Knexus Research LLC

Knexus Research LLC Maryland Office Division, an SBA 8(a)-certified small business based in Vienna, Virginia, delivers artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, and research and development services to the Department of Defense and civilian federal agencies as a prime contractor (98% of recent awards). The company operates through its Maryland Office Division with performance locations at Vienna, Virginia and Forest Heights, Maryland, competing predominantly in full-and-open and small business set-aside procurement categories.

Knexus's customer concentration reflects heavy defense and research agency exposure. The top five customers by potential value account for 99% of combined potential value: the Department of the Navy Naval Sea Systems Command ($4 billion via the SeaPort-NXG IDIQ awarded January 2, 2025), the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support ($110.1 million across ten awards), the GSA Federal Acquisition Service ($100.5 million), the Department of Health and Human Services ($76.3 million for advanced AI user pilot work), and the Office of Naval Research ($27.2 million across 25 awards). The DoD dominance masks meaningful civilian research engagement — NIST, the Census Bureau, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology together account for over $14 million in awards, signaling Knexus's capability in privacy-preserving algorithms and federal analytics infrastructure. By award count, the Office of Naval Research leads with 25 awards, but the dollar concentration sits with large, multi-year vehicle awards rather than volume.

Knexus's vehicle footprint spans five major IDIQs and BPAs. The $4 billion SeaPort-NXG IDIQ (Naval Sea Systems Command, awarded January 2, 2025, through January 1, 2029) anchors the portfolio and is the largest single vehicle; Knexus holds a multiple-award MAC seat and received a $500 minimum-guarantee task order in March 2025. The $151 billion Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) IDIQ (Missile Defense Agency, awarded December 29, 2025, through December 28, 2035) represents Knexus's entry into integrated air and missile defense contracting, with a $500 initial delivery order issued on award date. The company holds a $50 million single-award IDIQ with DLA Troop Support for SBIR Phase III work on Generative AI Logistics for Communication and Execution (GAILFORCE), awarded April 14, 2026, running through April 13, 2031, with seven task orders issued to date carrying $8.6 million combined potential value. A $100 million multiple-award Blanket Purchase Agreement for Supply Chain Risk Illumination Professional Tools and Services (SCRIPTS), awarded by GSA Federal Acquisition Service on March 31, 2025, covers supply chain mapping, risk scoring, and vendor vetting analytics for DoD and other agencies through March 30, 2030. Knexus also holds a Multiple Award Schedule vehicle that has generated four task orders worth $101.1 million combined potential value for cloud migration, privacy-enhancing technologies research, and goal-reasoning services.

Recent activity shows sustained growth trajectory. Knexus received two awards in 2022, one in 2023, five in 2024, thirteen in 2025, and eight in 2026 year-to-date — representing a four-fold acceleration from 2022 to 2025 and continued momentum through mid-2026. The largest recent prime awards include the $76.3 million HHS Advanced AI User Pilot (definitive contract, September 28, 2026, firm fixed price through September 27, 2028), a $1.95 million DLA task order for Foundational Data Fabric for Enterprise Master Management Agents (EMMA) Class 4 Operational Use Case (December 29, 2025, cost-plus-fixed-fee), and a $1.85 million EMMA implementation task order (December 29, 2025, cost-plus-fixed-fee). Eight awards with ultimate completion dates in the next twenty-four months carry combined potential value of $85 million, creating significant recompete exposure and opportunity for competitive intelligence. Knexus also holds an SBA 8(a)-certified SBIR Phase II award from Naval Air Warfare Center ($1.097 million, June 11, 2025, cost-plus-fixed-fee through January 16, 2029) and a Phase I SBIR from the Office of Naval Research ($1.397 million, October 15, 2024, cost-plus-fixed-fee through October 21, 2026), indicating active small business research program participation.

Knexus's concrete capability set reflects deep specialization in AI-driven logistics and defense analytics. Recent named engagements demonstrate applied scope: the GAILFORCE IDIQ covers AI-powered vendor vetting and supply chain optimization for DLA logistics operations; the HHS Advanced AI User Pilot targets AI capability deployment and evaluation aligned with federal modernization priorities; the NIST Privacy-Enhancing Technologies Testbed work (delivery order July 1, 2026, $877,453.50 through June 30, 2028, firm fixed price) centers on empirical privacy evaluation metrics and federated learning platforms; and NIST's Genomics Privacy-Preserving Federated Learning Platform Support Services ($841,088 purchase order, October 1, 2024 through April 19, 2026) required PhDs in computer science for community red-teaming and privacy attack simulation. DLA Troop Support task orders under EMERGENT IV BAA0001-22 showcase application breadth: Journal Voucher Support ($646,886.95), DLA Annual Financial Report Hackathon ($810,944.55), and Forecast Intelligence Technology hackathon work ($597,582.15) all structured cost-plus-fixed-fee with completion through September 2026, reflecting incremental innovation procurement from a trusted supplier.

The company maintains minimal subcontract footprint. One identified federal sub-award appears on a HII Mission Technologies Corp task order for Joint Network of Engineering and Emerging Operations (JNEEO) artificial intelligence software subscription (March 25, 2026), indicating secondary engagement rather than a primary sub role. Combined obligated dollars across the portfolio total $56.4 million against $4.34 billion in combined potential value, reflecting the prevalence of large IDIQ vehicles and multi-year vehicles with modest initial funding relative to their ceilings. Knexus Research's single named subsidiary is S4, LLC, a for-profit limited liability company; the source does not specify S4's operational role or distinct capability framing.

Knexus specializes in providing professional services to US Government, DoD, and to private industry for conducting artificial intelligence, machine learning, and IT R&D and customs systems development.