Forest Research Service

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service Research Service, a sub-agency of USDA, conducts and funds scientific research across forest and grassland ecosystems to support the agency's land management and conservation mission. The Research Service procures contract services for field work, ecological analysis, laboratory testing, and facility maintenance at research stations distributed nationwide and in U.S. territories.

The Research Service has awarded 14,589 federal contracts totaling $600.4 million in combined potential value since 2003, with $561.1 million obligated. Recent contract activity has declined sharply: 468 awards in 2023, 389 in 2024, 217 in 2025, 140 in 2026, and 1 recorded award in 2027 (a future-dated award as of today). The portfolio shows 4,757 distinct prime contractors. Competitive concentration among top primes is highly fragmented: over the last five years, the top five by award count hold only 6 percent of recent awards, led by Unified Business Solutions LLC (38 awards, $2.1 million combined potential value) and DJM Ecological Services, Inc. (21 awards, $2.7 million combined potential value). By potential value, the top five hold 1 percent of combined value, again led by DJM Ecological Services and Unified Business Solutions. The long tail of small, dispersed contractors reflects the Research Service's reliance on specialized ecological, laboratory, and field-service providers. Set-asides are heavily skewed toward open competition: 78 percent of awards carry no set-aside designation, while small-business set-asides account for 18 percent of awards, 8(a) sole source represents 2 percent, and service-disabled veteran and women-owned small-business set-asides collectively represent 1 percent.

The Research Service has awarded 714 federal grants totaling $409.9 million in combined federal dollars obligated since 2010, with combined total dollars (federal plus non-federal match) reaching $555.5 million. Grant awards closed most recently on August 24, 2026. Annual grant activity has remained relatively stable over the last five years: 66 awards in 2022, 73 in 2023, 87 in 2024, 69 in 2025, and 43 year-to-date in 2026. The portfolio includes 186 distinct grant recipients. Grant recipient concentration is concentrated: the top five recipients by award count hold 46 percent of recent awards, led by the Utah Department Of Natural Resources (53 awards, $64.7 million federal dollars obligated) and Nevada Division Of Forestry (48 awards, $61.7 million federal dollars obligated). By federal dollars, the top five hold 37 percent of combined federal funding, again led by Utah DNR and Nevada Division. Grants are structured predominantly as Project Grants (76 percent of awards) with a smaller share of Cooperative Agreements (24 percent).

Recent contract opportunities include plant tissue analysis work for the International Institute of Tropical Forestry (solicitation 1240BE26Q0117, due September 15, 2026, no set-aside), grounds maintenance at the Guayama Research Station in Puerto Rico (solicitation 1240BE26Q0099, total small-business set-aside, due September 1, 2026, amended August 21, 2026), and hazardous-waste disposal services at the International Institute of Tropical Forestry (solicitation 1240BE26Q0097, total small-business set-aside, due August 24, 2026). The majority of recent opportunities are BPA calls under the existing Land Management Integrated Resources (LMIR) National BPA restricted to current BPA holders—these include calls for fuels reduction, thinning, planting, and related forest restoration work at multiple national forests, all set-aside for small business and posted from late July through mid-September 2026.