Fort Eisenhower: the Army’s cyber-warfare and signal intelligence hub renamed from Fort Gordon in 2023: generates the dominant share of facility services contracting in this two-state MSA, with hundreds of administrative, training, and operations buildings requiring daily custodial coverage. The Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center on Wrightsboro Road adds healthcare EVS volume under VA acquisition frameworks. The SCA floor for Richmond County sits in the $13–$16/hr range base, well above Georgia’s $7.25 state minimum, creating a bidding cost floor that surprises BSCs pricing from commercial surveys. The SCA wage guide for the Augusta MSA and the bid template for Augusta federal RFPs are the calibration tools before any proposal submission.

Federal Building Inventory and Cleaning Contract Volume

Fort Eisenhower’s Mission Command campus, Cyber Center of Excellence, and hundreds of barracks and administrative buildings represent the MSA’s largest federal facility services demand. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center (Eisenhower Health) is the primary military treatment facility and adds healthcare environmental services requirements distinct from standard custodial work. The Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center (two campuses, Downtown and Uptown) adds VA-specific EVS volume. GSA manages a smaller footprint of civilian federal offices in Augusta’s downtown. The MSA supports an estimated fifteen to thirty active NAICS 561720 solicitations annually across these channels. Check GSA’s property inventory for the civilian federal footprint in Richmond County.

SCA Wage Determinations That Apply

The applicable SCA Wage Determinations for Richmond County (GA) and Aiken County (SC) are available at sam.gov/wage-determinations. Occupation code 11150 base rates for Richmond County typically run $13.50–$16.50/hr. Fort Eisenhower contracts use the Georgia WD; contractors working Aiken County sites use the South Carolina WD for Aiken County, which may differ marginally. Add CONUS H&W fringe of $5.36/hr per DOL Wage and Hour Division. Army and VA contracts use FAR 52.222-41 SCA flow-down; DFARS applies to Fort Eisenhower solicitations.

Active NAICS 561720 Activity at SAM.gov

For Fort Eisenhower contracts, search SAM.gov with NAICS 561720, PSC S201, Georgia, Richmond County, filtering by Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC): Fort Eisenhower. Eisenhower Army Medical Center contracts list under DHA (Defense Health Agency) contracting offices. Charlie Norwood VAMC contracts list under VA contracting. Augusta generates fifteen to thirty active solicitations annually across these three contracting channels. MICC: Fort Eisenhower is among the more active Army post contracting offices for custodial services in the Southeast.

SBA Set-Asides and Small Business Programs

Richmond County includes HUBZone-designated census tracts primarily in Augusta’s historically underinvested east and south sides. Verify current tract eligibility at the SBA HUBZone map. Fort Eisenhower’s large active-duty and veteran population creates an active SDVOSB contracting environment.

• 8(a): sole-source up to $4.5M; MICC Fort Eisenhower and VA set-aside pipeline active
• HUBZone: east and south Augusta tracts; 35% employee residency compliance
• WOSB/EDWOSB: eligible for NAICS 561720 civilian contracts
• SDVOSB: strong market given Fort Eisenhower and Charlie Norwood VA; search DSBS

Past Performance Reality for New Entrants

The best entry path for new BSCs in Augusta is Fort Eisenhower subcontracting under a prime with active MICC history, or Charlie Norwood VA subcontracting with an EVS-capable prime. Joint ventures targeting 8(a) or HUBZone set-asides in the civilian GSA space can accelerate first award timelines. Eisenhower Army Medical Center environmental services contracts require DHA environmental services familiarity in the technical approach. Timeline to first Fort Eisenhower prime award: 24–36 months; civilian GSA prime: 18–24 months.

Bid Mechanics — What Federal Solicitations Demand That Commercial Bids Don’t

1. Active SAM.gov registration with current UEI and CAGE code
2. SCA compliance under FAR 52.222-41 and DFARS for Fort Eisenhower contracts
3. DBIDS enrollment for Fort Eisenhower; personnel background check coordination with MICC
4. E-Verify enrollment for contracts at or above $150,000
5. GL + WC insurance; Georgia workers’ comp for janitorial runs approximately $1.50–$2.20 per $100 payroll per the State Board of Workers’ Compensation (Georgia)

Reference FAR Part 52 and DFARS Part 252 for Fort Eisenhower solicitations.

Local Conditions That Affect Bid Math

Augusta’s humid subtropical climate means high summer humidity drives above-average restroom ventilation demands and mold-protocol vigilance in older federal buildings. The Augusta National Golf Club week (Masters Tournament in April) tightens the regional labor pool annually for one to two weeks: a staffing planning consideration for April period-of-performance starts. Fort Eisenhower’s cyber mission creates facilities with SCIF and secure compartment space requiring cleared or escorted custodial personnel; price the cleared-access staffing premium into any proposal covering secure areas. Transportation across the two-state MSA (Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken counties) adds route time between remote VA CBOCs and the main campus.

A Tradeoff: Fort Eisenhower Volume vs. SCIF Compliance Cost

Fort Eisenhower is one of the larger Army post facility services markets in the Southeast, and the volume is attractive. The complication is that the post’s cyber and signals intelligence mission means a meaningful share of the building portfolio includes SCIF-rated or controlled-area spaces where custodial personnel must either hold active clearances or be escorted by cleared government employees during service. Both options carry real cost: cleared janitors command a wage premium of $3–$6/hr above standard SCA base rates, while escort-based cleaning is operationally inefficient and reduces productivity per labor hour. A BSC entering this market without a plan for the cleared-access requirement will either underprice SCIF areas or be unable to staff them compliantly. Audit the solicitation’s Statement of Work carefully for security requirement clauses before pricing. Use the production rate calculator to model the escort-based productivity hit and the bid stress-test to assess the margin impact of the cleared-access premium.

Primary Sources

• SAM.gov: Contract Opportunities (NAICS 561720)
• SAM.gov: SCA Wage Determinations (Georgia / South Carolina)
• GSA Inventory of Owned and Leased Properties
• SBA HUBZone Eligibility Map
• FAR Part 52: Solicitation Provisions
• State Board of Workers’ Compensation: Georgia
• DSBS: Dynamic Small Business Search
• BLS OEWS Metropolitan Area Wage Data

See the companion bid template for Augusta, GA. Use the bid generator to structure the federal capability statement and the cleaning bid benchmarks tool to calibrate pricing before submission.

By the Opora Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026