American Boat & Yacht Council, Inc.

American Boat & Yacht Council, Inc. (doing business as Abyc), a tax-exempt nonprofit based in Annapolis, Maryland, delivers boating safety standards development, voluntary standards updates, and marine certification training to federal agencies as a prime contractor and grant recipient with no subcontract footprint. Abyc operates exclusively in full-and-open competition with no set-aside designations across its federal work, competing on the basis of technical expertise in recreational boating safety and maritime standards rather than SBA certifications.

Abyc's customer concentration is narrow and durable. The Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Coast Guard accounts for 90% of awards (82 awards, $1.2 million combined potential value) and dominates both volume and dollar rankings. The Department of the Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command (6 awards, $113 thousand combined potential value), the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2 awards, $15 thousand), and the Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service represent the only other meaningful federal customers over the source period. This concentration reflects Abyc's specialized role as the primary standards-setting body for recreational boating safety — a function that naturally aligns with Coast Guard regulatory authority and maritime stewardship missions.

Abyc's capability portfolio centers on voluntary standards development, regulatory alignment, and training delivery. Recent grant work includes a $425 thousand cooperative agreement (CFDA 97.135, National Nonprofit Organization Recreational Boating Safety Grant Program, effective October 2025 through September 2026) to enhance standards development for small craft, address emerging technologies including electric propulsion and lithium-ion battery safety, and align U.S. boating standards with ISO Technical Committee 188 standards. A companion $215 thousand cooperative agreement under the same program evaluates flotation regulations' effectiveness in preventing fatalities from capsizing and swamping in boats under 26 feet, conducted in partnership with Industrial Economics, Inc. Purchase-order contract work from the Coast Guard includes recurring marine certification training awards (valued at $37 thousand to $37.79 thousand per order) and a $41.75 thousand Diamond Level membership to Naval Sea Systems Command (base year plus four one-year options through March 2029) providing training, certification, and technical resources supporting federal maritime safety initiatives.

Activity has been low-volume and cyclical over recent years — one award in 2024, rising to four in 2025 — with the source capturing 103 total awards since 2006. Recent awards are concentrated in standards development and training, classified across NAICS codes including Business Associations (32 awards), Professional and Management Development Training (8 awards), and Educational Support Services (5 awards), with corresponding PSC codes in Education/Training and Support for Specifications Development. Combined potential value across all recorded awards stands at $1.5 million, though obligated dollars ($9.1 million) exceed potential value by a factor of 6.19, indicating historical awards with lower valuations and higher obligation-to-ceiling ratios.