BL Harbert Awarded $37.6 Million Army Contract for F-35 Secure Facility
The Birmingham, Alabama builder will construct an F-35 Special Access Program Facility in Fort Smith, Arkansas, under a $37.6 million firm-fixed-price award with a $38.9 million cumulative face value, due by Jan. 31, 2029.
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA — BL Harbert International LLC, the Birmingham, Alabama, builder ranked among the top federal government contractors, received a $37.6 million Army contract to construct a secure F-35 facility in Arkansas, as announced on war.gov.
The firm-fixed-price award carries a total cumulative face value of $38,958,927, and the Army obligated $37.6 million in fiscal 2026 military construction, Army National Guard funds at the time of the award. The contract drew six bids solicited over the internet. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office in Fort Worth, Texas, serves as the contracting activity under contract number W9127S-26-C-A009.
The project covers an F-35 Special Access Program Facility, a secure structure that protects classified information tied to the stealth fighter program. Work will proceed in Fort Smith, Arkansas, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2029.
“We build safe environments and eco-friendly solutions in the communities in which we work,” the company said on its corporate website, describing its approach to construction according to blharbert.com.
The award marks the first contract recorded for BL Harbert International in 2026 and the 11th Department of Defense contract issued in Alabama during the year. It ranked as one of 11 Department of Defense contracts awarded nationwide on August 3, 2026. The value falls between the 2026 Army portfolio’s year-to-date low of $9.1 million and its high of $53.9 billion.
Secure facility work has become a core line of business for the contractor, which reported $1.6 billion in 2025 revenue and employs more than 10,000 people according to blharbert.com. The company ranks as the No. 2 top federal government building firm and has completed embassy and consulate projects across dozens of countries. Its recent federal portfolio includes a $337 million contract to build a B-21 Software Integration Lab at Tinker Air Force Base and a $210 million Air Force nuclear weapon facility in Louisiana according to leadiq.com.
For Fort Smith, the construction adds a defense project to a city already tied to the military through its Air National Guard presence, bringing jobs and subcontracting work over the multiyear build. For the wider taxpayer base, the award reflects continued spending on infrastructure supporting the F-35, the most expensive weapons program in U.S. history.
This is not the first time the company has landed classified or high-security defense work. BL Harbert built a $67 million training facility in Birmingham in 2024 and secured the B-21 lab contract in October 2025 according to leadiq.com. Each award has expanded its footprint in secure, mission-focused construction.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will oversee the project through completion, with the next major milestone set for the estimated finish date of Jan. 31, 2029. No further decision date beyond the completion schedule has been announced.
Government builders have long tied their fortunes to federal secrecy programs, as happened before. BL Harbert grew from Harbert Corporation and founded its current entity in 2000, rising to become one of the country’s largest embassy builders, with U.S. Embassy Beirut valued at $613.8 million and U.S. Embassy New Delhi at $563.5 million. By 2025, Engineering News-Record ranked the firm the 93rd-largest contractor in the nation, a climb built on decades of secure federal work that turned a regional construction division into a global government partner.
This contract represents the 1st contract awarded to BL Harbert International LLC, in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $37,607,122. It is also the 11th Department of Defense contract awarded in Alabama during 2026. Because this is the first award to BL Harbert International LLC recorded in the database, it establishes the company’s initial benchmark within the Army portfolio. Specifically, it falls between the 2026 Army portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $9,051,490 and maximum of $53,859,843,289. Overall, this award was announced among 11 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on August 3, 2026.
NewsFindr Chart Maker
Photo by NewsFindr Chart Maker