AQW Inc.

AQW Inc., a woman-owned small business manufacturer based in Walton, Kentucky, supplies specialized moisture-control, filtration, and equipment-preservation equipment to the Defense Logistics Agency as a prime contractor, competing predominantly in full-and-open procurements with recurring Total Small Business set-asides. The company is a for-profit Subchapter S Corporation registered in SAM since 2001, operating under primary NAICS 333415 (Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment Manufacturing) and PSC code for driers, dehydrators, and anhydrators.

AQW's customer footprint is heavily concentrated within the Defense Logistics Agency. The top five customer entities account for 91% of awards by count and 96% by combined potential value, with DLA Troop Support Construction and Equipment dominating the portfolio at 367 awards valued at $8.5 million combined potential value, followed by DLA Land and Maritime (90 awards, $1.1 million). The remaining volume splits across DLA's Aviation, Hardware, and main office divisions, plus occasional work with the Department of the Navy. This concentration reflects AQW's role as a specialized supplier to DLA's commodity supply chain operations.

AQW's product portfolio centers on dehydrator cartridges (443 awards under PSC Driers, Dehydrators, And Anhydrators), desiccant containers, fluid filter elements, non-powered dehydrator units, air purification filters, and cartridge assemblies — all consumables and equipment preservation components supporting military logistics. Recent representative awards include a $124.8 million purchase order for 4,000 dehydrator cartridges (NSN 4440009997117) to DLA Distribution San Diego with an April 2025 completion date, a $110.7 million order for dehydrator cartridges with a March 2024 completion, a $66.6 million Total Small Business set-aside for 1,605 dehydrator cartridges to DLA Distribution Depot Hill with a September 2025 completion, and a $63.96 million Total Small Business set-aside for dehydrator cartridges with an April 2025 completion. Orders range from routine $3,000 dust-cover buys to six-figure cartridge bulk purchases, typically firm fixed-price purchase orders with 90- to 369-day delivery windows.

AQW has secured over 100 federal contract awards from DLA since late 2021. The past five years show activity at 19 awards in 2022, 22 in 2023, 8 in 2024, 12 in 2025, and 4 through early 2026 — a volatile trajectory reflecting the episodic nature of DLA commodity procurement rather than sustained growth. Combined potential value across the 625-award portfolio sits at $10.3 million, though obligated dollars total $15.1 million, indicating prior-year awards carrying invoiced value beyond their original ceilings. The recompete cliff over the next twenty-four months shows minimal exposure, with only two awards (combined potential value $18 thousand) reaching ultimate completion, signaling that most existing work extends beyond mid-2028 and presents limited near-term opportunity for competitive displacement.

AQW operates exclusively as a prime contractor; the source reports zero subcontract activity. The company competes across multiple DLA IDCs — Indefinite Delivery Contracts SPM74006D7755 (13 task orders, $307 thousand), SP074001D7645 (9 task orders), SPM7M110D5C10 (9 task orders, $92 thousand), DLA74092D0006 (8 task orders), and DLA70090D0189 (4 task orders) — rather than relying on a single parent vehicle. Set-aside posture splits between open competition (majority of awards carry "No Set-Aside Used") and recurring Total Small Business and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business designations, reflecting DLA's mixed procurement strategy for commodity supplies.

Precision Machining, Welding, Milling, Turning, EDM