NAICS 236220 — Commercial and Institutional Building Construction
General contractors building federal office buildings, courthouses, military barracks, VA medical facilities, and other institutional structures. Largest single dollar-volume construction NAICS for federal work.
Quick facts
Top federal customers
Federal agencies that obligate the most spending under NAICS 236220 (FY2024 reporting period). Order tracks federal-obligation volume on USAspending.gov.
- 1.U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- 2.Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command
- 3.Department of Veterans Affairs
- 4.General Services Administration
- 5.Air Force Civil Engineer Center
Set-aside fit
Whether NAICS 236220 commonly carries set-aside designations on federal awards. Eligibility for any specific solicitation is set by the contracting officer; this table reflects the FY2024 award pattern, not a guarantee of set-aside status.
- SDVOSB (Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business)
- 8(a) Business Development Program
- HUBZone Small Business
- WOSB / EDWOSB
- VOSB (Veteran-Owned Small Business)
High-volume SDVOSB and 8(a) set-aside category. MILCON and VA major construction projects routinely set aside under 236220.
Frequent prime contractors
Companies that most frequently appear as prime awardees under NAICS 236220 for FY2024. Drawn from USAspending.gov public award records — verify currency at the live link below.
- Whiting-Turner Contracting
- Hensel Phelps
- Clark Construction
- Turner Construction
- Skanska USA
- Balfour Beatty
- Gilbane Building Company
- Kiewit Corporation
- McCarthy Building Companies
- Walsh Construction
Common FAR / DFARS clauses
Frequently flowed-down clauses on contracts in this NAICS. The clause text on acquisition.gov is authoritative; this list captures the practical pattern, not an exhaustive flowdown.
- FAR 52.222-6Construction Wage Rate Requirements
Davis-Bacon Act applies to all federal construction over $2,000. Wage determination must be in the contract.
- FAR 52.236-2Differing Site Conditions
Standard construction risk-allocation clause for unknown subsurface or latent physical conditions.
- FAR 52.236-13Accident Prevention
OSHA and EM 385-1-1 (Corps Safety Manual) flowdown on Corps work.
- FAR 52.225-9Buy American — Construction Materials
Domestic preference for construction materials on federal projects.
- FAR 52.219-14Limitations on Subcontracting
Construction limitation: prime self-performs at least 15% of cost (general construction) on set-aside awards.
Indirect rate considerations
Construction firms recover equipment cost via USACE EP 1110-1-8 ownership and operating rates on Corps work. Job-site indirect (field overhead) is separate from home-office overhead. G&A on subcontract dollars is often capped by negotiation. Bond and insurance costs flow direct.
See FieldLedger's Indirect Rate Engine for pool definition and rate tracking, or read the FieldLedger methodology for the underlying FAR Part 31 framework.
How FieldLedger fits NAICS 236220
Equipment costing under USACE EP 1110-1-8 is the central FieldLedger feature for this NAICS. Multi-CLIN invoicing maps to construction pay applications. Project P&L tracks job costs against funded value. Davis-Bacon compliance via signed timekeeping.
Frequently asked
- What is the SBA size standard for NAICS 236220?
- The SBA size standard for NAICS 236220 (Commercial and Institutional Building Construction) is $45 million in average annual receipts, per 13 C.F.R. § 121.201.
- Is NAICS 236220 eligible for SDVOSB, 8(a), HUBZone, or WOSB set-asides?
- Set-aside programs that commonly apply: SDVOSB, 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, VOSB. High-volume SDVOSB and 8(a) set-aside category. MILCON and VA major construction projects routinely set aside under 236220.
- Which federal agencies buy under NAICS 236220?
- For FY2024 reporting, the leading federal customers under NAICS 236220 were U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Department of Veterans Affairs, General Services Administration, Air Force Civil Engineer Center. Live obligation data is available on USAspending.gov.
- What FAR or DFARS clauses commonly apply to NAICS 236220 contracts?
- Frequent clause flowdowns include FAR 52.222-6 (Construction Wage Rate Requirements); FAR 52.236-2 (Differing Site Conditions); FAR 52.236-13 (Accident Prevention); FAR 52.225-9 (Buy American — Construction Materials); FAR 52.219-14 (Limitations on Subcontracting). Each contract instrument will incorporate clauses by reference under FAR 52.252-2; this list reflects the high-frequency set for this NAICS, not an exhaustive flowdown.
- What indirect-rate structure works for a federal contractor in NAICS 236220?
- Construction firms recover equipment cost via USACE EP 1110-1-8 ownership and operating rates on Corps work. Job-site indirect (field overhead) is separate from home-office overhead. G&A on subcontract dollars is often capped by negotiation. Bond and insurance costs flow direct.
- How does FieldLedger help small federal contractors in NAICS 236220?
- Equipment costing under USACE EP 1110-1-8 is the central FieldLedger feature for this NAICS. Multi-CLIN invoicing maps to construction pay applications. Project P&L tracks job costs against funded value. Davis-Bacon compliance via signed timekeeping.
Sources
- U.S. Census NAICS manual — census.gov/naics
- SBA size-standards table — 13 C.F.R. § 121.201 (eCFR)
- Federal obligations + prime awardees — USAspending.gov NAICS 236220
- FAR / DFARS clause text — acquisition.gov
Snapshot date: 2026-05-08 (FY2024 reporting period). Federal-obligation bands and prime-contractor lists reflect the data as of the snapshot — refresh against USAspending.gov for current figures.