting opportunities?

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, or Superfund) authorizes EPA to clean up contaminated sites and recover costs from responsible parties. EPA contracts with environmental engineering and remediation firms to conduct site investigations and cleanup actions. Superfund contracts are among the largest and longest-running environmental contracting opportunities in the federal government.

Does EPA have its own contract vehicles for small businesses?

EPA uses several vehicles for small business services, including the EPIC (Environmental Protection Integration Contract) vehicle and regional small business set-aside indefinite delivery contracts. The agency's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) maintains resources for small businesses interested in EPA contracting.

How does EPA's regulatory enforcement role affect its contractors?

EPA contractors support enforcement by collecting environmental monitoring data, conducting compliance audits of regulated facilities, and providing technical expertise in enforcement actions and litigation. Contractors in these roles must maintain independence and objectivity and are subject to conflict of interest requirements that prevent them from working for regulated parties in the same subject matter areas.

What IT systems does EPA contract for?

EPA maintains numerous IT systems including the FRS (Facility Registry Service), AQS (Air Quality System), STORET (water quality data), and the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). Modernization and maintenance of these regulatory databases, combined with EPA's internal business systems and cybersecurity infrastructure, creates ongoing IT contracting demand.