Forty-one federal agencies maintain offices in Hinds County, and Mississippi’s capital city holds a concentrated federal facility cluster that generates consistent custodial contracting volume: the G.V. Sonny Montgomery VA Medical Center on Veterans Boulevard, the James O. Eastland Federal Building and US Courthouse downtown, IRS and Social Security facilities, USDA Forest Service offices, and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians’ federally administered service network. SCA wage floors for Hinds County sit in the $12–$14/hr base range: above Mississippi’s $7.25 state minimum by a significant margin but among the lower SCA floors in the Southeast, creating real margin potential for well-organized BSCs. The SCA wage guide for the Jackson MSA and the bid template for Jackson federal RFPs are the baseline references.

Federal Building Inventory and Cleaning Contract Volume

The G.V. Sonny Montgomery VA Medical Center is the MSA’s largest single healthcare federal facility, with a full hospital campus and multiple CBOCs generating healthcare EVS volume under VA acquisition frameworks. The Eastland Federal Building houses multiple civilian federal agencies with GSA-managed custodial contracts. The US Courthouse handles judicial and US Marshal facility requirements. USDA offices and Social Security district offices add smaller-volume civilian contract opportunities. Combined, the MSA supports an estimated six to twelve active NAICS 561720 solicitations annually. Confirm the civilian federal building footprint at GSA’s inventory of owned and leased properties for Hinds County.

SCA Wage Determinations That Apply

The applicable SCA Wage Determination for Hinds County is available at sam.gov/wage-determinations, filtered by Mississippi / Hinds County. Occupation code 11150 base rates typically run $12.00–$14.50/hr. Add CONUS H&W fringe of $5.36/hr per DOL Wage and Hour Division. Mississippi has no state income tax, which modestly affects net-pay comparisons. See the SCA wages guide for the Jackson MSA for full occupation code details.

Active NAICS 561720 Activity at SAM.gov

Search SAM.gov using NAICS 561720, PSC S201, Mississippi, Hinds County and Rankin County. G.V. Sonny Montgomery VAMC contracts list under VA Southeast contracting. GSA civilian contracts list under GSA Southeast Sunbelt region. The market generates five to ten active solicitations per year. The relatively low competition density in the Mississippi federal market means incumbent relationships are durable; breaking in requires a clear past performance story and a competitive price, not just availability.

SBA Set-Asides and Small Business Programs

Jackson has extensive HUBZone-designated census tracts across much of the city’s north, west, and south sides, reflecting its economically distressed urban core. Confirm current tract eligibility at the SBA HUBZone map. Jackson’s HUBZone coverage is among the most extensive of any Mississippi city, creating meaningful set-aside pipeline access for certified firms.

• 8(a): sole-source up to $4.5M; VA and GSA set-aside pipeline active
• HUBZone: broad urban Jackson coverage; 35% employee residency compliance
• WOSB/EDWOSB: active for NAICS 561720
• SDVOSB: G.V. Sonny Montgomery VA pipeline; search DSBS

Past Performance Reality for New Entrants

New BSCs in Jackson should enter through G.V. Sonny Montgomery VA subcontracting or the Eastland Federal Building GSA subcontracting pipeline. Jackson’s HUBZone coverage is extensive enough that a certified firm may be able to pursue sole-source or set-aside prime awards earlier than in other metros. The Choctaw tribal enterprise network and federal service contracts in Neshoba County provide an additional subcontracting entry path for Native American-owned BSCs. Timeline to first prime award: 18–24 months for HUBZone-certified firms; 24–30 months without certification.

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; Hinds County WD posting required
3. E-Verify enrollment for contracts at or above $150,000
4. VA EVS familiarity for VAMC contracts; VAAR clauses supplement FAR
5. GL + WC insurance; Mississippi workers’ comp for janitorial runs approximately $1.20–$1.80 per $100 payroll per the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission

Reference FAR Part 52 provisions and VAAR Part 852 for VA solicitations.

Local Conditions That Affect Bid Math

Jackson’s infrastructure challenges (including documented water system reliability issues) have created unique federal facility operational considerations; confirm water service reliability at specific federal building addresses before finalizing cleaning protocols for any site that depends on consistent municipal water pressure. Mississippi summers bring extreme heat and humidity (heat index above 100°F for weeks at a time), increasing HVAC load and floor-care product performance variability in non-climate-controlled areas. Staff recruitment in Jackson’s labor market is generally more available than in tighter metros, though retention requires active management given the competition from state government and healthcare employers downtown.

A Tradeoff: Low SCA Floor vs. Infrastructure Uncertainty

Jackson offers one of the lower SCA wage floors in the Southeast, and the extensive HUBZone coverage creates meaningful set-aside access. Those are genuine advantages. The counterbalance is that Jackson’s aging infrastructure creates operational uncertainty that does not exist in most other federal markets: water supply interruptions have affected federal buildings in the past, and a facility services contractor whose cleaning protocols depend on consistent water availability needs a contingency plan. It is worth verifying water supply reliability at each specific building address before submitting a bid, and including a force-majeure or government-caused delay clause review in the contract review process. The margin opportunity is real, but the operational planning burden is higher than in comparable-size metros. Use the bid stress-test to model the infrastructure contingency cost and the account profitability auditor to confirm the net margin story.

Primary Sources

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

See the companion bid template for Jackson, MS. 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