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Guide · Texas · 6 min read

How to Win Government Landscaping and Grounds Contracts in Texas

By the XL Eagle bid team · Updated November 2, 2026 · Built from our live bid database and USAspending.gov

Landscaping contracts in Texas are about mowing, edging, trimming and keeping grass alive in the heat. Public buyers need these jobs done on a schedule, and many of them are small enough for a one or two truck crew.

State agencies post on the Texas ESBD. Cities and school districts often use portals such as Bonfire. The VA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture post grounds work on SAM.gov, and TxDOT lets mowing and litter contracts for state roads.

You will see who buys, which licenses can trip you up, and how to price work that depends on seasons and rain.

Landscaping contracts in Texas at a glance

  • 4 open landscaping bids in Texas on XL Eagle today. See them all.
  • 56 landscaping solicitations in Texas in the last 12 months that we tracked (18 federal, 38 state and local).
  • Federal agencies made 275 contract awards worth $45.2 million for work performed in Texas under NAICS 561730 in FY2025 (Oct 2024 - Sep 2025).
  • Top federal buyers that year: Department of Defense ($39.3 million); Department of Veterans Affairs ($5.2 million); Department of Homeland Security ($331,251).
  • Agencies posting this work most often in our data: Department of Veterans Affairs, Agricultural Research Service, Air Force, US Customs and Border Protection.
  • Where these jobs get posted: Bonfire, Ionwave, Texas ESBD.

Bid counts from the XL Eagle bid database as of November 2, 2026. Award totals from USAspending.gov.

Who buys landscaping work in Texas

  • State agencies and campuses posting mowing and grounds contracts on the Texas ESBD.
  • Cities and school districts, many of which post bids on the Bonfire portal.
  • The Texas Department of Transportation, which bids roadside mowing and litter removal by district.
  • VA medical centers in Texas that buy year round grounds care for large campuses.
  • USDA Agricultural Research Service sites, which buy mowing and field edge care.

Open landscaping bids in Texas right now

All open landscaping bids in Texas →

Licenses you need in Texas

Mowing and basic grounds care need no state license, but two kinds of work do. Anyone who sells, designs, installs, maintains, repairs or inspects an irrigation system in Texas must hold a TCEQ license, such as Landscape Irrigator or Irrigation Technician. If you apply pesticides or herbicides, the Texas Department of Agriculture licenses applicators for lawns and ornamentals, and structural pest control is a separate TDA license. Do not put either kind of work in a bid unless you or a partner hold the license.

Register to bid in Texas

State and local jobs in Texas are posted on these sites:

  • Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD): The Texas Comptroller's search page for open bids from state agencies, universities, counties, cities, school districts and other public entities, and sign in is not required to look.
  • Texas SmartBuy: The state's purchasing site that sits beside the ESBD and is where many state agencies run their buying.
  • Centralized Master Bidders List (CMBL): The state vendor list you join through the Comptroller's eSystems account, using NIGP codes for what you sell.
  • SAM.gov: The federal site where jobs at Texas bases and federal offices are posted, and where a business registers to bid as a prime.
  1. Get an IRS Employer Identification Number (EIN). The Comptroller does not accept a Social Security number for CMBL.
  2. Write down your business structure, your NIGP class and item codes, and the Texas highway districts where you can work.
  3. Create an eSystems profile on the Comptroller site, set a password and verify your email.
  4. Choose Apply for CMBL in eSystems and follow the prompts, then pay the annual fee.
  5. Search the ESBD every week for your trade and read each posting for the entity's own submission instructions.
  6. Apply for HUB certification if you qualify. It is separate from CMBL.

The Texas Comptroller lists the annual CMBL registration fee as $70, and HUB certification itself is free.

Federal jobs in Texas use SAM.gov, which is free. What SAM.gov is and how to register.

Small business certifications in Texas

  • Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) program: A Texas-based small business that meets SBA size standards and is owned by Texas residents from the groups the state recognizes; certification is free and lasts several years.
  • VetHUB: A Texas-based small business where a service-disabled veteran with a rating of 20 percent or more owns, manages and runs at least 51 percent of the company; certification is free.

Wage rules on public jobs

Texas has its own prevailing wage law for public works, Texas Government Code chapter 2258. For construction work paid for by the state or a local government, the public body sets the wage rates, either from a local survey or from federal rates, and those rates are the minimum you must pay on that job. On federal jobs the U.S. Department of Labor rules apply instead: the Davis-Bacon Act for construction over $2,000 and the Service Contract Act for service contracts over $2,500. Always read the wage sheet attached to the bid.

What landscaping jobs look like in Texas

  • Read the mowing cycle. A bid for weekly mowing March to October is priced differently from one for every two weeks.
  • Texas has long growing seasons and drought spells. Ask whether watering is included, and who owns the irrigation system.
  • Large VA and USDA sites have fences, gates and security checks. Add the time that costs.
  • TxDOT roadside work uses set specifications and is awarded on price, so your equipment list and crew safety plan must be solid.
  • Federal grounds maintenance is a service contract, so Service Contract Act wages usually apply.
  • Mulch, tree trimming and seasonal color are often separate line items. Do not bury them in the mowing price.

Pricing landscaping work for Texas public buyers

  • Price per acre or per visit, based on the real cut time and travel, not a guess.
  • Add fuel, blades, trimmer line, disposal and equipment replacement.
  • Build a winter rate. Mowing slows down, and the buyer will often pay a lower monthly amount.
  • Use a separate rate for storm cleanup and extra trimming, so surprise work is paid.
  • Remember insurance and workers compensation. Landscape work has real injury risk.

Mistakes that lose these bids

  • Offering irrigation repair without the TCEQ license.
  • Spraying herbicide without a Texas Department of Agriculture applicator license.
  • Pricing from satellite photos instead of walking the site.
  • Forgetting that the contract runs through summer and winter, and averaging badly.

The fastest way to bid: send us your price

You can register and bid on your own using the steps above. If you would rather not, send XL Eagle your price on any landscaping job in Texas. We write and submit the bid as the prime contractor under our registrations. If it wins, you do the work and get paid. You do not need your own SAM.gov registration to work this way.

Pick a Texas landscaping job or read the national guide to government landscaping contracts.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a license to mow for the government in Texas?

Not for mowing and trimming. You do need licenses for irrigation work (TCEQ) and for applying pesticides or herbicides (Texas Department of Agriculture).

What does TCEQ license?

It licenses Landscape Irrigators, Irrigation Technicians and Irrigation Inspectors. Anyone who sells, designs, installs, maintains or repairs irrigation systems in Texas must be licensed.

Does TxDOT hire small landscapers?

TxDOT bids roadside mowing and litter work by district. Check the TxDOT district office near you and the ESBD for current postings.

Can I bid on VA grounds work without SAM.gov?

Not as the prime. If you send XL Eagle your price, XL Eagle submits as the prime and you do the grounds work if it wins.

Sources

Have a price for a government job?

Send it to us. XL Eagle writes and submits the bid under our registrations, free to you. If we win, you do the work at your price.

Find a job and send your price →