New Jersey Department Of Agriculture

New Jersey Department Of Agriculture, a division of the State of New Jersey, operates as a federal grant recipient and contract prime providing animal health laboratory testing, food safety and nutrition program administration, invasive species management, and pest surveillance to federal agricultural and food agencies, competing without set-aside designations on a full-and-open basis. The department holds the parent UEI under State of New Jersey with administrative oversight from Trenton, New Jersey.

NJDA's federal award footprint concentrates heavily in cooperative agreements and formula grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), and Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). Recent awards span 651 total transactions across 25 customer agencies, with a combined potential value of $66.3 million, though obligated dollars ($9.39 billion) reflect the formula-grant nature of child nutrition programs where annual allocations to schools dwarf individual contract ceilings. The award activity has remained stable—33 to 37 awards annually over the past five years, with 13 awards recorded through mid-2026.

NJDA's primary federal capability portfolio divides into four streams. First, animal health laboratory diagnostics: the department holds a $25 million indefinite-delivery contract (awarded September 2026, running through September 2031) with USDA APHIS Veterinary Services for diagnostic testing including culture, isolation, immunoassay, molecular diagnostics, and whole genome sequencing as part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN); this recompete restricted award replaced a prior $20 million IDC (December 2021–November 2026) under which NJDA received delivery orders for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and foreign animal disease testing. Second, food safety and animal inspection: FDA awarded a $80,960 definitive contract (September 2026) for animal food inspections at Hamilton Township, NJ, running through September 2031 on a firm fixed-price basis. Third, child nutrition administration and local food access: FNS awards NJDA recurring formula grants totaling approximately $600 million annually across the National School Lunch Program (CFDA 10.555, $430 million plus), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CFDA 10.558), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (CFDA 10.582, $5.7 million), Emergency Food Assistance Program administrative costs (CFDA 10.568, TEFAP), and State Administrative Expenses for Child Nutrition (CFDA 10.560). Fourth, invasive species and pest management: APHIS awards recurring cooperative agreements (typically $100 thousand to $400 thousand each, annual cycles) for spotted lanternfly (SLF) control through pesticide application and mechanical removal; biological control agent rearing and release (Dryinus sinicus parasitoid, Ganaspis brasiliensis wasp, Hypena opulenta moth); honeybee and wood-borer pest surveillance; invasive mollusk and nematode monitoring; and Lymantria dispar aerial survey coordination. Additionally, NJDA receives cooperative agreements from APHIS for animal health national surveillance across avian, cattle, sheep, and swine commodities (CFDA 10.025, $394 thousand); animal disease traceability; NAHLN infrastructure support; and emerging disease response (including a $2.9 million HPAI emergency cooperative agreement awarded February 2025 for outbreak response costs). The FDA awarded a $450 thousand cooperative agreement (September 2025) through the Laboratory Flexible Funding Model to enhance animal food surveillance and analytical capabilities at NJDA's Trenton laboratory through June 2030, including whole genome sequencing capacity and ISO 17025:2017 accreditation maintenance.

Customer concentration centers on USDA. APHIS Veterinary Services leads by potential value ($45.2 million across 10 awards, predominantly the two large IDCs), followed by APHIS Marketing and Regulatory Programs ($20 million, 6 awards). FNS dominates by award count (113, 102, and 20 sub-counted awards across child nutrition formula grant variants), but individual grant amounts are legislatively set formulas rather than competitive procurements. FDA ranks third by potential value ($769 thousand, 10 awards including the definitive animal food inspection contract and the LFFM cooperative agreement). The top five customers account for 78% of recent award count and 100% of combined potential value.

NJDA's vehicle footprint reflects the grant-heavy and single-award-contract structure. The indefinite-delivery contract 12639522D0007 (NAHLN animal lab testing IDC from December 2021) carried 10 task orders valued at $206 thousand in delivery orders under the ceiling; the new September 2026 NAHLN IDC ($25 million) succeeded it. A blanket purchase agreement (AG6395B090024) for unspecified services holds 4 task orders ($17 thousand). Most NJDA awards are direct cooperative agreements or formula grants rather than task orders against parent vehicles; formula grants from FNS flow annually without competitive selection.

Activity has remained relatively flat—between 31 and 37 prime awards annually since 2022—reflecting stable federal reliance on NJDA's capacity as the state's designated administrator for child nutrition, animal health surveillance, and invasive species programs. Twenty-three awards with ultimate completion in the next 24 months (combined potential value $187 thousand) represent modest recompete exposure; the larger recompete signals are the two NAHLN lab testing IDCs, with the September 2026 award replacing the November 2026 expiration of the prior contract.

NJDA operates as a 100% prime contractor across its federal footprint, with no named subcontractor relationships in the source data. As a state government entity, NJDA does not hold SBA certifications or compete under set-asides; all awards are full-and-open, reflecting competitive procurement authority or legislatively mandated formula allocation to state administering agencies.