R&D Test Article Construction Services 2014-2019

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency awarded this Master IDIQ for research and development test article construction services on August 14, 2014, with a shared ceiling of $160 million and final ordering date of August 14, 2019. The vehicle is closed to new orders; ordering ceased nearly seven years ago.

The work consists primarily of building heavy reinforced concrete slabs, fabricating and erecting reference panels, and general construction support including underground construction—tunnel excavation by drill and blast methods, shaft drilling, ventilation installation, and qualified rescue team support. Task orders have funded tunnel construction and modification, test site remediation and restoration, and concrete structure fabrication.

Three prime contractors hold all 25 awarded task orders. Pate Construction Co., Inc. dominates with 15 orders worth $95.1 million in combined potential value, roughly 63% of the vehicle's total activity. Burgos Group, LLC holds 7 orders valued at $52.9 million (35%), and Comanche Nation Construction, LLC holds 3 orders worth $3.7 million (2%). Competition among these three is essentially closed.

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency placed 18 orders (72% of activity, $108.6 million), with the remainder split between Air Force Materiel Command Lifecycle Management Center at Eglin Air Force Base (5 orders, $39.3 million) and Air Force Defense Finance and Accounting Service (2 orders, $3.9 million). Work is concentrated within DTRA test facilities.

Of 25 task orders, 22 (88%) are competitive 8(a) awards; the remaining 3 (12%) are unrestricted. Pricing is mixed: time-and-materials contracts on large construction and tunnel work; firm fixed price on remediation and smaller projects. Combined task-order potential value stands at $151.7 million, with $148.5 million obligated (98% of potential). Task-order ceilings range from approximately $22,000 to $35.6 million, with the most recent order—tunnel construction modification awarded August 12, 2024, to Pate—at $35.6 million. Ordering momentum has slowed to 2 orders per year in 2023 and 2024, down from 3 per year in 2020–2021. This vehicle has effectively reached maturity with near-complete obligation; meaningful new work would require a successor vehicle.

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has awarded a Master IDIQ for services that consist primarily of building heavy reinforced concrete slabs, fabricating and erecting reference panels, trench excavation in type II soil to include backfill and compaction, and other general construction support activities to include underground construction. Underground construction entails tunnel excavation through drill and blast methods, inspection, repair, and maintenance of existing tunnels, drilling horizontal and vertical shafts, installation of forced ventilation, and qualified rescue team.