TDA Research, Inc.

TDA Research, Inc., a for-profit Subchapter S corporation headquartered in Golden, Colorado, competes as a prime contractor (99% of recent awards) delivering advanced materials science, chemical engineering, sensing technology, energy systems research and development, and medical device innovation almost exclusively through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs to Department of Defense, Department of Energy, NASA, and civilian research agencies. The vendor operates under total small business set-asides across the vast majority of its prime federal footprint, with recent work spanning SBIR Phases I, II, and III; STTR; Other Transaction Agreements; and grant programs.

TDA Research's capability portfolio centers on specialized R&D in portable oxygen generation for casualty care, advanced battery systems for lunar surface environments, carbon capture and direct air capture technologies, thermal protection systems and coatings, chemical sterilants and medical devices for austere deployment, infrared sensing for space-based defense systems, composite materials and engineered structures, and hydrogen production and separation systems. Representative prime work includes a $1.8 million Phase III SBIR contract with the Marine Corps for expeditionary portable oxygen generating systems, a $2.8 million Phase III SBIR award from NASA for low-temperature secondary batteries for the lunar surface (with subcontractor Pumpkin, Inc. on satellite battery module development and testing), a $3.2 million non-set-aside contract with the Defense Health Agency for a compact portable oxygen concentrator with extended shelf life (subcontracted to Thornhill Medical), a $2.7 million Other Transaction Agreement with the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command for a hydrogen generator prototype under the Cornerstone OTA program, and $1.4 million Other Transaction Awards from Air Mobility Command for an operator portable oxygen generation device. Grant work spans the Department of Energy (carbon capture pilots, direct air capture systems, hydrogen and fuel cell research, electrolyzer catalysts and membranes), the Department of Agriculture (organic bactericidal formulations for crop protection), the National Institutes of Health and related agencies (pediatric airway trainer development, pathogen inactivation devices), and the EPA (radon mitigation, air treatment systems).

Customer concentration sits heavily with defense and energy research agencies. The top five funding customers by potential value—the Army Materiel Command Research Development and Engineering Command ($28.5 million across 45 awards), Naval Air Warfare Center ($21.2 million across 36 awards), Army Medical Command ($20.8 million across 35 awards), NASA Shared Services Center ($20.1 million across 52 awards), and Air Force Research Laboratory ($15.7 million across 42 awards)—account for 45% of combined potential value across recent awards. Department of Energy leads by award count (86 awards), reflecting TDA's deep engagement in carbon capture, hydrogen, and energy systems research. Across all sources, the vendor has worked with 79 distinct customer agencies.

Activity has remained steady year over year, with 41 awards in 2022, 43 in 2023, 29 in 2024, 32 in 2025, and 11 awards recorded through September 2026. A recompete cliff looms: 29 awards with ultimate completion dates in the next twenty-four months carry combined potential value of $36.3 million. TDA Research holds a position on the Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) IDIQ, a 10-year, $151 billion multiple-award vehicle through the Missile Defense Agency, and also holds a Basic Ordering Agreement with Naval Air Systems Command for SBIR Phase II work and an Other Transaction IDV with the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command.

Service Contract Inventory data shows SCI-reportable invoiced revenue of $10.2 million across fiscal years 2022 through 2025 (a strict subset excluding goods, classified work, and sub-activity): $779 thousand in FY2022, $1.3 million in FY2023, $4.5 million in FY2024, and $3.6 million in FY2025. Federal services FTE trajectory grew from 3.4 FTEs in FY2022 to 8.5 FTEs in FY2025. On SCI-reportable prime contracts, government-paid hourly rates ranged from a 10th percentile of $63.53/hr to a 90th percentile of $1,054.62/hr, with a median around $178.91/hr. TDA Research self-performed all reported SCI labor with no subcontractor engagement across SCI records. In its limited sub role (1% of awards), TDA subcontracts to larger primes on lunar battery work, naval nuclear laboratory programs, and grant-funded university research initiatives with Colorado State University, University of Denver, and Arizona State University.