Procurement of Research Evaluation and Statistics Task Orders (PRESTO)

The Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences established PRESTO, a multiple-award Master IDIQ supporting education research, evaluation, and statistics work, on February 28, 2023, with ordering authority extending through February 27, 2028—approximately 19 months of remaining procurement window. The vehicle operates under a $2 billion shared ceiling with no set-aside restrictions at the vehicle level.

Forty-four task orders have been awarded since June 2023, generating $303 million in combined potential value against which $112.2 million (37 percent) has been obligated. Ordering momentum peaked in 2024 with 23 task orders, declining to 10 in 2025 and 2 through April 2026; the most recent award was issued April 30, 2026. Actual task-order values range widely—from micro-orders under $25,000 to major vehicles exceeding $29 million. Recent large awards include Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System Web-Based Data Collection at $29.9 million ceiling (obligated $8.4 million) and ED FACTS Data and Dissemination Support Services at $22.8 million potential value (obligated $10.4 million).

American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences dominates by potential value, holding six orders worth $113.7 million combined—37 percent of the vehicle's total contracted value. Applied Enterprise Management Corporation ranks second with $77.3 million across four orders. The Manhattan Strategy Group, Westat, and New Editions account for an additional $59.1 million. The top five primes capture 83 percent of combined potential value; the remaining 13 firms share the residual, indicating tight competitive concentration.

The Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences itself funds 31 of 44 orders ($158.3 million potential value), dominating customer demand. The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education places five orders ($55.9 million), the Office of Planning Evaluation and Policy Development three ($14.4 million), with smaller volumes from Career Technical and Adult Education and Postsecondary Education offices. Seventy-seven percent of awarded task orders carry no set-aside designation; 23 percent are small-business awards. Work spans five primary scope categories: education sciences support activities, assessment development, communications and outreach, recruitment, and operational support, with NAICS codes 518210 and 541720 predominating.

This contract vehicle supports the Institute of Education Sciences in their role as the independent education research, evaluation, and statistics arm of the Department of Education.