National Academy Of Sciences

National Academy Of Sciences, a congressionally chartered nonprofit scientific advisory organization headquartered at 2101 Constitution Avenue NW in Washington, DC, delivers consensus studies, expert panel convening, and technical assessments to federal agencies as a prime contractor with virtually no federal subcontracting footprint. The organization competes full-and-open without small-business set-asides, relying on its unique congressional charter and reputation for independent, nonpartisan scientific counsel.

NAS operates across exceptionally broad federal agency landscape. The top five funding agencies by award count—National Science Foundation (444 awards), Department of Army (443 awards), Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (337 awards), Department of Navy (304 awards), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (297 awards)—account for 24% of recent awards. By combined potential value, the concentration centers differently: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (102 awards, $658.1 million), NASA Headquarters (161 awards, $372.6 million), NOAA (297 awards, $186.3 million), National Institutes of Health (275 awards, $141.4 million), and CDC Pittsburgh (191 awards, $141.3 million) together represent 28% of the portfolio's $5.45 billion total potential value. This agency diversity reflects NAS's model as an independent advisor available across the entire federal mission spectrum rather than a vendor concentrated in any single domain.

Capability portfolio spans consensus studies on emerging policy challenges, standing committee operations addressing long-term research coordination, decadal surveys establishing priorities for scientific fields, expert panel convening on urgent national issues, and technical assessments evaluating federal programs and infrastructure. Recent representative work includes a $4.1 million Competitive 8(a) definitive contract from USDA's Food and Nutrition Service to conduct the third comprehensive scientific review of WIC food packages through 2030; a $2.6 million firm fixed-price definitive contract from HHS for global influenza prevention, preparedness, and response research at the human-animal interface; a $1.65 million congressionally mandated cost-no-fee delivery order from the Coast Guard on sexual assault at sea; a $1.5 million literacy study for the Institute of Education Sciences examining NAEP and international assessment score declines; and a $988,052.53 cost-no-fee assessment for the Coast Guard on uncrewed and autonomous maritime domain awareness technologies. Work is performed primarily at NAS headquarters in Washington, DC, with subordinate locations in Boulder, Colorado; Silver Spring, Maryland; and other sites aligned with specific research needs. Recent grant activity includes NSF awards for computing research studies ($733,067, FY2026–2029), AI in undergraduate STEM education ($199,999), and Forum on Cyber Resilience ($1.7 million, FY2026–2029); a Department of Energy grant for fusion development program evaluation ($650,000); and a Federal Transit Administration cooperative agreement for Transit Cooperative Research Program secretariat services ($7.212 million, through May 2031).

Activity has moderated recently—238 awards in 2023 declined to 79 in 2025—likely reflecting the temporal lag between contract award and SCI reporting, portfolio maturation, and federal budget sequestration. Within the next twenty-four months, 176 awards with combined potential value of $158.2 million reach completion, creating recompete opportunity for competitors and recompete exposure for NAS. SCI-reported federal services invoicing totaled $166.7 million across FY2022–2025, with FY2024 reaching $46.9 million across 124 FTEs. The median government-paid hourly rate on prime service contracts runs $143.20 per hour, with rates ranging from $20.28 at the tenth percentile to $246.31 at the ninetieth percentile, reflecting expert-level scientific and policy advisory labor. NAS delivers 100% of reported SCI hours from its own staff—zero subcontractor engagement across 789 SCI-recordable prime contracts—assembling volunteer expert networks from academia, industry, and government rather than engaging delivery partners. Of 7,613 total awards in the portfolio, 7,607 are prime (100%), with only six sub-awards recorded, underscoring the organization's model as the principal advisor rather than a supporting participant on other primes' vehicles.

Parent vehicles include the National Institute of Mental Health IDIQ ($67.6 million through August 2029), NOAA Resident Research Associateship Program IDIQ ($39 million through August 2031), Department of Homeland Security Basic Ordering Agreement ($8.85 million through January 2030), and Department of Health and Human Services Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases IDIQ ($13 million through September 2027). NAS holds federal standing committees—Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, Committee on Radio Frequencies, Water Science and Technology Board, Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, Board on Health Care Services—that anchor recurring funding across multiple fiscal years. Pricing across the portfolio is predominantly cost-no-fee and firm fixed-price, reflecting NAS's nonprofit status and the deterministic scope of consensus studies, surveys, and advisory reports. The organization reports NAICS 813920 (Professional Organizations) and 541712 (Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences) as dominant classifications, with PSC codes concentrated in Support–Professional (911 awards), Special Studies/Analysis (595 awards), and R&D–Basic Research (402 awards). No small-business set-asides, 8(a) certifications, HUBZone designations, or other SBA advantage designations appear in the footprint; NAS competes as a congressionally chartered entity outside the SBA framework.