Economic Research Service

The Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, a civilian sub-agency within USDA, conducts applied research and data analysis supporting agricultural policy, food security, and resource-management decisions across the federal government and Department. ERS funds both competitive research and technical-services contracts alongside cooperative research agreements with universities and non-profit research organizations.

ERS has awarded 1,700 federal contracts since 2003 with a combined potential value of $165.4 million, of which $131.1 million has been obligated. Contract activity has declined sharply: 46 awards in 2022, 27 in 2023, 20 in 2024, 8 in 2025, and 9 so far in 2026. The most recent contract award closed on September 29, 2026. Among 500 distinct prime contractors, competitive concentration is highly fragmented; the top five primes by award count hold 24 percent of recent awards, led by New TECH Solutions, Inc. (8 awards, $797 thousand combined potential value) and Stratosys Partners Inc. (6 awards, $1.8 million combined potential value). By potential value, concentration is also highly fragmented at 3 percent coverage among the top five; Stratosys Partners Inc. leads at $1.8 million, followed by The Coleridge Initiative Inc. at $1.5 million. The vast majority of awards carry no set-aside designation (88 percent); 7(a) sole-source set-asides account for 7 percent of awards, with small-business set-asides and service-disabled veteran-owned small business combined at 5 percent.

ERS has obligated $90.6 million in federal grant dollars across 802 awards since 2010, with recent activity concentrated between 2020 and 2022 (14, 8, and 17 awards respectively) before declining to 3 awards in 2023 and 2 in 2024; the most recent grant award closed on August 1, 2024. Among 186 distinct recipients, grant concentration is fragmented by both award count (45 percent coverage among the top five) and by federal dollars (5 percent coverage). The Council On Food, Agricultural And Resource Economics, Inc. leads by award count with 4 awards, while National Experienced Workforce Solutions, Inc. leads by federal dollars at $2 million obligated. Cooperative Agreements dominate the assistance-type mix at 79 percent of awards, with Project Grants comprising the remaining 21 percent. Recipients skew toward academic institutions and non-profit research associations, particularly those focused on agricultural economics and policy analysis.

No recent contract or grant opportunities are recorded in the source.

The Economic Research Service provides the Department of Agriculture and the public economic information and research on food, agriculture, the environment and rural development.