Clayton Associates Inc.

Clayton Associates Inc., a for-profit Subchapter S Corporation based in Lakewood, New Jersey, manufactures and supplies industrial equipment, abrasive products, and specialized maintenance components to federal agencies as a prime contractor across full-and-open and set-aside procurement vehicles. The vendor operates without SBA socioeconomic designations (8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB) and competes in the full competitive landscape, though a subset of its Defense Logistics Agency awards carry total small business set-asides. Primary NAICS coverage spans 333413 (Industrial and Commercial Fan and Blower and Air Purification Equipment Manufacturing), 333912 (Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing), and 334516 (Instrument Manufacturing); PSC codes center on 4120 (Air Conditioning Equipment), 5930 (Miscellaneous Equipment and Supplies), and consumable abrasives and cleaning equipment.

Clayton Associates supplies concrete product lines: mobile composite lay-up booths with integrated air handling for aircraft maintenance (a $97,132 sole-source Coast Guard delivery for MH-65 helicopter rehabilitation); industrial abrasive disks in varied grit ratings for aircraft and equipment sanding operations; vacuum storage and containment systems (multiple awards including a $2.75 million Defense Department delivery order and a $2.88 million DLA single-award IDC through July 2028); webbing straps, HEPA clamp assemblies, lever lock-release components, coupling halves, and cable assemblies for defense logistics; and industrial tools and equipment including pneumatic vacuum cleaners and mounting brackets. Representative work includes a $1.71 million June 2026 delivery order for vacu-tote storage under total small business set-aside to DoD Construction and Equipment; a $210.6 million purchase order from DLA Land and Maritime for webbing straps; multiple $30,000–$50,000 air cleaner intake procurements under total small business set-aside from DLA; and recurring small-dollar delivery orders from the U.S. Coast Guard for abrasive disks and aircraft spare parts under the GSA Multiple Award Schedule.

Customer concentration is heavily tilted toward defense logistics. The top five funding agencies represent 82% of combined potential value. Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Construction and Equipment dominates the dollar footprint (165 awards, $88.5 million), anchored by large vacu-tote storage delivery orders. DLA Land and Maritime ranks second by potential value (607 awards, $17.7 million) and leads by award count in the DLA portfolio, procuring webbing, coupling, and lever-lock components. GSA Federal Acquisition Service places the most awards by volume (1,540 awards, $12.6 million) through the Federal Supply Schedule and Multiple Award Schedule vehicles, driven by recurring small-order calls for abrasive disks and vacuum bags. DLA Aviation contributes $6.9 million across 95 awards for cable assemblies and repair kits. The Department of the Army Materiel Command at Redstone Arsenal accounts for $3 million across 88 awards. The U.S. Marine Corps, Department of the Navy Installations Command, and U.S. Coast Guard round out active customers with smaller order volumes.

Clayton Associates holds five named Indefinite Delivery Contracts. A $2.88 million single-award IDC with DLA Land and Maritime (set-aside for total small business, running through July 2028) covers lever lock-release assemblies, HEPA clamp assemblies, webbing straps, and push switches. Two additional $350,000 single-award IDCs with DLA Land and Maritime (April 2026–2027) procure webbing straps and mounting brackets. A $1.92 million single-award IDC with DLA Aviation (June 2025–2030) provides cable assemblies, power electric. A $1.40 million single-award IDC with DLA Aviation (expired April 2025) covered cable assemblies. On the GSA side, Clayton Associates maintains a position on the Multiple Award Schedule and the Federal Supply Schedule (GS07F8188B), where 1,421 task orders have been placed, primarily for abrasive disks, vacuum equipment, and cleaning supplies valued at $6.6 million combined. The company also holds a Blanket Purchase Agreement (GS07FBCAIN) with 305 task orders worth $145 thousand.

Activity has declined sharply. The vendor earned 541 awards in 2022, 410 in 2023, 155 in 2024, 80 in 2025, and only 22 through mid-2026—a 96% three-year decline from 2022 peak. Combined potential value of $156.6 million carries only $57.2 million in obligated dollars (37% realization rate). Four awards with ultimate completion dates in the next twenty-four months carry combined potential value of $2 million, representing minimal recompete exposure and indicating the vendor faces a narrowing pipeline in both volume and dollar magnitude.

Clayton Associates serves as a prime contractor across the entire award footprint (4,724 of 4,728 awards, 100% prime posture); subcontract activity is negligible (four sub-awards to Mantech Advanced Systems International). The vendor does not operate as a subcontractor to other primes in any material way.

Product concentration and category breadth mask the velocity cliff. NAICS classifications reveal deep penetration in consumable and equipment manufacturing: 1,615 awards in Other Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing, 1,463 in Small Electrical Appliance Manufacturing, 326 in Abrasive Product Manufacturing, 273 in Hardware Manufacturing, and 163 in Fabricated Pipe and Pipe Fitting Manufacturing. PSC codes show similar dispersion: 2,591 awards in Floor Polishers and Vacuum Cleaning Equipment, 831 in Abrasive Disks and Stones, 365 in Commercial Hardware, 165 in Hose and Fittings, and 116 in Hand Tools. This breadth suggests Clayton Associates operates as a broad-spectrum industrial supplier to defense logistics—but the dramatic year-over-year decline in award count and the 37% cash realization rate indicate either customer consolidation, shifting procurement strategies among the DLA and Coast Guard, or loss of competitive standing on key schedule vehicles.