Microwave Telemetry Inc.

Microwave Telemetry Inc., a Maryland-based Subchapter S corporation, manufactures satellite telemetry equipment and GPS tracking transmitters for federal wildlife research and natural resource management agencies, operating exclusively as a prime contractor on purchase orders with no subcontracting footprint. The company competes in the full-and-open market without set-aside designation across most of its prime work, though several recent awards carry Total Small Business set-asides.

Microwave Telemetry's capability portfolio centers on specialized wildlife tracking hardware: solar-powered GPS/GSM avian backpack transmitters, satellite PTT (Platform Terminal Transmitter) tags for bird and mammal monitoring, and solar PTT-100 satellite transmitters for species population dynamics research. Representative recent work includes a $60,000 firm fixed-price purchase order from USDA APHIS Wildlife Services (August 2023) for seven GSM/GPS avian solar backpack transmitters to support the National Wildlife Research Center Florida Field Station; a $35,750 Total Small Business set-aside from Fish and Wildlife Service (January 2023) for satellite transmitters; and a $30,000 order from USDA Wildlife Services (December 2023) for GPS/GSM telemetry equipment to track black vulture metapopulation dynamics. The vendor's product line also includes patagial GPS condor tracking units and specialized tags equipped with dual attachment points, onboard storage for 20,000-plus records, and multi-protocol data transmission (GSM/GPRS/3G/4G). The company established a track record beginning in 1992 and is recognized by federal contracting offices as the sole manufacturer capable of meeting agency specifications for custom transmitters — multiple awards are documented as sole-source procurements under FAR Part 13 simplified acquisition.

Customer concentration reflects natural resource management agencies across the Department of the Interior ecosystem. The top five customers by award count and potential value together account for 27% and 40% of recent awards respectively. The Department of the Interior US Geological Survey Office of Acquisitions and Grants leads both metrics (26 awards, $2.9 million combined potential value), followed by USDA APHIS Wildlife Services (22 awards, $589 thousand), and NOAA (19 awards, $704 thousand). Fish and Wildlife Service entities, the Bureau of Land Management Idaho Region, and National Park Service also anchor the customer base. The vendor places task orders under three named IDIQs — INF701815D032 (28 task orders, $1.5 million combined potential value), ING09PC00003 (11 task orders, $445 thousand), and ING05WRCN0502 (6 task orders, $122 thousand).

Award activity has declined since 2023: five awards in 2021, two in 2022, six in 2023, one in 2024, and three year-to-date in 2026. Only two awards (combined potential value $156 thousand) face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, presenting limited recompete exposure near term. The vendor's 362 total awards carry a combined potential value of $14.8 million, with $14.5 million obligated (98% draw-down rate), reflecting predominantly delivered or nearly-delivered purchase orders rather than active pipeline work.