Anchorage joint venture wins $4.7M Chicago facilities management deal

An Anchorage joint venture has won a $4.7 million federal contract for facilities management at a Chicago Social Security building, and USAspending.gov counts it among awards to Alaska recipients. The General Services Administration's Public Buildings Service awarded $4,707,373 to IMAQ EML JV, LLC for the Harold Washington Social Security Center at 600 West Madison Street, covering Dec. 1, 2026, through Nov. 30, 2027.

A 2024 solicitation to rebid the building's contract describes consolidated facilities management as bundling operations, maintenance and custodial services. EML's capability statement says EML and Alaska Native-owned IMAQ Resources formed an 8(a) joint venture under the federal 8(a) Business Development Program, a set-aside meant to help Alaska Native corporations and tribes overcome barriers to federal contracting. IMAQ's parent is owned by Natives of Kodiak, Inc. At a Commonwealth North panel in May, Nicole Borromeo, president of the ANCSA Regional Association, said large firms such as Boeing and Raytheon long dominated the field and the barrier to entry was steep; veterans and women-owned businesses have similar set-asides.

USAspending lists 37 awards to the venture since October 2025, led by an $8.9 million order to run the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission building in Washington, D.C. Smaller orders there include $25,816 for garage door repairs.

USAspending's Alaska state profile tallies prime awards, those made directly to a contractor, to Alaska-based recipients; the total reached $15.72 billion as of an Aug. 31 snapshot.

"It is possible to separate whether or not the recipient organization is located in the state or whether they are just providing services in the state," said Brett Watson, an economist at the University of Alaska Anchorage Institute for Social and Economic Research, at a June Commonwealth North forum. At the May panel, Kevin Berry, who leads McKinley Research Group, said that when such contracts are profitable, "that's where we see money come into the Alaska economy."

The award record does not show how many workers, or how much profit, will reach Alaska.