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R&D contracts in California

Federal research and development work in California that is set aside for small businesses. As of Oct 17, 2026: 0 open notices, 11 set-aside contracts ending in the next 6 to 18 months, and 358 new set-aside awards in the last 12 months.

Covers NAICS 5417 (Scientific Research and Development Services). Place of performance: California.

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No open notices for this trade in California today. New ones are posted daily, so set an alert above or see all open bids in California.

Contracts ending soon (recompetes)

ScoreIncumbentAgencyIndustryStateTotal obligatedEnds
91SCIENTIFIC APPLICATIONS & RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC.
873AUTHORITY
Why 91? ends in 8 mo · no option years left · $6.9M · 1 offer last time · standalone contract
  • Ends in about 8 months (Jun 8, 2027). +28/30
  • No unexercised option years on record, so new work likely has to be awarded when it ends. +20/20
  • $6.9M obligated so far. +13/20
  • Last time it was competed among eligible firms (set-aside competition), and only 1 offer came in. +20/20
  • Standalone contract, so the follow-on is not tied to an existing vehicle. +10/10
  • The incumbent has held it since 2024 (about 2 years).
Department of Defense
Department of the Navy
Research and Development in the…CA$6,899,612Jun 8, 2027
86FIRESTORM LABS, INC.
FIRESTORM EXPEDITIONARY MANUFACTURING CELL (XCELL)
Why 86? ends in 12 mo · no option years left · $19M · 1 offer last time · standalone contract
  • Ends in about 12 months (Oct 22, 2027). +19/30
  • No unexercised option years on record, so new work likely has to be awarded when it ends. +20/20
  • $19M obligated so far. +17/20
  • Last time it was competed among eligible firms (set-aside competition), and only 1 offer came in. +20/20
  • Standalone contract, so the follow-on is not tied to an existing vehicle. +10/10
Department of Defense
Department of the Air Force
Research and Development in the…CA$18,756,584Oct 22, 2027
83AEROVIRONMENT, INC
SBIR PHASE III R&D
Why 83? ends in 8 mo · no option years left · $8.6M · 1 offer last time · single-award vehicle
  • Ends in about 8 months (Jun 30, 2027). +27/30
  • No unexercised option years on record, so new work likely has to be awarded when it ends. +20/20
  • $8.6M obligated so far. +14/20
  • Last time it was competed among eligible firms (set-aside competition), and only 1 offer came in. +20/20
  • Ordered under single-award basic ordering agreement (BOA) (N6833519G0059) held by the incumbent; a follow-on would need a new vehicle or award. +2/10
  • The incumbent has held it since 2024 (about 2 years).
Department of Defense
Department of the Navy
Research and Development in the…CA$8,636,229Jun 30, 2027
80ARETE ASSOCIATES
873AUTHORITY
Why 80? ends in 14 mo · no option years left · $13M · 1 offer last time · standalone contract
  • Ends in about 14 months (Dec 8, 2027). +15/30
  • No unexercised option years on record, so new work likely has to be awarded when it ends. +20/20
  • $13M obligated so far. +15/20
  • Last time it was competed among eligible firms (set-aside competition), and only 1 offer came in. +20/20
  • Standalone contract, so the follow-on is not tied to an existing vehicle. +10/10
  • The incumbent has held it since 2024 (about 2 years).
Department of Defense
Department of the Navy
Research and Development in the…CA$12,999,980Dec 8, 2027
76ANALYTICAL MECHANICS ASSOCIATES, INC.
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SERVICES UNDER THE ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT SERVICES…
Why 76? ends in 10 mo · no option years left · $7.5M · 2 offers last time · vehicle holders only
  • Ends in about 10 months (Aug 31, 2027). +22/30
  • No unexercised option years on record, so new work likely has to be awarded when it ends. +20/20
  • $7.5M obligated so far. +14/20
  • Last time it was competed among eligible firms (set-aside competition) with 2 offers. +17/20
  • Ordered under an IDIQ contract (80AFRC19D0002); usually only holders of that vehicle can compete for the follow-on order. +3/10
  • The incumbent has held it since 2023 (about 3 years).
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Research and Development in the…CA$7,511,498Aug 31, 2027
72IMPULSE SPACE, INC.
PHASE III - GEOSPACE DYNAMICS CONSTELLATION (GDC) TRAILBLAZER PROJECT
Why 72? ends in 17 mo · no option years left · $13M · 1 offer last time · standalone contract
  • Ends in about 17 months (Mar 29, 2028). +7/30
  • No unexercised option years on record, so new work likely has to be awarded when it ends. +20/20
  • $13M obligated so far. +15/20
  • Last time it was competed among eligible firms (set-aside competition), and only 1 offer came in. +20/20
  • Standalone contract, so the follow-on is not tied to an existing vehicle. +10/10
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Research and Development in the…CA$12,500,000Mar 29, 2028
69CASTELION CORPORATION
PER SOW, G/R LIST, AND TECHNICAL PROPOSAL
Why 69? ends in 17 mo · no option years left · $178M (2 orders) · 1 offer last time · single-award vehicle
  • Ends in about 17 months (Apr 1, 2028); the earliest of its 2 orders ends Dec 10, 2027. +7/30
  • No unexercised option years on record, so new work likely has to be awarded when it ends. +20/20
  • $178M obligated so far across 2 sibling orders. +20/20
  • Last time it was competed among eligible firms (set-aside competition), and only 1 offer came in. +20/20
  • Ordered under single-award basic ordering agreement (BOA) (N6833526G0006) held by the incumbent; a follow-on would need a new vehicle or award. +2/10
  • Groups 2 sibling orders: N6833526F1022 ($154,996,571, ends Apr 1, 2028), N6833526F1138 ($23,350,000, ends Dec 10, 2027)
Department of Defense
Department of the Navy
Research and Development in the…CA$178,346,571Apr 1, 2028
67TURION SPACE CORP
TURION SBIR PHASE II
Why 67? ends in 11 mo · options could run to Oct 2028 · $22M · 1 offer last time · standalone contract
  • Ends in about 11 months (Sep 30, 2027). +20/30
  • Unexercised options on record could extend it to Oct 31, 2028, so the agency may extend instead of recompeting. +0/20
  • $22M obligated so far. +17/20
  • Last time it was competed among eligible firms (set-aside competition), and only 1 offer came in. +20/20
  • Standalone contract, so the follow-on is not tied to an existing vehicle. +10/10
  • The incumbent has held it since 2024 (about 2 years).
Department of Defense
Department of the Air Force
Research and Development in the…CA$21,974,594Sep 30, 2027
64MOTIV SPACE SYSTEMS, INC.
PHASE III - FLY FOUNDATIONAL ROBOTS (FFR) DEVELOPMENT AND DEMONSTRATION MISSION
Why 64? ends in 17 mo · no option years left · $13M · 500 offers last time · standalone contract
  • Ends in about 17 months (Mar 31, 2028). +7/30
  • No unexercised option years on record, so new work likely has to be awarded when it ends. +20/20
  • $13M obligated so far. +15/20
  • Last time it was competed among eligible firms (set-aside competition) with 500 offers (crowded field). +12/20
  • Standalone contract, so the follow-on is not tied to an existing vehicle. +10/10
  • The incumbent has held it since 2025 (about 1 year).
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Research and Development in…CA$12,746,862Mar 31, 2028
57TECOLOTE RESEARCH, INC.
EARNED VALUE MANAGEMENT (EVM) AND SCHEDULING SERVICES
Why 57? ends in 11 mo · options could run to Sep 2029 · $9.9M · 1 offer last time · vehicle holders only
  • Ends in about 11 months (Sep 29, 2027). +20/30
  • Unexercised options on record could extend it to Sep 29, 2029, so the agency may extend instead of recompeting. +0/20
  • $9.9M obligated so far. +14/20
  • Last time it was competed among eligible firms (set-aside competition), and only 1 offer came in. +20/20
  • Ordered under an IDIQ contract (GS00Q14OADS619); usually only holders of that vehicle can compete for the follow-on order. +3/10
  • The incumbent has held it since 2024 (about 2 years).
General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Research and Development in the…CA$9,879,027Sep 29, 2027
49MAINSAIL - OASIS JOINT VENTURE LLC
SSC - SPACE SENSING (SN) SYSTEMS ENGINEERING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (SETA) SUPPORT AWARD
Why 49? ends in 11 mo · options could run to Sep 2031 · $7.9M · 6 offers last time · vehicle holders only
  • Ends in about 11 months (Sep 28, 2027). +20/30
  • Unexercised options on record could extend it to Sep 28, 2031, so the agency may extend instead of recompeting. +0/20
  • $7.9M obligated so far. +14/20
  • Last time it was competed among eligible firms (set-aside competition) with 6 offers (crowded field). +12/20
  • Ordered under an IDIQ contract (47QRCA25DSE68); usually only holders of that vehicle can compete for the follow-on order. +3/10
General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Research and Development in the…CA$7,866,990Sep 28, 2027

