Federal contractor · NORTHRIDGE, CA

ARETE ASSOCIATES

ARETE ASSOCIATES received $20.2M in federal contract obligations in FY2026, on 40 awards (−47% vs FY2025). Since FY2017: $414.8M. Its largest customer was Department of the Navy ($18.6M).

Obligations · FY2026
$20.2M
New awards
40
Sole-source
7.7%
Single offer
14%
UEI
DMKEXJ8NQ4C5
Small business
Open in the contracts explorerRelationship graph

Company family

Grouped from reported parent companies (UEI) and, where marked, AI judgments that two records name the same organization or group.

2 registered entities of the same company or corporate group, $20.2M in FY2026 together.

  1. ARETE ASSOCIATESNORTHRIDGE, CA · Family page
    $20.2M
  2. ARETE ASSOCIATES, INC.ARLINGTON, VA
    $0

Spending by fiscal year

Obligations per federal fiscal year (October–September).

  1. 18.5MFY2017
  2. 38.2MFY2018
  3. 38.6MFY2019
  4. 65.2MFY2020
  5. 28.4MFY2021
  6. 64.3MFY2022
  7. 52.4MFY2023
  8. 51MFY2024
  9. 37.9MFY2025
  10. 20.2MFY2026

Top buying agencies

Obligations in FY2026.

  1. Department of the Navy$18.6M92%
    29 awards
  2. National Aeronautics and Space Administration$853.1K4.2%
    4 awards
  3. Department of the Air Force$515.7K2.6%
    3 awards
  4. Defense Threat Reduction Agency$199.9K1.0%
    1 awards
  5. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$58.1K0.3%
    1 awards
  6. Missile Defense Agency$5000.0%
    1 awards
  7. Department of the Army$00.0%
    1 awards

What was bought · Where the work was performed

Obligations in FY2026.

What was bought

  1. Research & development$18.6M92%
  2. Professional services$796.3K3.9%
  3. Other equipment & supplies$706K3.5%
  4. IT & telecom$58.1K0.3%

Where the work was performed

  1. Los Angeles County, CA$17.3M86%
  2. Arlington County, VA$2.2M11%
  3. Okaloosa County, FL$696.8K3.5%
  4. Madison County, AL$5000.0%

Integrity signals

Shares of the year's obligations, next to the country's.

  • Low competition22%
    US 39% · $4.4M
  • Sole-source awards7.7%
    US 30% · $1.6M
  • Single-offer competitions14%
    US 8.8% · $2.8M
  • Urgency justifications0.0%
    US 5.1% · $0

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Agencies awarding it sole-source contracts

  1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration$106.7K
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration · 1 awards

Largest awards

  1. INTEGRATION SERVICES SUPPORTING INCREMENTAL UPGRADES, BLOCK UPGRADES, AND FUTURE GENERATIONS OF MK 18 FAMILY OF SYSTEMS UNMANNED UNDERWATER VEHICLES (UUVS), ADDITIONAL UUVS, AND REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLES$41.6M
    Department of the Navy· Pima County, AZ· Research & development· Aug 24, 2020 – Dec 18, 2025· N6600120C0025
  2. 873AUTHORITY$13M
    Department of the Navy· Los Angeles County, CA· Research & development· Aug 1, 2024 – Mar 4, 2026· N6426724C0040
  3. SUBMARINE SECURITY ANALYSES 2$12.9M
    Department of the Navy· Los Angeles County, CA· Research & development· Apr 28, 2022 – Apr 20, 2026· N0001422C1024
  4. SMART ELECTRICALLY POWERED AND NETWORKED TEXTILE SYSTEMS (SMART EPANTS) PROGRAM$9.8M
    Department of the Navy· Arlington County, VA· Research & development· Jul 28, 2023 – May 27, 2026· N6600123C4511
  5. EOID REPAIR AND UPGRADE$9.7M
    Department of the Navy· Los Angeles County, CA· Other equipment & supplies· Mar 26, 2024 – May 29, 2026· N0002424C6322
  6. MK 18 ADVANCED SENSOR PACKAGE (ASP) DEPOT SERVICES & HARDWARE PROCUREMENT$5.4M
    Department of the Navy· Los Angeles County, CA· Professional services· Jun 3, 2025 – Jun 1, 2026· N6600125C0022
  7. D2P2 ARETE - LOW EARTH ORBIT SPACE DOMAIN AWARENESS OPTICAL FENCE$2.2M
    Department of the Air Force· Los Angeles County, CA· Research & development· Apr 24, 2025 – May 19, 2026· FA945125CX013
  8. SBIR PHASE II- TOPIC AF183-001$2M
    Department of the Navy· Los Angeles County, CA· Research & development· Jan 30, 2024 – Dec 22, 2025· N6833524C0175

Federal grants & assistance received

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

ARETE ASSOCIATES received $0 in federal assistance in FY2026, on 2 actions (0 new awards), −100% vs FY2025.

