Subsistence

Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Subsistence, a sub-agency of the Defense Logistics Agency within the Department of Defense, procures food, subsistence, and food-service equipment to supply military dining facilities, field feeding operations, and USDA school lunch programs across continental and overseas installations. The office executes a high-volume, transaction-intensive contracting model centered on produce, dairy, bakery, and prepared foods supplied through regional prime vendors and smaller equipment procurement.

DLA Troop Support Subsistence closed 9.84 million federal contract awards cumulatively since 2002, with a combined potential value of $60.52 billion and $68.89 billion obligated. Activity across the last five years averaged roughly 1.01 million awards annually, though recent pace has declined: 1,047,561 awards in 2022, 1,074,961 in 2023, 957,248 in 2024, 1,020,236 in 2025, and 513,151 year-to-date in 2026. The agency awarded across 1,899 distinct prime contractors over its portfolio history. Most recent recorded award is dated July 23, 2026.

The contract competitive landscape is moderately concentrated by award count. Over the last five years, the top five primes—Frank M. Gargiulo & Son, Inc. (322,215 awards, $421.9 million potential value), Vermilion Valley Produce Inc. (304,665 awards, $178.9 million), Seashore Fruit & Produce Co., Inc. (226,630 awards, $158.1 million), Senn Bros., Inc. (213,548 awards, $149.7 million), and Brothers Produce Inc. (199,612 awards, $84.8 million)—collectively hold 26 percent of recent awards. By potential value, however, concentration is highly fragmented; the top five (US Foods Inc., Frank M. Gargiulo & Son, Vermilion Valley Produce, Seashore Fruit, and Royal Food Service Co., LLC) account for only 3 percent of combined recent potential value. This disparity reflects the agency's reliance on Schedule task orders, BPA calls, and modifications where potential value is often unreported in source data.

Ninety-five percent of awards carry no set-aside designation; small-business set-asides account for 5 percent of the portfolio. The remaining designations (8(a) competitive, SDVOSB, WOSB, and HUBZone) represent fewer than 100 awards cumulatively.

Current solicitation activity spans both commodity food supply and discrete equipment procurement. Representative opportunities include a request for proposals for fresh milk and dairy products supporting military customers in the South Carolina Zone (SPE30026R0049, due November 6, 2026, firm-fixed-price IQC with 36-month performance window), a pre-solicitation RFI for fresh fruits and vegetables in the Ohio Zone (SPE30027R0003, due October 30, 2026), multiple small-business-set-aside RFQs for food-service equipment including dishwashing machines, ovens, and griddles (due dates October 12 through October 30, 2026), and a pre-solicitation sources-sought notice for food-service equipment at Fort Campbell, Kentucky (SPE3SE27Q0015, due October 22, 2026). An RFI for bottled water support at Tolemaida Military Fort in Colombia is due November 4, 2026.