Federal Prison Industries, Inc.

Federal Prison Industries, Inc., doing business as Unicor, a wholly-owned U.S. government corporation operating the federal prison industries program within the Federal Bureau of Prisons, manufactures specialized electrical and electronic components and wiring assemblies for the Department of Defense as a prime contractor. Unicor operates without set-aside restrictions and competes in full-and-open procurements, leveraging inmate labor to produce precision cable assemblies, wiring harnesses, electrical cords, and connectors while providing job training and employment opportunities to incarcerated individuals.

Unicor's federal customer base concentrates heavily on Army logistics and aviation commands. The top five customer agencies by combined potential value account for 95% of recent awards, anchored by the Department of the Army Materiel Command Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command (4 awards, $4.3 million combined potential value), TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (28 awards, $1.9 million), Defense Logistics Agency Aviation (17 awards, $662 thousand), Contracting Command Detroit Arsenal (10 awards, $280 thousand), and Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime (7 awards, $221 thousand). Award volume and dollar value diverge notably: TACOM leads in count but Aviation and Missile Command anchors the dollars, reflecting higher-value delivery orders for specialized cable assemblies under single-award IDCs.

Unicor holds four active single-award Indefinite Delivery Contracts established between March 2025 and January 2026, all with the Army or Defense Logistics Agency, totaling approximately $3.97 million in combined ceiling value through 2030 or 2031. The highest-value IDC is with Aviation and Missile Command for special cable assemblies ($2.28 million ceiling through October 2030), followed by a second Aviation and Missile Command contract for specialized cable assemblies across four National Stock Numbers ($1.09 million ceiling through January 2031), a Defense Logistics Agency contract for electric cords with connectors ($350 thousand ceiling through January 2031), and a Defense Logistics Agency contract for electric cords with connectors ($250 thousand ceiling through March 2030). Recent delivery orders under these vehicles include a $463.4 thousand order from Aviation and Missile Command for four cable assembly types with completion in November 2026, a $429.7 thousand one-time cable assembly buy with completion in May 2027, and multiple smaller orders under $25 thousand for electrical cords and jumper plugs.

Unicor's procurement footprint is dominated by two PSC categories: Miscellaneous Electric Power and Distribution Equipment (27 awards) and Cable, Cord, and Wire Assemblies for Communication Equipment (24 awards), with secondary volume in navigational instruments and power transformers. Activity has accelerated in recent years — one award per year from 2017 to 2022, then five awards in 2025 and six in 2026 — with four awards (combined potential value $911 thousand) reaching ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months. Across 80 prime awards since 2008, Unicor has obligated $3.6 million against $7.7 million in combined potential value (47% realization rate), operating exclusively as a prime contractor with no subcontract footprint. All work is performed at Unicor facilities in Marion, Illinois and Desert Hills, Arizona.