New England Research, Inc.

New England Research, Inc., based in White River Junction, Vermont, manufactures and services specialized scientific laboratory instrumentation for federal energy and defense research, operating exclusively as a prime contractor with no subcontract footprint. The company competes in full-and-open procurements without SBA set-aside designation, selling equipment and maintenance services across engineering services, analytical laboratory instrument manufacturing, and applied research and development categories.

New England Research's federal customer base spans eleven agencies, with concentration among Department of Energy entities. The top five customers by potential value account for 99% of combined value: the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (3 awards, $4.9 million), the Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy (6 awards, $1.9 million), the Air Force Materiel Command Research Laboratory (1 award, $1.3 million), the National Energy Technology Laboratory (4 awards, $104 thousand), and the Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center (1 award, $25 thousand). Awards-per-year metrics show sparse activity—one award in 2018, one in 2023, two in 2024, one in 2025, and two in 2026—with $8.3 million combined potential value across forty total prime awards since 1987.

Recent capability work centers on petrophysical and rock mechanics instrumentation. New England Research received a sole-source $1.05 million Department of Energy purchase order on September 28, 2026, for delivery of an IRA AutoLab 2000 servo-hydraulic large-bore triaxial system (completion July 1, 2027), procured under FAR Part 12 (commercial products) as the only known source capable of meeting multi-physics coupling and proprietary integration specifications. On September 1, 2026, NETL awarded a $173,150 sole-source purchase order for an IRA Funds system upgrade to the AutoLab 1500 (completion February 24, 2027), again justified by New England Research's status as original equipment manufacturer. An April 2025 multisystem service and maintenance contract valued at $187,500 covers AutoLab AL0157 and AL0169 equipment through March 31, 2028, with two optional one-year renewal periods. A March 2024 purchase order delivered a TINYPERM 3 portable handheld air permeameter for $11,600 (completed May 20, 2024).

New England Research also receives federal grant funding from the Department of Energy. A June 2024 ARPA-E cooperative agreement (ultimate completion February 23, 2027) funds the "Accelerated Mechanical Promotion (AMP) of Serpentinization for Hydrogen Production" project to demonstrate feasibility, develop tools, and commercialize products. A February 2023 Department of Energy Office of Science project grant supported "Integrated Characterization and Modeling of Subsurface Properties Critical to Geothermal Energy Storage in Sedimentary Reservoirs" (completed December 20, 2023). Four awards with combined potential value of $1.4 million reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, exposing the vendor to recompete activity. The vendor holds position on an Air Force Indefinite Delivery Contract (F1962887C0214) with two task orders. New England Research competes primarily for equipment sales and service contracts on geophysical instruments and laboratory equipment, with minimal recurring award volume and no current parent vehicle or government-wide acquisition contract presence.

NER has a unique and versatile rock properties analysis laboratory. With eight servo-controlled test frames for measurements of deformation, velocity, permeability, and electrical resistivity, core analyses are conducted at in situ conditions.