MCQ Inc.

MCQ Inc., doing business as M C Q, is a small-business manufacturer of rugged surveillance, remote sensor systems, radar technologies, and embedded systems that operates as a prime contractor on 98% of recent federal awards across defense and civilian agencies. Headquartered in Fredericksburg, Virginia, MCQ competes under total small business set-asides on the majority of its work, with a portfolio anchored in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III contracts across the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy, the Department of the Air Force, and civilian agencies including the Department of Commerce and the Department of Homeland Security.

MCQ's customer concentration centers on Army and Air Force research organizations. The Department of the Army Materiel Command Research Development and Engineering Command leads both by award count and dollar value (25 awards, $37.1 million combined potential value), followed by the Department of the Air Force Materiel Command Research Laboratory (17 awards, $25.2 million). These two customers account for 34% of all awards and 43% of combined potential value. The United States Marine Corps, the Department of the Navy Naval Air Systems Command Naval Air Warfare Center, and the Department of the Navy Naval Sea Systems Command round out the top five, with a combined $11.9 million. MCQ also holds active contracts with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Customs and Border Protection, and the Secret Service, reflecting a broad federal footprint beyond core defense R&D.

MCQ's capability portfolio is defined by sensor and detection system development. Recent representative prime work includes a $1.919 million Naval Sea Systems Command SBIR Phase II contract awarded March 2026 for an enhanced surface acoustic detection system supporting the Space Based Infrared System High (SBIRS High) Major Defense Acquisition Program, running through March 2029; a $1.8 million Air Force Research Laboratory SBIR Phase II purchase order awarded September 2025 for an enhanced timing-programming system for the high-speed test track at Arnold Engineering Development Complex, performing at MCQ's Fredericksburg facility through September 2027; a $1.249 million AFRL SBIR Phase II award (July 2023) for a 360-degree nano radar system; a $1.197 million Naval Strategic Systems Programs SBIR Phase II cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for low-power embedded systems research and development (December 2021); a $1.145 million National Institute of Standards and Technology firm fixed-price order for storm surge sensor development and testing (October 2024, completing September 2026); and multiple smaller production orders for trail cameras, expeditionary alarm system software, and communication base and relay kits from Air Force Materiel Command, Pacific Air Forces, and the Secret Service. MCQ's work spans embedded systems, radar-triggered imaging sensors, tactical millimeter-wave radar systems, perimeter detection, and wide-area threat detection infrastructure.

MCQ places most volume through GSA Federal Supply Schedules. The top three vehicles are GS23F0106L (23 task orders, $310 thousand combined potential value), GS07F5805R (17 task orders, $12.4 million), and GS07F5972R (11 task orders, $86 thousand). MCQ also holds an Indefinite Delivery Contract W911QX11D0003 (4 task orders, $2.4 million combined potential value) supporting Army procurement. These vehicles anchor recurring small-order production and sustainment work, distinguishing MCQ's customer access model from pure SBIR-focused small businesses.

Activity has accelerated in the past three years — two awards in 2022, two in 2023, eight in 2024, and five in 2025 — with a single 2026 award to date. Only two awards (combined potential value $2.9 million) face completion in the next twenty-four months, indicating minimal recompete exposure and a backlog extending into 2027 and beyond. The $172.1 million combined potential value across all 241 awards, with $103 million obligated, reflects sustained government investment in MCQ's sensor and embedded systems capabilities. MCQ's sub work is minimal (2% of awards) and routed through Atlantic Diving Supply, Inc. and Applied Research Associates, Inc. for sensor kits and specialized hardware integration. MCQ's NAICS concentration skews to Research and Development in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (52 awards), Search and Detection System Manufacturing (34 awards), and Engineering Services (32 awards), with secondary strength in communications security equipment and miscellaneous alarm and detection systems. The company has maintained continuous federal contractor registration since January 2002.

State of the Art Surveillance and Remote Sensors and Unattended Ground Sensors