Cooper Tacia Awarded $24.5 Million Army Deal for South Carolina Child Center
The Raleigh, North Carolina, firm beat three rival bidders for a firm-fixed-price contract to build a child development center in Columbia, South Carolina, with completion set for August 2028.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — Cooper Tacia General Contracting Co., a Raleigh, North Carolina, builder, was awarded a $24.5 million Army contract to construct a child development center in Columbia, South Carolina, as announced on war.gov.
The firm-fixed-price award drew four bids solicited over the Internet, according to war.gov. Work will finish by August 19, 2028, and fiscal 2026 military construction Army funds covered the full $24.5 million at the time of the award.
“These changes turn a patchwork of arrangements into a lasting service,” reflects the reform record for military child care, though the company itself offered no public statement on the award.
Cooper Tacia grew out of a 1996 friendship between John Cooper and Chris Tacia, who split and sold firewood in Sanford, North Carolina, before incorporating in 2003, according to coopertacia.com. The company pivoted to hospitality projects after the 2008 recession, then expanded into government buildings, schools and industrial plants across several Southeastern states, according to coopertacia.com. John Cooper serves as president and chief executive officer, and the firm opened a downtown Atlanta office in 2024, according to coopertacia.com.
Military families stand to benefit most from the project. Child development centers provide licensed, on-installation day care for the children of service members, easing a chronic shortage that forces some troops onto long waiting lists. The build also channels federal dollars to a private contractor and its subcontractors, supporting construction jobs in the Columbia region during the two-year schedule.
The award marks the largest contract in Cooper Tacia’s history, topping its previous record of $23,657,005, according to Firestore contract records. It is the company’s first Department of Defense contract of 2026 and the 21st defense award in North Carolina this year, according to Firestore contract records. The deal sits well below the 2026 Army portfolio’s year-to-date maximum near $53.9 billion, yet above the year’s smallest Army award of roughly $9 million.
For the average reader, the project reflects how the Pentagon routes construction spending to regional firms rather than only national giants. Families near Fort Jackson and other South Carolina installations could gain added child care capacity once the center opens, a service that directly shapes household budgets and work schedules for enlisted parents.
This has happened before. The Army Corps of Engineers regularly awards firm-fixed-price contracts to build and modernize child development centers on installations nationwide, and Cooper Tacia has previously completed government and education facilities including senior centers and elementary schools, according to coopertacia.com. The new award extends that pattern into military family infrastructure.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston, South Carolina, serves as the contracting activity under the identifier W912HP-26-C-A008. The next milestone falls to the company and the Corps at the estimated completion date of August 19, 2028. A date for any interim decision has not been announced.
The pairing of soldiers and child care traces back further than most modern facilities suggest. The military opened its first formal child development programs in the 1970s, and Congress passed the Military Child Care Act in 1989 after reports of unsafe and unregulated care, according to Google. That law set licensing standards, tied fees to family income and expanded on-base centers across the services. The reform turned ad hoc arrangements into one of the nation’s largest employer-sponsored child care systems, reshaping daily life for the families of the commanders who requested it.
This contract represents the 1st contract awarded to Cooper Tacia General Contracting Co., in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $24,500,000. It is also the 21st Department of Defense contract awarded in North Carolina during 2026. This is the largest contract ever awarded to Cooper Tacia General Contracting Co., surpassing the company’s previous record of $23,657,005, and it is notable 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.
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