Kent Associates, Inc.

Kent Associates, Inc., a veteran-owned small business manufacturer of aerospace components based in Mansfield, Texas, sells critical aircraft hardware and structural parts to the federal government primarily as a prime contractor through multiple indefinite delivery contracts and discrete purchase orders with the Defense Logistics Agency.

Kent Associates operates as a for-profit corporation headquartered in Mansfield, Texas, and carries veteran-owned small business designation. The company manufactures aerospace components across NAICS 336413 (Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing) and related codes, with primary performance occurring at its Texas facility. Nearly all of Kent Associates' federal awards carry total small business set-asides or no set-aside restriction—the vendor does not compete under other categorical designations and relies on its veteran-owned status to access small business procurement vehicles.

The company's capability portfolio centers on aerospace hardware manufacturing: aircraft structural parts (doors, panels, hinges, brackets, plates), fuel and oil system components, seals and actuators, mechanical assemblies, gearbox parts, wiring covers, and related maintenance hardware. Representative recent work includes a $2.5 million indefinite delivery contract with DLA Aviation (awarded February 2026, ceiling through February 2031) for procurement of aerospace components and spare parts on a pre-negotiated, task-order basis; a $2.0 million IDC with DLA Aviation (awarded September 2025, ceiling through September 2030) for aircraft doors, panels, structural plates, seals, actuators, and mechanical assemblies; a $192,000 purchase order from DLA Aviation (June 2025) for aircraft skins under total small business set-aside; and a $243,850 government first article test order from DLA Aviation (October 2025) also under total small business set-aside. Across the source data, representative individual purchase orders and delivery orders range from $1,000 to $300,000 and cover items such as structural brackets, aircraft fairings, seal assemblies, cable holders, and mounting bases.

Customer concentration is extreme and creates both narrow focus and dependency risk. Defense Logistics Agency Aviation accounts for 3,132 awards (79% of total count) worth $104.4 million (92% of combined potential value); the next four customers—DLA Land and Maritime, DLA Troop Support Hardware, DLA Troop Support Construction and Equipment, and the parent Defense Logistics Agency organization—collectively represent only 7% of potential value. This concentration reflects Kent Associates' positioning as a specialized supplier of aviation spare parts within the DLA supply chain rather than a broad-based defense contractor. The top customer ranking by both award count and dollar value are identical, indicating deep, sustained engagement with a single customer rather than tension between volume and value.

Kent Associates holds a dense portfolio of indefinite delivery vehicles with DLA Aviation. Recent IDCs include contracts with ceilings of $2.5 million, $2.0 million, $350,000, and $250,000, all set aside for total small business and running three to five years (February 2026 through September 2030). The company also holds several smaller single-award IDCs at the $250,000 to $350,000 ceiling level. These vehicles are the operational backbone of Kent Associates' business, enabling rapid issuance of task orders and delivery orders for pre-negotiated aerospace components. The source names five top parent IDVs by task order count (ranging from 10 to 13 orders per vehicle), suggesting strong utilization of existing contract vehicles rather than reliance on standalone purchase orders.

Activity has been steady and recent. The vendor received 49 awards in the first quarter of 2026 (through April 13), 198 awards in 2025, and 149 in 2024—indicating sustained volume and recent growth trajectory. Combined potential value across all awards in the source totals $113.8 million, with $78 million obligated (69% execution rate). The recompete cliff is modest: 194 awards with ultimate completion dates in the next twenty-four months carry combined potential value of $7.8 million, suggesting manageable renewal pressure but also indicating that most of Kent Associates' portfolio operates on shorter cycles (task orders against IDCs rather than long-duration single awards).

Kent Associates carries one named subcontracting relationship: A-10 aircraft structural integrity engineering services work under Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (sub award, August 2023). The source provides minimal detail on this engagement, but it signals that the vendor also serves as a specialist supplier to major primes, not solely to DLA direct procurement. This sub footprint appears minimal relative to the prime portfolio and may not recur materially in recent or current activity.

The vendor competes predominantly under small business set-asides—particularly total small business designations—and does not appear to compete in full-and-open or other set-aside categories. Veteran-owned status is the consistent qualifier across all awards, and the company leverages this designation aggressively in both competitive and sole-source procurement channels. No evidence of 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or WOSB positioning appears in the source.

Precision machining center milling (CNC) with 5th axis; programmed using mastercam. Sheet metal hydroforming, stretch forming, Bearing Swaging, and brake press operations are also a capability. Build to Print. DLA ABVS Quality Rating = 99.8%.