What NAICS 561730 covers
NAICS 561730 is the catch-all code for commercial and residential landscaping work: lawn care, tree trimming, snow plowing, sod installation, irrigation system maintenance, and general grounds upkeep. In the federal context, agencies use it for ongoing grounds maintenance contracts at military installations, federal office buildings, national parks, border patrol stations, VA medical centers, and postal facilities.
This is not construction. Grading, excavation, or hardscape work falls under different NAICS codes (typically 238910 or 237310). If a solicitation includes both, read the statement of work carefully before deciding which code applies to your bid.
What federal agencies actually buy under this code
Three agencies drive most of the volume.
The Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the broader Department of Defense are the largest buyers. Military installations require year-round grounds maintenance across training ranges, airfields, housing areas, and administrative zones. Fort Bragg, Fort Hood, and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune each spend millions annually. DoD awards are frequently broken into smaller task orders under base-wide indefinite delivery contracts.
The National Park Service (NPS) awards grounds maintenance and trail maintenance contracts at high-visitor parks. Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the National Mall carry multi-year contracts. NPS work often requires sensitivity to natural habitat, which creates a technical differentiation opportunity for firms with environmental credentialing.
Department of Homeland Security, particularly CBP, maintains extensive grounds at land ports of entry and border patrol stations along the southern and northern borders. These tend to be smaller, geographically concentrated contracts that suit regional firms.
The General Services Administration (GSA) and Veterans Affairs also award significant volume for federal building campuses and VA medical center grounds.
Annual federal spend and trend
USASpending.gov data shows roughly $1 to $1.2 billion in annual prime contract awards coded to NAICS 561730, with an upward trend from 2020 through 2024 driven by deferred maintenance backlogs at DoD installations and VA facilities. Climate-related work (drought-tolerant landscaping at southwestern installations, storm drainage maintenance) has been added to scopes that previously covered only mowing and tree care.
Set-aside awards represent a significant share of total volume. In fiscal years 2022 through 2024, small business set-asides (including 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, and SDVOSB) consistently accounted for more than 60% of award actions under this code, making this one of the more set-aside-friendly codes in the services category.
Which set-asides dominate and why
8(a) is the most commonly used set-aside in this code. Contracting officers use sole-source 8(a) awards for landscaping contracts under $4 million without competition. That threshold is what makes this space so accessible. A DoD installation needs a grounds maintenance vendor, the contracting officer knows a qualified 8(a) firm, and the award happens without a competitive process. If you hold an 8(a) certification and your firm can perform grounds maintenance, this is a primary path to a first federal contract.
HUBZone is the second most active set-aside. Many landscaping firms are small, locally rooted operations in economically distressed areas, which makes HUBZone certification a natural fit. Federal agencies that set aside landscaping work competitively under HUBZone receive fewer bids than under full-and-open competition, which meaningfully improves win probability.
SDVOSB is relevant for veteran-owned firms. VA contracts for medical center grounds maintenance are frequently set aside exclusively for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. The VA's Veterans First Contracting Program mandates SDVOSB preference, and grounds maintenance at VA campuses is a recurring multi-year need.
WOSB set-asides are used but less frequently in this specific code. If you hold a WOSB or EDWOSB certification, watch for opportunities; do not lead your strategy with it in this particular code.
SBA size standard
The SBA size standard for NAICS 561730 is $8 million in average annual receipts, measured over the prior three fiscal years. This is a relatively modest threshold compared to other service codes. Firms approaching $7 million in revenue need to monitor their size status closely, particularly if they are pursuing 8(a) or HUBZone awards that carry small business requirements.
To check your current size status or run a formal size determination, use the SBA's Size Standards Tool at sba.gov/size-standards.
Contract vehicles that list NAICS 561730
GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS), SIN 561210HD covers facilities maintenance and management services, which includes landscaping and grounds work. Being on Schedule does not guarantee awards, but it gives federal buyers a direct path to place orders with your firm under simplified acquisition procedures. If you are pursuing VA or GSA Public Buildings Service work specifically, schedule presence is often a prerequisite.
Base Operations Support (BOS) contracts at DoD installations frequently use NAICS 561730 as one of several codes in a bundled grounds and facilities maintenance IDIQ. Firms that specialize in landscaping often team with a larger prime on these larger BOS vehicles.
