HITT Contracting Secures NIST Design-Build Contract With Up to $600 Million in Work

Highlights

• HITT Contracting was selected to modernize the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Central Utility Plant complex.
• The project will involve renovation, expansion and modernization of campus utility infrastructure in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
• The contract establishes a framework for up to $600 million in work through individual task orders.
• The initial task-order period spans five years.
• HGA will work alongside HITT on the design-build program.

Federal Contract Targets Campus Utility Infrastructure

Modernizing utility infrastructure at federal research facilities is the focus of a new design-build contract awarded to HITT Contracting by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Announced Oct. 8, the contract covers upgrades to the Central Utility Plant complex at NIST’s campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

The agreement establishes a potential workload of up to $600 million, with projects authorized through individual task orders during an initial five-year ordering period. The total represents the maximum framework value, not a confirmed award for a single construction project.

HITT will work with design firm HGA to deliver the program. Specific construction packages, individual task-order values and project schedules were not disclosed in the announcement.

Design-Build Scope and Delivery Structure

The planned work encompasses renovation, expansion and modernization of the campus utility plant complex. The facility supports the infrastructure needs of a federal research campus whose mission includes measurement science, standards and technology.

Under the task-order structure, work can be authorized through separate assignments within the broader contract framework. This approach allows the owner to define individual work packages and their requirements as tasks are issued.

For the project team, the design-build arrangement brings design and construction services together under a coordinated delivery structure. Utility plant modernization typically requires careful planning around existing infrastructure, facility operations and the sequencing of upgrades, although NIST has not released detailed engineering specifications for this program.

Implications for Federal Construction Contractors

The contract creates a substantial potential pipeline of federal infrastructure work for HITT and its design partner. For subcontractors and suppliers, future task orders may provide opportunities tied to utility systems, building upgrades and associated construction services, depending on the scope of each package.

Owners planning similar campus improvements can also look to task-order contracting as a way to organize a multiyear program of work without treating every assignment as a separate standalone contract. However, the amount and timing of work under this agreement will depend on the task orders issued during the ordering period.

HITT Contracting reported 2025 revenue of $13.1 billion and a workforce of more than 3,600 employees nationwide.

Source: HITT.