James Ippolito & CO. Of Connecticut, Inc.

James Ippolito & CO. Of Connecticut, Inc., doing business as Ippolito James & Co Of CT Inc., is a minority-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned small business manufacturer of aircraft parts and structural components that operates as a prime contractor (99% of awards) supplying the Defense Logistics Agency across its Aviation, Land and Maritime, and Troop Support divisions. The company is self-certified as a small disadvantaged business and also carries veteran-owned and Hispanic American-owned designations. Headquartered in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Ippolito manufactures aerospace hardware under primary NAICS 336413 (Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing), with a portfolio dominated by aircraft structural components, bushings, rings, shims, spacers, bearings, and rotor blade assemblies.

The company's customer concentration is extreme and narrow: Defense Logistics Agency Aviation alone accounts for 489 of 671 total awards (73% of awards by count) and $8 million of the $12.3 million combined potential value (65% by dollars). DLA Land and Maritime, DLA Troop Support Hardware, and Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command together round out the top five, accounting for an additional 22% of awards by count. This heavy reliance on DLA Aviation reflects Ippolito's core business model as a dedicated supplier of spare parts for military helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft maintenance operations. The company has served 15 distinct federal agencies over its award history, but competition for non-DLA work is minimal.

Ippolito's vehicle footprint centers on three single-award Indefinite Delivery Contracts (IDCs) with DLA Aviation. A July 2023 SDVOSB set-aside IDC valued at $249,999.99 covers rotor blade shields through July 2028. A September 2024 Total Small Business set-aside IDC valued at $249,999.99 covers pressure switch fittings through September 2029. A newly awarded November 2025 single-award IDC provides $350,000 for general aircraft parts and structural components through November 2030. Most recently, a $2.5 million October 2025 Total Small Business set-aside IDC addresses nut assemblies for DLA Aviation through October 2030, representing a material expansion of the vendor's contract ceiling. Task orders under these IDCs cluster in the $2,100 to $6,320 range, with firm fixed-price terms and four- to six-month performance periods. Additional work flows through DLA's broader SPE4A series IDCs (SPE4A220DC018, SPE4A723D5466, SPE4A718D5287, SPE4A724D5588) and Army procurement vehicles (W52H0906D0016).

Recent activity shows modest decline: 87 awards in 2024 dropped to 63 in 2025 and only 5 year-to-date in 2026 (as of March 31). Across the last five years, the award count trend was 38 (2022), 76 (2023), 87 (2024), 63 (2025), and 5 (2026), signaling slowing velocity in the most recent year. The recompete cliff is minimal—only four awards with ultimate completion dates in the next twenty-four months carry combined potential value of $23,000, suggesting limited near-term renewal pressure from the company's core customer base.

Ippolito subcontracts minimally, accounting for only 7 of 671 total awards (1% split). Recent sub-awards show the company providing aircraft parts and service modifications to Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (rotor blade and spindle assemblies) and Lockheed Martin Corporation (aircraft parts and funding modifications), with all five sub-award records dated November–December 2024. This subcontracting footprint is negligible compared to the prime contract base and does not represent a material revenue stream.

The company's capability portfolio is concrete and repetitive: manufacture and delivery of machine thread plugs, pressure switch fittings, rotor blade shields, bushings and sleeves, structural brackets, aircraft frames, nut assemblies, clevis rod ends, aircraft actuators, and dozens of other precision aerospace fasteners and hardware. Representative prime awards include a $38,225 April 2025 purchase order for rotary wing helicopter pins; a $80,000 July 2023 purchase order for nut assemblies (NSN 5310121890271); a $107,120 January 2024 purchase order for track sliding doors; and a $44,495 March 2014 service-disabled veteran-owned small business set-aside for rotary wing helicopter head pins. Dollar magnitudes across the portfolio range from under $100 to $107,120, with most individual task orders falling between $2,500 and $15,000. Performance occurs exclusively in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The company competes predominantly under full-and-open (no-set-aside) designation on most individual task orders but benefits from recurring placement on set-aside IDVs (Total Small Business, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business) that anchor longer-term pricing certainty.

Ippolito's award footprint breaks down by product line: 241 awards for airframe structural components, 65 for bushings and spacers, 62 for plain unmounted bearings, 38 for commercial hardware, and 31 for helicopter rotor blade components. This concentration reflects the vendor's specialization in commodity-level aerospace spare parts rather than systems integration, design services, or advanced manufacturing. The business model—high volume, low margin, just-in-time delivery of standard hardware to DLA distribution depots—remains stable but faces competitive pressure from other small manufacturers and requires sustained investment in inventory management and rapid fulfillment capability to maintain DLA's preferred supplier status.

Production machining, CNC Machining, AIRCRAFT BEARINGS, ROD ENDS, BEARING RINGS, BALLS, LOADER SLOT RINGS, AIRCRAFT STRUCTURAL PARTS, AIRCRAFT HYDRAULIC COMPONENTS, AIRCRAFT CONTROLS