KVH Industries Inc.

KVH Industries Inc., a for-profit manufacturer of satellite communications equipment, navigation systems, and inertial sensors headquartered in Middletown, Rhode Island, operates as a prime contractor supplying goods and services to the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security with no reliance on set-asides—all 492 recent prime awards reflect full-and-open competition.

KVH's federal portfolio is heavily concentrated in two product categories and one customer. By NAICS distribution, Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing accounts for 156 awards, and Satellite Telecommunications accounts for 99 awards; by PSC, Navigational Instruments account for 131 awards and Antennas, Waveguides, and Related Equipment for 76. The vendor delivers three classes of goods: Ku-band and Ka-band satellite airtime services bundled with terminal equipment (TracPhone and TracNet systems), navigational instruments and inertial measurement units (GEO-FOG, fiber optic gyros, course indicators), and antenna systems and radomes across military and maritime platforms. Representative awards include a $792,097 Ku-band airtime and satellite connectivity delivery order to the Coast Guard under the Small Cutter Connectivity (SCC) IDIQ (award date September 22, 2025), a $779,456 firm fixed-price contract with Naval Supply Systems Command for four KVH One TracNet H60 VSAT units with integrated airtime services (award date September 30, 2024), and a $129,180 purchase order from the Army Corps of Engineers for four GEO-FOG 3D inertial measurement units supporting unmanned ground vehicle operations (award date January 26, 2022).

The Department of Homeland Security U.S. Coast Guard dominates KVH's customer base, accounting for 84 awards and $204.7 million in combined potential value—88% of the vendor's total federal award portfolio ($230.8 million combined potential value). This concentration flows through a single dominant vehicle: the five-year, single-award $69 million Small Cutter Connectivity IDIQ (awarded September 22, 2022, ultimate completion September 21, 2027) generates 68 task orders worth $46.9 million combined potential value, providing Ku-band satellite airtime, equipment, warranty, and support for over 140 Coast Guard small cutters, deployable communication kits, rescue assets, and test platforms. The Department of the Army accounts for 80 awards with significantly lower dollars; the Department of the Navy Naval Supply Systems Command places 73 awards for navigational instruments and antenna components, driven by a $1.8 million combined potential value. The vendor's remaining customer concentration spreads across 43 distinct agencies, with secondary vehicles including Army IDIQ contracts (DAAE0700DM008 generating 72 task orders and W56HZV07D0094 generating 18 task orders) and Navy Information Warfare Systems Command purchase orders for satellite airtime renewal and maintenance.

KVH's award activity declined sharply in the most recent period: ten awards in 2022, four in 2023, six in 2024, four in 2025, and one in 2026 (through February 3). The source data reflects a 493-award footprint spanning from 1985 to the present, indicating mature incumbency; however, recompete exposure remains minimal—only two awards totaling $901 thousand face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months. The Coast Guard IDIQ itself does not expire until September 21, 2027, anchoring the vendor's pipeline.

SCI-reported invoicing for service contracts above the $150,000 threshold totaled $20.2 million (FY2022: $8.9 million, FY2023: $0, FY2024: $11.3 million); SCI-captured workforce scaled from 3.0 FTEs in FY2022 through zero FTEs in FY2023 to 0.5 FTEs in FY2024, reflecting the product-and-airtime-heavy nature of KVH's federal work and indicating that the SCI dataset captures only a narrow slice of the vendor's federal activity. Government-paid hourly rates on SCI-reportable contracts ranged from a 10th percentile of $1,375 per hour through a median of $2,177 per hour to a 90th percentile of $10,260 per hour, indicating engineering and technical labor. Across SCI-reportable prime contracts, KVH sourced zero percent of hours from subcontractors; the vendor operates as a captive delivery organization with no material subcontracting footprint in its federal services work. One federal contract sub-award appears in the source data—a sub-position to Booz Allen Hamilton for satellite telecommunications engineering, installation, and project management services (award date September 30, 2024)—representing negligible sub-engagement relative to the prime portfolio.

KVH competes exclusively in full-and-open procurements across defense and maritime customers, holds no SBA certifications, and generates federal revenue almost entirely from goods procurement (equipment, airtime, components) and single-award or task-order vehicles rather than from staffing or professional-services IDIQs. The vendor's competitive positioning rests on proprietary satellite terminal systems (TracPhone and TracNet lines), inertial sensor technology (GEO-FOG fiber optic gyros), and sole-source or preferred-vendor status on Coast Guard and Navy platforms where switching costs are high.