The Rand Corporation

The Rand Corporation, a nonprofit tax-exempt policy research organization headquartered in Santa Monica, California, delivers evidence-based research, policy analysis, and strategic consulting services to federal agencies across defense, national security, healthcare, and civilian policy domains as a prime contractor on unrestricted vehicles and as a recipient on federal research grants—operating with no SBA set-aside posture and competing in full-and-open federal markets.

Rand operates as prime on 2,388 of its 2,573 total awards (93%) across 203 distinct customer agencies, with subsidiary operations in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and regional sites. The federal contract portfolio reflects a longstanding, multi-decade relationship with the Department of Defense and Office of the Secretary of Defense, anchored by a $985.6 million indefinite-delivery research and development services contract (ultimate completion July 2036) awarded July 2, 2026, and a $999.999 billion OASIS+ Unrestricted multiple-award contract ceiling through December 2029. The top five funding agencies by combined potential value account for 79% of Rand's recent prime contract exposure: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ($8.58 billion across 104 awards), Office of the Secretary of Defense ($2.74 billion across 141 awards), Air Force District Washington ($1.34 billion across 159 awards), DHS Science and Technology Directorate ($1.09 billion across 109 awards), and Army Office of the Chief of Staff ($515.8 million across 61 awards). Recent representative contract work includes a $32.976 million Air Force core research delivery order for FY26 project work (72 staff-years, cost-no-fee), a $39.4 million OSD order for defense contractor financial and business intelligence analysis, and a $27.36 million OSD order examining artificial general intelligence strategic implications. Healthcare and social policy represent a secondary but substantial customer segment, with CMS issuing a $27.2 million delivery order for GLOBE and GUARD model drug-pricing implementation through 2036 and a $28.7 million order for Medicare Advantage CAHPS survey implementation.

On the federal grant side, Rand acts as prime recipient on 27 identified recent grants spanning National Institutes of Health programs (aging research, mental health, drug abuse, cancer prevention), NSF research infrastructure and social-behavioral science programs, NOAA climate and atmospheric research, and the Navy. Representative grants include $2.836 million from National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities for a faith community obesity prevention cluster RCT in South Los Angeles; $1.1 million from NOAA for Mid-Atlantic climate adaptation and extreme weather decision support; and $872.6 thousand from National Institute on Drug Abuse for telehealth-delivered buprenorphine access research. Rand also serves as sub-recipient on numerous NIH and NSF awards, contributing research design, data analysis, qualitative interviewing, and project management expertise to lead institutions including University of Pittsburgh, Stanford, Brown, Johns Hopkins, and Columbia University.

Parent vehicles anchor Rand's task-order access across federal agencies. The Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center FFRDC IDIQ (contract 70RSAT22D00000001), held by Rand, has generated 156 recent task orders worth $280.9 million in combined potential value, spanning DHS Science and Technology, FEMA, Secret Service, ICE, and related components for biological and chemical threat analysis, force design and operational analysis, emergency management program evaluation, and maritime domain awareness work. The GSA Multiple Award Schedule carries 169 task orders ($441.3 million potential value), issued by civilian agencies including CMS, AHRQ, State Department, and Veterans Affairs for research, health services evaluation, and policy analysis. OASIS+ Unrestricted has generated rapid-access delivery orders from the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources and other federal agencies. The Air Force's FA701422D0001 research IDIQ has supported 115 task orders ($279 million potential value) for Project Air Force core studies, organizational analysis, and strategic assessments.

SCI-reported federal services contracts show $607.9 million in invoiced revenue across FY2022–FY2025 (prime records only), with FY2024 peak invoicing at $172 million across 340 FTEs and FY2025 invoicing of $147.4 million across 288 FTEs. Government-paid median hourly rates run $253.58/hour across the federal services workforce, with a range from $179.56/hour (10th percentile) to $351.49/hour (90th percentile), reflecting a delivery model combining research support staff, policy researchers, and senior principal researchers. Across SCI-reportable prime contracts, subcontractors account for approximately 3% of total contractor hours, with 62 total named subcontractors reported, indicating Rand primarily self-performs its delivery and engages subs selectively. Named sub-engagement on recent major orders includes Westat, Inc. and Health Services Advisory Group, Inc. on the $28.7 million CMS CAHPS survey contract, McChrystal Group LLC (SDVOSB) on the $12.1 million FEMA NDEMU (National Disaster and Emergency Management University) contract, and specialized partners including The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, Vico Technologies LLC, and Argus Media Inc. on OSD defense and national security work.

The three largest recent recompete pressures face Rand in the next twenty-four months: 106 awards with completion dates inside the window carry combined potential value of $531.1 million. Activity has moderated from 143 awards in FY2022 to 75 through October 2026, reflecting the maturity of multi-year task-order vehicles and core research IDIQs that front-load initial years with large delivery orders. GSA Schedule labor categories span 62 distinct roles priced from $72.64/hour (interviewer, high-school education) through $503.51/hour (senior principal researcher, 20+ years, Ph.D.), with no security-clearance positions offered. Rand's Indefinite Delivery Contract with OSD and its OASIS+ and HSOAC FFRDC positions enable rapid task-order issuance without individual competitive solicitations, and its subsidiaries include Rand Europe Community Interest Company (non-profit organization), reflecting the organization's international research capacity.