Drug Enforcement Administration

The Drug Enforcement Administration, a sub-agency within the U.S. Department of Justice, procures goods and services across operational, technical, and administrative functions including language interpretation, communications infrastructure, facility leases, software maintenance, aviation support, and investigative equipment. DEA's contract activity is substantial in volume but highly fragmented across a large vendor base and dominated by small purchase orders and sole-source awards.

DEA has issued 155,492 federal contract awards cumulatively since 1982, with combined potential value of $18.83 billion and $12.82 billion obligated (68 percent of potential). Recent activity has declined: 5,404 awards in 2023, 4,973 in 2024, 4,474 in 2025, 2,375 in 2026, and 32 year-to-date in 2027. The most recently recorded award date is 2027-09-30. Across 9,469 distinct prime contractors, competitive concentration is highly fragmented—the top five primes by award count hold 33 percent of recent awards by count but only 2 percent by combined potential value, indicating a portfolio dominated by small-dollar transactions. Metlang LLC leads by award count with 4,095 awards worth $130.1 million combined potential value, followed by Metropolitan Interpreters & Translators, Inc. with 2,181 awards and $70.5 million. AT&T Mobility LLC ranks third by count (555 awards, $38.8 million potential value). Federal Express Corporation and Cellco Partnership round out the top five by count, each with under 600 awards. The significant divergence between by-count and by-value concentration signals that DEA transacts through numerous small purchases—likely Schedule task orders, BPA calls, and simplified acquisitions below threshold reporting levels.

Set-aside use is minimal: 94 percent of awards carry no set-aside designation. Small business set-asides account for 4 percent of awards, while 8(a) sole-source, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, woman-owned small business, and HUBZone designations each represent less than 1 percent. This skew reflects DEA's reliance on commercial off-the-shelf products and sole-source procurements for specialized or proprietary systems.

DEA issued one federal grant award cumulatively—a Block Grant of $1.9 million obligated in 2013. No recent grant activity is recorded against the agency.

Recent contract opportunities reflect DEA's operational and technical diversity. Open competitive solicitations include Flight Simulator Training Systems (due 2026-09-22, small-business set-aside) for FAA-approved flight training devices; AOC Building Engineer Report (due 2026-11-06, small-business set-aside); a market-research Request for Information (RFI) on Enterprise Modernization of the Diversion Control Division's Information Technology Systems (due 2026-11-05, pre-solicitation stage, seeking SaaS and COTS solutions with AI capabilities); and equipment procurements including CCTV and Intercom System (due 2026-09-28) and SDS Camera Call-Up (due 2026-09-21). The preponderance of posted opportunities are sole-source Special Notices, including site leases, software maintenance contracts (Aptean IRMS 360, EPICOR ITSM), communications services (Motorola Palmetto LMR system, EZ Pass toll services), specialized investigative equipment (BlackFish satellite detection system by Horizon Technologies, concealments with audio/visual microphone), and pharmaceutical destruction services. Most sole-source notices offer a brief window for capability statements (typically 3–10 days) and cite FAR Part 12 or 13 simplified acquisition procedures.

The Drug Enforcement Administration enforces the United States' controlled substance laws and regulations and aims to reduce the supply of and demand for such substances.