$800K isn't for NEPA work. It's for very preliminary investigations that help define alternatives, scope further preliminary engineering and environmental work, and generate what's best described as "sales pitch" documents for use by politicians in generating further interest and funding for the project. As Bob described it: chump change.

If this were really NEPA work, the contract would be for at least several million$ and would need an engineering contract in the same ballpark to support it. You get arguments about which is supporting which, depending on whether you're an engineer or an environmental planner, but for practical purposes once enough engineering is done to define what needs NEPA work, the engineers then work for the NEPA people (better defining things, coming up with alternatives and mitigations, etc.) until the EIS is final. They they can go back to "real engineering" developing construction plans and supporting right of way acquisition.