Cardinal Engineering, LLC

Cardinal Engineering, LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based small business engineering firm, operates predominantly as a prime contractor (76% of recent awards) delivering specialized naval defense engineering, rapid prototyping, and research and development services to federal defense agencies, with particular concentration in submarine systems, power and energy solutions, and advanced technology development.

Cardinal Engineering's federal footprint is overwhelmingly concentrated with the Department of the Navy. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) anchors 50 of 58 total awards (86% of award count) and $80.1 million of $103.2 million in combined potential value, with the Office of Naval Research contributing an additional three awards worth $9.4 million. The Air Force Research Laboratory and GSA account for the remaining customer agencies. The vendor holds three single-award indefinite delivery vehicles with NAVSEA: a $48.9 million five-year Rapid Prototype Development Services contract (through September 2026), a $999 thousand Blanket Purchase Agreement for low-complexity engineering reviews (through September 2028), and a $249.1 thousand IDC for low-complexity shock engineering reviews (expired September 2024). Recent prime work includes a $9.15 million cost-plus-fixed-fee ONR contract (awarded February 2025, completion February 2030) for investigation, development, and demonstration of power and energy solutions using a four-phased technical approach; a $1.99 million NAVSEA SBIR Phase II award (September 2024) for Space-Based Infrared System High (SBIRS High) support; a $1.79 million Air Force Research Laboratory SBIR Phase II contract (April 2025) for the "RETURNING EXOATMOSPHERIC UNIQUE IS NOVAL (RETURN)" project completing July 2027; and a $1.25 million Air Force Research Laboratory SBIR Phase II contract (September 2022) for expeditionary force power and energy systems ("ENERGY"), completed December 2024. Cardinal Engineering also holds a $239.9 thousand NAVSEA STTR Phase I award (May 2025) for SBIRS High support and a $1.7 million NAVSEA SBIR Phase II.5 research contract (December 2021). On BPA calls and delivery orders, the vendor performs low-, medium-, and high-complexity engineering reviews, submarine shock qualification analysis, and autonomous systems strategy work under the NAVSEA IDVs.

Activity shows recent acceleration. The vendor received five awards per year in 2022 and 2023, four in 2024, then eighteen in 2025, with one award in 2026 (the January 2026 BPA call from NAVSEA for low-complexity reviews at $428.4 thousand). Combined potential value across all awards stands at $103.2 million, with $49.4 million obligated (48% of potential). Only one award completes within the next twenty-four months—a recompete cliff of minimal financial magnitude ($1.8 million), indicating limited near-term recompete exposure relative to the vendor's NAVSEA portfolio concentration.

Cardinal Engineering subcontracts to larger primes on submarine systems engineering and advanced technology development. Recent sub work includes multiple 2025 awards under Seacorp, LLC for Virginia Class, Columbia Class, and SSN(X) submarine platform systems engineering and combat-systems technical services (covering shock performance baseline, functional design reviews, and payload systems); a May 2025 award under CACI Inc.–Federal for NavalX advanced product innovation; a February 2025 award under Noblis MSD LLC for Navy Code 325 engineering support; and 2024 awards under Serco Inc. for surface combatant ship design and engineering integration and under Rite-Solutions Inc. for undersea warfare imaging and electronic warfare systems analysis. The vendor also appears as a subcontractor to Science Applications International Corporation on NIXIE Surface Ship Torpedo Defense services and to Florida State University on Navy advanced shipboard electrical power and energy systems research and development. This sub footprint reflects Cardinal Engineering's role as a feeder of specialized naval engineering expertise to larger system integrators and research institutions rather than as a prime builder of integrated platforms.

The Service Contract Inventory dataset covers only five SCI-reportable records (one as prime, four as named subcontractor) across FY2022 through FY2024, indicating that most of Cardinal Engineering's federal revenue flows through SBIR/STTR research contracts, IDVs, and BPA calls above the $150 thousand reporting threshold or in contract categories excluded from SCI. The SCI prime record shows zero invoiced revenue, and SCI-reported FTE engagement declined from 11.6 FTEs in FY2022 (across one prime and two sub records) to 3.6 FTEs in FY2024 (across zero prime and two sub records), reflecting the sparse intersection of Cardinal Engineering's portfolio with SCI-reportable service-contract work. Award concentration by NAICS reflects 38 Engineering Services awards, nine Research and Development in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences awards, and smaller shares in manufacturing and systems instrumentation categories. Work is performed primarily in Washington, D.C., with secondary locations in Cape St Claire, Maryland (ONR power and energy research) and other NAVSEA operating bases supporting submarine and naval systems engineering oversight.

Engineering technical services. Ship and submarine design including hull, mechanical, and electrical systems. Marine hydrokinetic energy conversion systems. R&D, analysis and design of complex systems, primarily for government and government contractors.