Applied Physics & Electronics, Inc.

Applied Physics & Electronics, Inc., based in Vancouver, Washington, manufactures specialized optical and laser technology equipment for federal research agencies as a small disadvantaged business prime contractor, competing exclusively in full-and-open (non-set-aside) procurements despite its SDB certification. The company delivers tunable ultraviolet-infrared laser systems, optical parametric oscillators, diode-pumped laser heads, optical pulse characterization tools, and related photonics components to support advanced measurement and spectroscopy research across the civilian federal R&D landscape.

The vendor's customer base concentrates heavily in civilian research agencies. The National Institute of Standards and Technology dominates activity, accounting for 11 of 20 tracked awards (approximately 48% by count) with $1.2 million in combined potential value, followed by the Office of Naval Research with 4 awards and $594 thousand. The National Institutes of Health, NASA, and the U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Command (DEVCOM) each place one to two awards. Eight distinct customer agencies have awarded across the tracked period, representing 87% of the vendor's recent prime portfolio. The concentration signal is clear: NIST is the anchor customer by both award count and dollars, with ONR as the secondary customer.

Recent representative awards include a $624 thousand firm-fixed-price purchase order from NIST in June 2025 for a tunable ultraviolet-infrared laser system, a $394 thousand March 2026 Office of Naval Research order (with completion targeted for December 2026) for a fully automated picosecond laser light source with temporally and spatially overlapped pump and Stokes pulse trains and a tunable optical parametric oscillator covering the full Raman fingerprint region, and a $227 thousand September 2024 NIST purchase order for a diode-pumped laser head with power supply and chiller (performance in Germany). All awards are firm fixed-price purchase orders with no parent IDIQs, GWACs, or BPAs; the vendor competes for spot procurements on an order-by-order basis across multiple civilian agencies.

Activity is sparse but consistent across recent years: one award in 2024, three in 2025, and one in 2026 through March. The combined obligated value across all 23 tracked awards totals $2.1 million, with 100% of that amount already obligated. Only one award (the March 2026 ONR picosecond laser order) carries an ultimate completion date within the next twenty-four months, representing a recompete exposure of $394 thousand. The vendor holds no subcontractor relationships in the tracked award data; all 23 awards are direct prime positions. NAICS concentration aligns with the optical-equipment focus: 13 awards fall under Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (NAICS 334516), with 5 under Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing.