Tipton JIM L

Tipton JIM L, doing business as Pirogues Catering, is a woman-owned, veteran-owned, economically disadvantaged small business based in Plankinton, South Dakota, that provides military meals and full food service to Army National Guard units as a prime contractor operating exclusively under Total Small Business set-asides. The company is a limited liability corporation that has held federal contractor status since 2005 and operates across a geographically dispersed portfolio of meal-service awards spanning Arizona, South Dakota, Minnesota, Maryland, and Wisconsin.

Pirogues Catering's capability footprint is narrow and specialized: firm fixed-price meal service delivery — breakfast, lunch, dinner, and boxed meals — to support Army National Guard training operations, Officer Candidate Schools, Recruit Sustainment Programs, annual training exercises, and weekend drills. Recent representative work includes a $533,160 purchase order from the South Dakota Army National Guard (awarded June 2025) for Officer Candidate School meals at Camp Rapid with elevated portion sizes (1.5 times industry standard) to meet trainee caloric requirements; an $822,390 purchase order from the South Dakota Army National Guard (May 2025) for OCS meals at Fort Meade with base-year options extending through May 2028; and a $261,293 purchase order from the South Dakota National Guard (June 2022) for 196th Regional Training Institute Officer Candidate School catering. The company also holds a $5.1 million indefinite delivery contract with the Department of the Army for full food services at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, and operates under multiple single-award blanket purchase agreements with Arizona and Minnesota National Guard units ranging from $384,210 to $720,629 in ceiling value.

Customer concentration is heavily skewed toward state Army National Guard components. The top five customer agencies account for 95% of awards, led by the Arizona Army National Guard (141 awards, $7.4 million combined potential value), Minnesota Army National Guard (59 awards, $7.4 million), the Department of the Army itself (44 awards, $5.8 million), South Dakota Army National Guard (25 awards, $3 million), and Maryland Army National Guard (10 awards, $1.9 million). The two rankings track closely by dollar value, indicating stable per-award magnitude across the portfolio. Total awards across thirteen customer agencies reach 295 in recent history, with combined potential value of $26.5 million and combined obligated dollars of $11.9 million (45% of potential value), reflecting typical invoicing lag in meal-service work.

Vehicle position centers on five parent IDVs and BPAs. Indefinite Delivery Contract W912L218D0001 anchors 87 task orders carrying $1.4 million combined potential value; Indefinite Delivery Contract W912LM15D0001 supports 58 task orders worth $3.5 million; Blanket Purchase Agreement W912L221A0002 carries 27 task orders valued at $996 thousand; Blanket Purchase Agreement W912L222A0009 holds 19 task orders worth $296 thousand; and Indefinite Delivery Contract W912K614D0003 carries 8 task orders valued at $1.2 million. These vehicles are exclusively single-award arrangements with Army and state National Guard entities, not multi-award GWACs or civilian agency vehicles.

Activity trajectory shows significant decline. Awards per year dropped from 26 in 2022 to 8 in 2023, then to 4 in 2024, 2 in 2025, and 1 in 2026. Only two awards (combined potential value $953 thousand) reach ultimate completion inside the next twenty-four months, a negligible recompete cliff relative to the company's recent volume. The portfolio is dominated by NAICS 722330 (Food Service Contractors) and 722320 (Caterers), with PSC code 7310 (Housekeeping–Food) representing 284 of 295 awards. All recent activity is structured as purchase orders or BPA calls against existing IDVs, with no new vehicle awards or contract vehicles held independently by the company.