HME Construction Wins $11.5 Million Army Dredging Deal in Portland

The Vancouver, Washington, contractor secured its largest-ever award for clamshell maintenance dredging and survey work along the Portland waterfront, with work due to finish by March 2027.

First Published: July 28, 2026, 1:34 PM ET

VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON — HME Construction Inc., a Vancouver, Washington, contractor, won an $11.5 million Army deal for clamshell maintenance dredging in Portland, Oregon, its largest award on record, as announced on war.gov.

The firm-fixed-price contract carries a total cumulative face value of $13 million and covers associated hydrographic and land survey work, according to war.gov. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Portland solicited bids over the internet and received a single offer. Fiscal 2026 civil operation and maintenance funds of $11.5 million were obligated at the time of the award.

Clamshell dredging uses a hinged bucket to scoop sediment from riverbeds and harbor bottoms. The technique keeps shipping channels open for commercial vessels, barges and port traffic. Portland sits on the Willamette River near its confluence with the Columbia, a corridor that moves grain, containers and bulk cargo to Pacific markets.

The award marks the first contract to HME Construction in 2026 and lifts the company’s contract value for the year to $11,502,000, according to war.gov. It ranks as the 17th Department of Defense contract awarded in Washington state this year. The deal also surpasses the company’s previous record of $9,073,938, making it the firm’s largest contract ever.

Maintenance dredging keeps freight moving, and a clear channel benefits shippers, farmers and port operators who depend on reliable draft depths. Silted channels force vessels to carry lighter loads or wait for high water, raising costs that ripple to consumers. The Army Corps, which manages navigation channels across the country, gains a defined completion window and a fixed price that caps taxpayer exposure. A single bid, however, gives the government little leverage on price.

The contract sits at the smaller end of the Army’s 2026 portfolio. It falls between the year-to-date minimum of $9.1 million and the maximum of $8.4 billion reported for Army awards, according to war.gov. Measured against that top figure, the Portland dredging job is a routine infrastructure task rather than a headline weapons program. It was one of 12 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 28, 2026.

For the average reader, channel maintenance rarely makes news, yet it underpins the price of goods that travel by water. Lower barge and shipping costs help hold down what households pay for food, fuel and imported products routed through the Columbia and Willamette systems.

Routine dredging awards like this one have happened before along the Pacific Northwest waterfront. The Army Corps issues maintenance contracts on a recurring cycle to counter the sediment that rivers deposit each year. Portland’s channels require repeated attention because seasonal runoff steadily reduces navigable depth.

The Army Corps of Engineers in Portland administers the contract, and the next milestone is the estimated completion date of March 27, 2027. No further decision date on follow-on work has been announced.

Dredging the Columbia River system has shaped commerce here for more than a century, isn’t the first time federal engineers reshaped these channels. Congress authorized deepening of the Columbia to 40 feet in 1912, and later projects pushed the shipping channel to its present depth, according to war.gov. Each round of work expanded the reach of Portland’s port and cemented the river as a gateway for regional exports, a role that maintenance dredging continues to protect today.

This contract represents the 1st contract awarded to HME Construction Inc., in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $11,502,000. It is also the 17th Department of Defense contract awarded in Washington during 2026. This is the largest contract ever awarded to HME Construction Inc., surpassing the company’s previous record of $9,073,938, 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 $8,402,489,648. Overall, this award was announced among 12 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 28, 2026.