Aqua-Chem, Inc.

Aqua-Chem, Inc., a foreign-owned manufacturer of water purification systems and fluid handling equipment headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, supplies specialized components and systems to the federal government exclusively as a prime contractor across defense and maritime agencies. The vendor competes in full-and-open procurements without set-aside designation, demonstrating broad competitive positioning across the defense industrial base.

Aqua-Chem's federal footprint centers on vapor compression distillation, reverse osmosis, deionization, and related water treatment technologies. The company manufactures core assemblies, distillation plates and tubes, coolers, pumps, valves, gaskets, seals, filters, mist eliminators, demisters, evaporators, and specialized fluid handling components. Representative work includes a $4.31 million definitive contract from Naval Supply Systems Command (March 2026) for a steam auxiliary condenser; a $536,426 sole-source definitive contract from Naval Supply Systems Command (August 2025) for 11 sample cooler units for Norfolk Naval Shipyard; and a $466,312 purchase order from Military Sealift Command (July 2025) for distillation plates for the USNS Henry J. Kaiser. The vendor also holds an active $250,000 Indefinite Delivery Contract with Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime for conductivity sensors, which has generated over 13,000 task orders since its 2021 establishment.

Customer concentration is extreme and reflects the vendor's specialization in maritime water systems. Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime dominates both award count and dollars: 24,762 awards (88% of the prime portfolio) worth $448.3 million in combined potential value. The next tier of customers—Naval Supply Systems Command ($36.1 million), DLA Troop Support Construction and Equipment ($33.5 million), Naval Sea Systems Command ($23.7 million), and the Coast Guard ($21.3 million)—together account for only 12% of awards but represent the second-order dollar concentration. The top five customers account for 97% of awards and 92% of potential value. This concentration reflects Aqua-Chem's established role as the incumbent supplier of water purification equipment across naval and military maritime platforms.

Activity remains substantial but has compressed. The vendor received 60 awards in 2026 (through mid-July), 253 in 2025, 265 in 2024, 255 in 2023, and 289 in 2022—a modestly declining trend. The combined potential value across the active portfolio stands at $610.5 million, with $197.9 million obligated to date (32% utilization). Thirty-one awards complete in the next twenty-four months with combined potential value of $7.7 million, creating modest recompete exposure. The vendor's award profile is dominated by small purchase orders under $100,000, typical of maintenance and consumable procurement patterns characteristic of DLA's transactional relationship with established suppliers.

Aqua-Chem operates as a prime contractor (100% of awards); recent subcontract activity shows the vendor supplying components to Huntington Ingalls Inc. for CVN-75 recapitalization work, including distillation units, demisters, gaskets, and specialized fittings for 100,000-GPD waterbox systems. The vendor's top parent vehicles are Indefinite Delivery Contracts SPE7L115D0017 (13,031 task orders, $6.6 million) and SPM7MX10D9007 (9,577 task orders, $21.1 million), reflecting the scale of DLA's recurring water treatment and sensor procurement through standing agreements.

The vendor's NAICS footprint is dominated by Gasket, Packing, and Sealing Device Manufacturing (13,653 awards) and Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing (9,590 awards), though the latter reflects SAM categorization artifacts rather than actual automotive work. The PSC profile aligns with capability: Hose, Pipe, Tube, Lubrication, and Railing Fittings (4,430 awards); O-Ring (3,418); Packing and Gasket Materials (2,249); and Nuts and Washers (2,197). This granular categorization reflects the component-level nature of DLA procurement, where a single water purification system spawn dozens of separately coded line items.

Aqua-Chem has been supplying federal customers since at least March 2006. The vendor's federal award history spans 28,260 total transactions across 40 customer agencies, concentrated within Navy and DLA maritime divisions. The company's competitive positioning rests on Original Equipment Manufacturer status for specialized water treatment systems and the recurring, consumable nature of gaskets, seals, and fluid handling components across naval fleet maintenance cycles.