Agricultural Research Service

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, a sub-agency within the Department of Agriculture, is the federal research arm that procures supplies, equipment, services, and construction in support of agricultural science and technology programs across a network of regional research centers nationwide.

The ARS contract portfolio spans 85,876 awards since 1986, with combined potential value of $6.34 billion and $6.53 billion in obligated dollars. Recent activity shows 3,007 awards in 2023, 2,730 in 2024, 1,415 in 2025, 1,608 in 2026, and 1 year-to-date in 2027. The portfolio draws from 15,408 distinct prime contractors. Contract competitive concentration is highly fragmented — the top five primes by award count hold 10 percent of recent awards, led by Government Scientific Source Inc. with 414 awards and $23.4 million combined potential value, followed by Fisher Scientific Company L.L.C. with 234 awards ($7.7 million) and Illumina, Inc. with 190 awards ($10.6 million). By potential value, concentration remains fragmented at 4 percent top-five coverage; Firelake Construction Inc. leads with 141 awards and $83.5 million, followed by Innovative Consulting & Management Services, LLC with 98 awards and $70.7 million. The set-aside mix is dominated by unrestricted awards — 81 percent carry no set-aside — with small-business set-asides accounting for 13 percent of awards. 8(a) sole-source and competitive 8(a) together represent 4 percent; remaining designations (SDVOSB, HUBZone, WOSB) total less than 1 percent combined.

The ARS grant portfolio totals 15,042 awards since 1996, obligating $3.28 billion in federal dollars. Recent grant activity shows 675 awards in 2022, 242 in 2023, 127 in 2024, 171 in 2025, and 102 in 2026. The portfolio funds 995 distinct recipients. Grant recipient concentration is fragmented — the top five by award count hold 20 percent of recent awards, anchored by Washington State University with 65 awards ($10.9 million federal dollars), followed by University of California, Davis with 57 awards ($6.1 million) and North Dakota State University with 55 awards ($15.5 million). By federal dollars, concentration is highly fragmented at 3 percent top-five coverage; Auburn University leads with 36 awards and $22.4 million, followed by Texas A&M Agrilife Research with 27 awards and $17.9 million. Grants are predominantly Cooperative Agreements — 76 percent of awards — with the remainder structured as Project Grants.

Recent contract solicitations reflect the agency's operational breadth: solicitation 1232SA27Q0004 (due 26 October 2026) seeks a Motor Control Center Upgrade (unrestricted, Request for Quotation); solicitation 1232SA26Q1356 (due 24 September 2026) solicits hazardous waste removal services at the Madison, Wisconsin location (Total Small Business set-aside, RFQ, with multiple amendments and Q&A documents posted). Additional open opportunities include propane deliveries at Ames, Iowa (Sources Sought, Total Small Business set-aside, 1232SA27Q0008, due 22 October 2026), eastern oyster SNP genotyping (Total Small Business set-aside, due 30 September 2026), and MALDI Biotyper equipment service agreements (unrestricted, due 5 October 2026). Opportunities span equipment procurement (microscopes, analytical instruments, imaging systems), facility services (tree removal, waste disposal, mail processing), chemical supplies, and research consumables.

The Agricultural Research Service works to find solutions to agricultural problems.