Who wins this work in California

CompanySet-aside $ obligated
Castelion Corporation$179,461,973
Firestorm Labs, Inc.$20,756,548
Toyon Research Corporation$20,526,786
Intellisense Systems Inc$18,015,144
Impulse Space, Inc.$16,538,901

Top buyers: Department of Defense ($530,365,092), National Aeronautics and Space Administration ($69,637,591), General Services Administration ($43,481,978).

Source: USAspending.gov, small-business set-aside contracts for NAICS 5417 performed in California, Oct 18, 2025 to Oct 18, 2026. Dollars are net obligations in the period. Refreshed weekly.

Free local help: APEX Accelerators in California

APEX Accelerators give small businesses no-cost, one-on-one help with SAM.gov registration, finding bids and preparing proposals. The program is funded by the Department of War (formerly Defense) Office of Industrial Base Growth.

Source: official APEX Accelerators directory, checked Oct 18, 2026. AwardWatchdog is independent and not affiliated with the APEX Accelerators program.

Frequently asked questions

How many federal research and development set-aside contracts are open in California?

As of Oct 17, 2026, AwardWatchdog lists 0 open small-business set-aside or early-stage notices for research and development work performed in California (NAICS 5417), from SAM.gov.

Who wins research and development set-aside contracts in California?

From Oct 18, 2025 to Oct 18, 2026, USAspending.gov shows 358 new small-business set-aside contract awards for this work performed in California. The largest recipient by dollars obligated was Castelion Corporation ($179,461,973), and the biggest buyer was Department of Defense.

Where can I get free help bidding on federal contracts in California?

California is served by American Indian Chamber Education Fund APEX Accelerator - Headquarters, American Indian Chamber Education Fund APEX Accelerator - California, California Capital APEX Accelerator and others. APEX Accelerators give small businesses free help with registration, bid searches and proposals (official directory checked Oct 18, 2026).

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