Research Engineering and Technical Services

The Research Engineering and Technical Services (RETS) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, awarded by Washington Headquarters Services on behalf of the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)), provides comprehensive research, development, test, evaluation, engineering, and technical services. The contract supports critical technology domains including artificial intelligence, autonomy, biotechnology, cyber, and hypersonics, with a focus on fostering technological dominance across the Department of Defense. Services encompass hardware and software design, prototyping, modeling and simulation, systems engineering, system integration, operations research, and technology roadmapping across various modernization priority areas.

Task orders under this $496 million IDIQ predominantly support the Office of the Secretary of Defense and focus on mission integration, technical advisory, and program support services. Prime contractors like Modern Technology Solutions, Inc. (MTSI), American Systems Corporation, and Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) have been awarded multiple task orders ranging from $13 million to $131 million, with typical durations of 3-5 years. Most task orders are firm-fixed-price or cost-plus-fixed-fee, with no consistent set-aside designation, though some include subcontractors from small business categories like service-disabled veteran-owned and women-owned small businesses. Performance locations are primarily in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, with work supporting various defense technology initiatives, capability development, and mission engineering across multiple defense research and engineering directorates.