Physical Electronics Usa, Inc.

Physical Electronics Usa, Inc., a foreign-owned manufacturer of analytical laboratory instruments headquartered in Chanhassen, Minnesota, sells X-ray photoelectron spectrometers (XPS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometers (TOF-SIMS), and maintenance and repair services for these specialized surface analysis systems to federal research and defense agencies as a prime contractor (94% of awards) competing full-and-open with no set-asides. The company operates as a subsidiary of ULVAC PHI, a Japanese manufacturer of ultrahigh vacuum analytical instrumentation, and competes on an incumbency and sole-source basis — most awards are sole-sourced due to the proprietary nature of its equipment and the requirement that factory-trained technicians perform specialized servicing.

Physical Electronics' federal footprint centers on equipment sales and maintenance-service renewal contracts. Representative prime work includes a $2.555 million sale of an XPS system to the National Institute of Standards and Technology for semiconductor research under the CHIPS for America program (award date September 15, 2025, completion August 24, 2032), a $2.32 million sale of an XPS system to the Army Materiel Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground (award date September 5, 2025, completion September 4, 2026), a $1.5 million sale of a TOF-SIMS instrument to the Army at Watervliet Arsenal for hexavalent chromium elimination research (award date May 25, 2023, completion March 28, 2024), and recurring annual maintenance contracts at $30 thousand to $194 thousand per year for VersaProbe and VersaProbe III systems across NASA, Army Research Development and Engineering Command, Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy, and Naval Sea Systems Command. Work is performed at contractor facilities in Chanhassen, Minnesota and Westlake, Maryland, with on-site installation and training where specified.

Customer concentration splits between defense and civilian research agencies. The Army Materiel Command Research Development and Engineering Command dominates by potential value (19 awards, $5.1 million), followed by the Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command (21 awards, $2.9 million) and NIST (2 awards, $2.6 million). By award count, Navy Naval Sea Systems Command leads (21 awards), followed by Army RDECOM (19 awards) and NASA Shared Services Center (13 awards). The divergence reflects Navy's higher-volume, lower-value maintenance contracts versus Army's larger equipment sales. A total of 24 distinct federal agencies have issued awards; the top five represent 62% of award count and 74% of combined potential value. The Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy places nine awards for ongoing VersaProbe maintenance (combined value $1.3 million), and the Environmental Protection Agency places six awards (combined value $1.2 million).

Recent activity shows volatility: five awards in 2022, six in 2023, four in 2024, ten in 2025, and four through mid-2026. Combined potential value across 119 awards totals $17.7 million, though $20.1 million has been obligated (113% of potential), signaling contract modifications and exercised options. Five awards with ultimate completion dates in the next twenty-four months carry combined potential value of $590 thousand, representing modest recompete exposure. The company's NAICS footprint is dominated by Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (82 awards), with secondary categories in equipment repair and maintenance (22 awards). Primary federal supply codes reflect maintenance and repair work (37 awards in NAICS for instruments and lab equipment) and equipment procurement (22 awards for laboratory equipment and supplies).

Physical Electronics subcontracts to prime contractors on defense and national laboratory work. Named sub-award primes include Fluor Marine Propulsion (Naval Nuclear Laboratory management and operation, February 2026), Triad National Security (Los Alamos National Laboratory management and operation, August and September 2025), Amentum Services (Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane microelectronics R&D, August 2025), and Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies (National Security Campus management and operation, November 2024). Sub work involves provision of specialized analytical equipment and maintenance services in support of larger facility operations and classified defense programs. The vendor holds positions on the Information Analysis Center Multiple-Award Contract and One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) but places minimal task-order activity through these vehicles; the vast majority of revenue flows through direct purchase orders from contracting offices.