Science and Technology Program

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service Science and Technology Program is a civilian sub-agency that procures research, analysis, and technical services to support agricultural market development and data systems. AMS S&T operates primarily through small-dollar contracts with a highly fragmented vendor base and declining award volume.

The agency has issued 1,621 federal contract awards since 2006, with $200.9 million in combined potential value and $181.6 million obligated (90% of potential). Awards per year declined substantially over the last five years: 71 awards in 2022, 39 in 2023, 22 in 2024, 13 in 2025, and 7 year-to-date in 2026. The most recent award was recorded on 2026-09-30. The portfolio spans 531 distinct prime contractors, indicating a highly fragmented competitive landscape. Among recent awardees (last five years), the top five by award count—New TECH Solutions, Inc. (11 awards, $482 thousand combined potential value), Manhattan Telecommunications Corporation LLC (7 awards, $94 thousand combined potential value), and Carahsoft Technology Corp (7 awards, $736 thousand combined potential value)—account for only 23 percent of recent awards. By potential value over the same window, the top five (Tabb & Associates, Inc. at $7.1 million across 4 awards, Veracity Consulting, Inc. at $1.8 million across 3 awards, and Millsapps, Ballinger & Associates, Inc. at $828 thousand across 6 awards) represent just 6 percent of combined recent potential value, underscoring the fragmented nature of the portfolio and the prevalence of smaller, specialized contracts.

Set-aside activity is minimal. Of all awards, 88 percent carry no set-aside designation, 6 percent are total small business, and 4 percent are 8(a) sole source. SDVOSB, HUBZone, competitive 8(a), WOSB, and other designations together account for less than 2 percent of awards. The steep decline in award volume year-over-year and the small dollar values across most awards suggest the program is transitioning or consolidating its contracting strategy, making current pursuit challenging unless the vendor has existing relationships or specialized agricultural-marketing expertise aligned with AMS technology initiatives.