Agency-specific IDIQs: USACE regions, NPS regions, and DHS/CBP contracting offices periodically award regional grounds maintenance IDIQs that cover multiple task order sites. Getting on one of these as a prime or teaming partner provides a pipeline of task orders over a 5-year base period.
Simplified Acquisition: For contracts under $250,000, agencies can use purchase orders and simplified acquisition procedures. Many first federal contracts in landscaping start as small purchase orders, particularly for non-recurring work like post-storm cleanup or one-time site preparation.
Certifications that give you a competitive edge
These certifications create specific set-aside eligibility or scoring advantages:
SBA 8(a) Business Development Program: Sole-source authority below $4 million. The single most impactful certification for winning a first landscaping contract without competition. Requires at least 51% ownership and control by a socially and economically disadvantaged individual.
HUBZone Certification: Requires the business to be located in a designated HUBZone and at least 35% of employees to reside in a HUBZone. Federal agencies have statutory goals to award 3% of contract dollars to HUBZone firms, and landscaping is a code where contracting officers actively use HUBZone set-asides.
SDVOSB/VOSB: For veteran-owned firms, verification through the VA's Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) program opens VA-specific preferences and is required for VA set-aside awards.
State DBE/MBE/WBE: These do not help on federal prime contracts directly, but subcontracting plans on larger federal contracts create demand for certified diverse subcontractors. Primes competing for large DoD BOS contracts need to show small business subcontracting percentages; your state certification can appear in their plan even if you are not the prime.
How to find active solicitations
Start at beta.SAM.gov. In the contract opportunities search, filter by: - NAICS Code: 561730 - Set-Aside Type: 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB (depending on your certifications) - Place of Performance: your state or region - Date range: last 30 days for active solicitations
Save the search and subscribe to email alerts. New solicitations will arrive in your inbox as they post.
For forecasted opportunities, agencies publish their procurement forecasts on agency-specific portals. The Army posts its forecast at armycontracting.army.mil. USACE publishes regional forecasts at usace.army.mil. NPS posts at acquisition.nps.gov. These forecasts are imprecise, but they identify which installations are planning a grounds maintenance re-compete and roughly when.
FPDS-NG (usaspending.gov) is useful for market research. Search awards in NAICS 561730 filtered to your target agency and state. Identify which firms are currently holding contracts, what those contracts were worth, and when they expire. Expiring contracts are potential re-compete opportunities. Contact those contracting offices six to twelve months before expiration.
Request a capabilities briefing from the small business specialists at your target agencies. Army installations have Offices of Small Business Programs (OSBP). USACE districts have small business offices. These offices can tell you informally whether upcoming requirements are planned as set-asides, and they can put your firm in the contracting officer's view before a solicitation posts.
Realistic path for a new entrant
The realistic first contract for a new entrant in this code is a sole-source 8(a) award or a small HUBZone set-aside, valued between $300,000 and $2 million, for grounds maintenance at a single installation or facility.
Here is what that path looks like in practice.
First, get your registrations and certifications in order. SAM.gov registration is required for all federal contracts. If you qualify for 8(a) or HUBZone, apply before you start pursuing work. 8(a) applications currently take four to six months. Budget that time into your planning.
Second, identify three to five realistic target facilities within your operating radius. You cannot do federal landscaping work profitably if you are driving two hours to a job site. Look for military installations, VA medical centers, or federal office buildings within 60 to 90 minutes of your base of operations.
Third, do the market research on USASpending.gov to understand what those facilities have paid for grounds maintenance in the past. Look at the incumbent contractor, the contract value, and the period of performance. If the contract expires within 18 months, that is your target.
Fourth, reach out to the installation's OSBP or small business office. Introduce your firm, describe your capabilities, and ask whether the grounds maintenance requirement is planned as a set-aside. This conversation happens before any solicitation is posted.
Fifth, when the solicitation posts, bid it. Your technical volume should address the specific site, reference your past performance on comparable commercial or government work (local governments, HOAs, school districts, and municipalities are valid references), and demonstrate that your staffing plan accounts for the full scope without subcontracting out the core work.
A first award in this code typically runs one year with four option years, worth $400,000 to $1.5 million total. That contract becomes the past performance reference that opens the next opportunity. Federal agencies have a strong preference for incumbents with clean performance records. Perform well on the first contract and the re-compete becomes yours to lose.
