Institute For Defense Analyses

Institute For Defense Analyses, a nonprofit federally funded research and development center headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, delivers policy research, strategic analysis, technical assessments, and test-and-evaluation services to the federal government as a prime contractor on a full-and-open (non-set-aside) basis. IDA operates as a single organizational entity with no SBA certifications and competes exclusively as a prime; it does not pursue subcontractor positions and does not engage in significant subcontracting on its own delivery contracts.

IDA's customer base is heavily concentrated in defense. The Office of the Secretary of Defense dominates both award count and dollar volume, with 87 awards carrying $7.25 billion in combined potential value—roughly 56% of IDA's total $12.96 billion known portfolio. The Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute ranks second by award count with 26 awards but represents only $5.9 million in potential value, illustrating a volume-versus-dollars disconnect common in research support work. The National Science Foundation Office of Integrative Activities (21 awards, $67.6 million) and the DoD Washington Headquarters Service (5 awards, $2.05 billion) round out the top tier. Across 64 customer agencies, defense and national security funding drives approximately 73% of combined potential value.

IDA's primary vehicle is a $1.424 billion single-award indefinite-delivery contract with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, running through June 30, 2029, that sponsors IDA's System and Analyses Center FFRDC. Recent delivery orders under this IDC include a $563.5 million order (November 2024) for research, development, and studies support through June 2030; a $217.4 million order (August 2024) for research and analysis to OSD, the Joint Staff, and defense agencies through February 2028; and an $184 million order (November 2025) for the same customer set through June 2029—all priced cost-plus-fixed-fee. Outside defense, IDA places task orders under NSF Indefinite Delivery Contract NSFOIA0408601 (239 task orders, $187 million combined potential value) and General Services Administration Basic Ordering Agreement GS11B01417 (100 task orders, $256.2 million). A representative sample of civilian-agency work includes $4.6 million in National Risk Register support to CISA's National Risk Management Center (September 2026), $890,342 for U.S. Wildland Fire Service forums to the Department of the Interior (August 2026), and $1.4 million for AI Scholarship for Service assessment to NSF (May 2023). On the defense side, recent work spans research and analysis support across acquisition, strategy, space systems, and joint operations.

IDA has historically performed substantially all labor in-house. Across Service Contract Inventory reportable prime contracts in FY2022–FY2025, IDA averaged 0% subcontractor-hours share and named only two subcontractors across the full set of records, indicating minimal outsourcing on SCI-reportable work. When specialized support is needed, IDA engages named partners including Noblis (strategic formative evaluation and cloud-based data services), Performance Centered Design Solutions LLC (scientific research and analysis), DME Business Solutions Inc. (comparative acquisition systems and policies analysis), and economic modeling firms such as Lightcast and Chmura Economics & Analytics for labor-market research. This self-performance model is consistent with FFRDC operating norms; IDA's tax-exempt status and objective-analysis mission eliminate pressure to build subcontracting pipelines.

SCI-reported invoiced revenue on federal service contracts (prime records, FY2022–FY2025) totaled $551.6 million across an FTE trajectory of 437 (FY2022) to 494 (FY2023) to 273 (FY2024) to 21.2 (FY2025). The sharp drop in FY2025 reflects incomplete-year reporting; historical run-rates suggest IDA invoices in the $180–$225 million range annually on SCI-reportable service contracts alone. Median government-paid hourly rates run around $206/hr, with senior labor pricing reaching into the $400–$418/hr range and entry-level work at approximately $144/hr. Activity has moderated in recent years—nine awards in 2022 grew to 14 in 2023 but declined to 12 in 2024 and 5 in 2025—reflecting normal FFRDC delivery-order cycles. Eleven awards (combined potential value $504.9 million) face ultimate completion inside the next twenty-four months, representing a recompete exposure window primarily anchored by OSD delivery orders.

IDA's award footprint spans research and development (71% by award count under "All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services" NAICS 541690) and facility leasing (102 awards in "Lessors of Nonresidential Buildings," reflecting IDA's management of federally funded research centers). The organization operates without set-aside designations across all customer agencies, consistent with its nonprofit FFRDC charter and mission to provide objective, government-wide analysis.