Abowd, Matthew G

Abowd, Matthew G, doing business as Matt's Explosives Instruction, is a sole proprietorship based in Friendswood, Texas, that delivers specialized explosives training and exercise support services exclusively to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as a prime contractor under total small business set-asides. The vendor operates across two primary Blanket Purchase Agreements, with the original BPA (15A00021AAQA00273) established May 14, 2021, and a successor vehicle (15A00026AAQA00130) awarded May 19, 2026, running through May 11, 2031.

Abowd's capability portfolio centers on instructor-led training and exercise support in post-blast investigation, explosive device recognition, explosives safety and regulation, and incident response. Recent representative work includes a $10,500 BPA call awarded September 8, 2026, for training instructor services for explosives specialist law enforcement and industry operations instruction; an $8,600 BPA call from July 15, 2026, for exercise support specialist services with allowance for domestic and international travel assignments of 15 to 30 days; and a $14,000 exercise support specialist award from April 13, 2026. Abowd performs all work directly with no subcontractor involvement; the successor BPA specifies five specialty labor categories (Explosives Specialist, Fire and Arson Specialist, Exercise Support Specialist, Technical Operations Specialist, and Program Support Specialist) priced on a firm fixed-price daily-rate basis with half-day services available at 50 percent of the full daily rate.

Customer concentration is absolute: all 68 awards from the source derive from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, representing $1.5 million in combined potential value. The original BPA (ceiling $500,000, ultimate completion May 13, 2026) supported 60 task orders valued at $459 thousand; the successor BPA (ceiling $500,000 through May 11, 2031) has already placed five task orders worth $46 thousand. Individual task orders typically range from $3,500 to $19,000, with a not-to-exceed limit of $15,000 per transaction on the successor vehicle. Activity has grown year over year from six awards in 2022 to nineteen in 2024 and thirteen in 2026 to date.

The vendor's positioning is entirely within small business set-asides. The original BPA was designated total small business set-aside; the successor BPA, awarded May 19, 2026, carries the same total small business set-aside designation and places performance at Huntsville, Alabama, with flexibility for domestic and international travel to support the National Center for Explosives Training and Research and the ATF National Academy. Abowd holds an established track record with ATF dating to May 2021, with over 50 prior awards documented across the source window.