University Of Arizona

The University of Arizona's Bursar's Office, a division of the state-controlled 1862 Land Grant institution and recipient of federal contracts and grants, operates as a prime contractor and sub-recipient on education, research, and specialized services for federal agencies, with 333 total awards (96% as prime, 4% as sub-recipient) accumulated over the past several years and valued at $102 million in combined potential, 81% obligated. The Bursar's Office does not hold SBA certifications and competes exclusively in full-and-open federal procurements.

The University's concrete federal footprint centers on three distinct capability streams. First, tuition and educational services for Navy personnel: the Bursar's Office holds a Basic Ordering Agreement (N0018919GZ071) with the Bureau of Naval Personnel running through July 2029, from which eleven task orders have been placed worth $4.3 million combined potential value, including recent delivery orders for Winter 2025 NROTC midshipmen tuition ($2,635.58, December 19, 2025), retroactive Fall 2025 tuition ($679,539.25, December 18, 2025), and Spring 2023 semester tuition and fees ($476,099.70). Second, telescope operation and optical engineering services: the University operates and maintains the Multiple Mirror Telescope on Mount Hopkins under a definitive cost-reimbursement contract with the Smithsonian Institution (eight total Smithsonian awards worth $4.1 million combined potential), including the most recent fiscal period running through June 2025 at $1.4 million, and furnishes aluminization and lens fabrication support services valued between $6,300 and $26,600 per order. Third, research and development across space science, physical engineering, and life sciences domains: the University received 59 awards under PSC R&D–Space (Science/Applications, Basic Research) and 35 under General Science and Technology R&D, anchored by NASA and NASA Goddard Space Center funding (12 and 8 awards respectively, $7.4 million and $7.2 million combined potential value). Additional contract work includes a $6,322.40 purchase order from the Office of Naval Research for lens fabrication (October 2022) and a $20,000 workshop facilitation services order from the Smithsonian (September 2022).

Federal agency concentration is dispersed across 39 customer agencies but concentrated in defense and science budgets. The Department of the Air Force leads by award count (68 awards), followed by the Department of the Army (23 awards) and the Navy Bureau of Naval Personnel (15 awards, $5.1 million combined potential value). By combined potential value, NASA and its Goddard Space Center dominate (12 and 8 awards, $7.4 million and $7.2 million), followed by the Navy Bureau of Naval Personnel ($5.1 million), the Smithsonian Institution ($4.1 million), and the Navy Chief of Naval Personnel ($3.2 million). The top five customer agencies account for 38% of awards but represent only 27% of combined potential value, indicating that Air Force and Army volume awards carry lower individual values while NASA and Smithsonian work anchors larger contracts. The University holds five named parent vehicles: Indefinite Delivery Contract N0014006G0032 (16 task orders, $5.2 million), the Navy Basic Ordering Agreement N0018919GZ071 (11 task orders, $4.3 million), Blanket Purchase Agreement HHSI245200530188B (7 task orders), and two Air Force indefinite delivery contracts (F0160079D0238 with 6 task orders, F1962882K0036 with 5 task orders).

Activity has remained modest but consistent, averaging 6.2 awards annually over the past five years (2 in 2021, ramping to 10 in 2022, then declining to 5 in 2025 year-to-date). The recompete horizon shows minimal near-term pressure: only one award ($858 thousand in potential value) completes within the next twenty-four months. In its sub-recipient role, the University of Arizona participates in grant sub-awards through prime grantees including the University of Denver (forestry and climate research with co-investigator field work and data analysis, March 2025 and January 2024), Dignity Health (biostatistics co-investigation for breast cancer research, January 2025 and February 2024), Oregon Health & Science University (SWOG oncology capitation payments, March 2024), and Arizona Department of Economic Security (child care development fund research support, multiple awards 2022–2023). The University also subcontracts on development, testing, and prototyping services for electro-optic technology under Caci Technologies (March 2025) and provides support services under Arete Associates (December 2023). The Bursar's Office operates as a division of the parent University of Arizona (Arizona Board of Regents), a 1862 Land Grant college and Hispanic-Servicing institution headquartered in Tucson with primary operations at the Tucson campus.