Texas Research Institute , Austin, Inc.

Texas Research Institute, Austin, Inc. (doing business as Tri/Austin), a small business division of parent Texas Research International Inc., operates as a prime contractor delivering advanced research, development, testing, and evaluation services for the Department of Defense and civilian federal agencies under total small business set-asides that characterize virtually all of its recent work. The company specializes in nondestructive testing and evaluation, structural health monitoring, damage detection, machine learning applications, advanced materials development, and sensor technologies for aerospace and defense applications, with recent work concentrated on infrared sensor development, composite materials inspection, phase-change materials, and specialized testing methodologies.

Tri/Austin's customer concentration heavily favors the Department of Defense, with the Air Force Research Laboratory and Naval Sea Systems Command anchoring the portfolio. The top five agencies by award count and potential value coverage align tightly: the Air Force Research Laboratory leads with 89 awards worth $58.6 million combined potential value, followed by Naval Sea Systems Command with 66 awards worth $36.2 million, Naval Air Systems Command Naval Air Warfare Center with 45 awards worth $14.1 million, Office of Naval Research with 20 awards worth $10.7 million, and the Army Materiel Command Research Development and Engineering Command with 20 awards worth $8.8 million combined potential value. Together these five customers account for 79% of combined potential value across the portfolio. A broader DoD customer set—including the Defense Microelectronics Activity, Missile Defense Agency, Defense Health Agency, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and others—rounds out the remaining prime awards, while a single subcontract with The Survice Engineering Company LLC on a DoD Information Analysis Center basic center of operations effort represents the vendor's sub footprint.

Representative named contracts illustrate the breadth of Tri/Austin's work. A $1.999 million cost-plus-fixed-fee Naval Sea Systems Command contract awarded April 3, 2026, for Space Based Infrared System High (SBIRS High) research and development reflects the vendor's deep engagement with MDAP programs. Multiple SBIRS High contracts totaling millions flow through Tri/Austin's portfolio across several modalities: a $1.999 million February 24, 2026 base contract for SBIRS High development, a $1.773 million SBIR Phase II awarded August 28, 2024, and numerous Phase I SBIR efforts. Beyond SBIRS High, an $1.8 million Air Force Research Laboratory Broad Agency Announcement contract awarded February 5, 2026, for Model-Based Advanced Sensing for Transformation (MAST) research exemplifies full-and-open competition work. Additional capability anchors include a $2.748 million Air Force Research Laboratory firm fixed-price contract (September 28, 2022) for nondestructive evaluation of thick scarf repaired composites, a $1.25 million Air Force Research Laboratory purchase order (August 15, 2024) for nondestructive inspection services related to cold spray repairs, and a $1.3 million Defense Health Agency SBIR Direct to Phase II award (March 13, 2024) for Type IV medical oxygen storage cylinder development. NASA engagements include a $156,378 SBIR Phase I contract (September 29, 2025) for phase reflectors as a passive wireless structural health monitoring system for lunar excavation vehicles and a $149,991 purchase order (July 21, 2022) for frequency selective surfaces research supporting structural health monitoring.

The vendor's most significant parent vehicle is an Indefinite Delivery Contract (SP070097D4003) carrying 55 task orders, representing Tri/Austin's primary vehicle for placing transactional work. A second IDC (DLA90090D0123) carries two task orders. Tri/Austin does not appear on named GWACs or GSA Schedules in the source data; work flows through single-award or multiple-award indefinite delivery vehicles with individual agencies rather than through government-wide acquisition contracts.

Activity trajectory shows moderate volatility. Awards per year averaged 12.4 over the past five years (2022–2026), with 2025 reaching 16 awards before dropping to six in 2026 (YTD through April). Combined potential value across all 506 awards totals $163.3 million, while combined obligated dollars reach $179.4 million (110% of potential value), indicating that invoiced revenue on completed phases and options has modestly exceeded ceiling values on some closed efforts. Within the next twenty-four months, 21 awards with combined potential value of $30.2 million face ultimate completion dates, creating recompete exposure concentrated in SBIR Phase II and STTR Phase II efforts where Tri/Austin holds phase-advance claims but competes in open selection processes.

The vendor's award portfolio concentrates in research and development NAICS codes (127 awards under Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences, 117 under the same category excluding nanotechnology and biotechnology) and matching PSC classifications (57 awards under Support–Professional: Technology Sharing/Utilization; 41 under National Defense R&D Services Basic Research). This posture—exclusively prime awards under total small business set-asides, focused on SBIR and STTR modalities, and anchored to a handful of DoD research commands—indicates a vendor positioned as a specialized R&D performer rather than a systems integrator or prime contractor on production programs.