Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction

The Department of Homeland Security Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction is the civilian federal sub-agency responsible for developing technical capabilities and policy to detect, prevent, and respond to weapons of mass destruction threats across the nation. The office operates as a mission-focused acquisition arm within DHS, funding both federal contracts and grants to accomplish its mandate.

Contract activity dominates the agency's federal footprint. Since 2005, CWMD has issued 1,167 contracts totaling $3.31 billion in combined potential value, with $2.8 billion obligated to date. Recent contract volume has declined: 78 awards in 2022, 83 in 2023, 61 in 2024, 46 in 2025, and 20 year-to-date in 2026. The most recent recorded award date is 30 September 2026. Among 377 distinct prime contractors over the agency's portfolio history, competition remains highly fragmented. Over the last five years, Widepoint Integrated Solutions Corp leads by award count with 13 recent awards, followed by the Florida Department of Health and The Rand Corporation with 12 and 11 awards respectively, collectively accounting for only 18 percent of recent awards by count. By potential value, concentration is even lighter: the top five primes hold just 3 percent of combined recent potential value, with K2 Construction Consultants leading at $45.5 million across 10 awards. The competitive base includes a long tail of smaller transactors, suggesting sustained opportunity for new entrants. The set-aside mix is dominated by open competition: 82 percent of awards carry no set-aside designation, while small-business set-asides account for 15 percent (173 awards), with Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, HUBZone, 8(a) Sole Source, and other designations each under 2 percent.

Grant activity is substantially smaller and has slowed markedly. CWMD has issued 129 grants totaling $427.6 million in federal dollars obligated since 2006, with recent annual volume dropping from 22 awards in 2020 to 3 or 4 annually in 2022–2024. The most recent grant award closed on 30 September 2024. Among 56 distinct grant recipients, the top five by both award count and federal dollars are highly fragmented, each accounting for less than 2 percent of recent federal dollars obligated. Recipients include academic institutions (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University, University of Tennessee, Penn State) and state systems (Board of Regents of Nevada System of Higher Education, Georgia Tech Research Corporation), alongside Gunnison Valley Hospital. Grant awards are predominantly Cooperative Agreements at 66 percent (85 awards), with Project Grants at 34 percent (44 awards).