Assistance · FY2026
$0
New awards
0
Actions
2
Since FY2021
$3.5M

Assistance by fiscal year

  1. 149.9KFY2021
  2. 1.3MFY2022
  3. 250KFY2023
  4. 1.4MFY2024
  5. 449.7KFY2025
  6. 0FY2026

Largest awards

  1. PROLIFERATION DETECTION IN THE MARITIME ENVIRONMENT USING SPECTRAL ANALYSIS$1.4M
    81.049 · Office of Science Financial Assistance Program· Department of Energy· Project grant· Sep 24, 2024 – Jul 21, 2026· DESC0024956
  2. UNMODIFIED PLANTS AS SENSORS FOR WORLDWIDE INFORMATION GATHERING (UPSWING) FOR THE EX VIRENTIA (EXVI) PROGRAM$449.7K
    12.910 · Research and Technology Development· Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency· Other financial assistance· May 5, 2025 – Apr 3, 2026· HR00112530143

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Subawards

Matched by Unique Entity ID: the first-tier subawards this organization reported as a prime recipient, and those primes reported paying it.

As a prime: who it pays · FY2026

  • Sub-contracts: $1.1M (12 subawards)

12 sub-recipients

  1. COASTAL HELICOPTERS, INC.$245.8K22%
    PANAMA CITY, FL · 1 subaward
  2. PENN STATE UNIVERSITY$210K19%
    WARMINSTER, PA · 1 subaward
  3. MSI TRANSDUCERS CORP.$121.6K11%
    LITTLETON, MA · 1 subaward
  4. AMPLIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.$105K9.4%
    PARAMUS, NJ · 1 subaward
  5. IDEAL INSTRUMENT CO, INC.$100.9K9.0%
    CANTON, MA · 1 subaward
  6. THE SENSOR GROUP LLC$80K7.2%
    TUCSON, AZ · 1 subaward
  7. OPTIMAX SYSTEMS, INC.$65.8K5.9%
    ONTARIO, NY · 1 subaward
  8. EPIQ DESIGN SOLUTIONS LLC$44K3.9%
    ROLLING MEADOWS, IL · 1 subaward
  9. NEWARK ELECTRONICS CORPORATION$42.8K3.8%
    CHICAGO, IL · 1 subaward
  10. XLR8 EMS, LLC$35.3K3.2%
    SAN CLEMENTE, CA · 1 subaward

As a sub-recipient: who pays it · FY2026

  • Sub-contracts: $2M (5 subawards)

3 primes

  1. NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION$1.4M70%
    MELBOURNE, FL · 2 subawards
  2. HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.$444.1K22%
    KANSAS CITY, MO · 1 subaward
  3. NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION$158.3K7.8%
    APOPKA, FL · 2 subawards

Its reported sub-contracts equal 5.5% of its FY2026 contract obligations.

By fiscal year

  • FY2021: $1.5M paid out · $3M received
  • FY2022: $6.8M paid out · $5.5M received
  • FY2023: $12.6M paid out · $12.4M received
  • FY2024: $11.3M paid out · $17.8M received
  • FY2025: $9.6M paid out · $33.8M received
  • FY2026: $1.1M paid out · $2M received

Primes report first-tier subawards of $30,000 or more themselves, and many go unreported (GAO-24-106214). Reporting moved from FSRS to SAM.gov in March 2025 and fewer sub-contracts have been reported since. Amounts are what primes reported; they are never added to prime award totals.

Source: Subawards (first-tier sub-contracts and sub-grants reported under FFATA) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov (reports filed in SAM.gov, formerly FSRS)), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026 · Subawards loaded from FY2021.

Teaming partners

Companies this company reported paying, primes that reported paying it, from FFATA subaward reports.

Companies it pays

114 companies · $42.8M reported

  1. NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION$7.7M
    SAN DIEGO, CA · 1 subaward · Architectural, engineering, and related services
  2. REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN$2.6M
    ANN ARBOR, MI · 4 subawards · Scientific research and development services
  3. UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA$1.8M
    TUCSON, AZ · 10 subawards · Scientific research and development services

Primes that pay it

14 companies · $74.4M reported

  1. SIERRA NEVADA COMPANY, LLC$44.9M
    SPARKS, NV · 7 subawards · Other professional, scientific, and technical services
  2. NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION$10.8M
    MELBOURNE, FL · 17 subawards · Commercial and service industry machinery manufacturing
  3. TRIAD NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC$5.6M
    COLUMBUS, OH · 7 subawards · Facilities support services

Showing the top 3 of each list. Open the profile for potential partners and the full lists.

Primes report first-tier subawards of $30,000 or more themselves, and many go unreported (GAO-24-106214). Reporting moved from FSRS to SAM.gov in March 2025 and fewer sub-contracts have been reported since. Amounts are what primes reported; they are never added to prime award totals.

Source: Subawards (first-tier sub-contracts and sub-grants reported under FFATA) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov (reports filed in SAM.gov, formerly FSRS)), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026 · Subawards loaded from 2021.

Competitors

Companies that win from the same buyers in the same markets: obligations by agency and industry compared over the last three fiscal years.

Compared on 13 markets (agency × industry), FY2024–FY2026.

  1. TRITON SYSTEMS, INC.$90.4M−41% in FY2026
    CHELMSFORD, MA · 65% of this company's obligations are in markets they both serveNavy · Scientific research and development servicesAir Force · Scientific research and development servicesMissile Defense Agency · Scientific research and development services+4 more
  2. METRON INCORPORATED$83.5M+27% in FY2026
    RESTON, VA · 3 entities · 60% of this company's obligations are in markets they both serveNavy · Scientific research and development servicesAir Force · Scientific research and development servicesDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency · Scientific research and development services+1 more
  3. PACKET DIGITAL LLC$54.9M+276% in FY2026
    FARGO, ND · 50% of this company's obligations are in markets they both serveNavy · Scientific research and development servicesAir Force · Scientific research and development services

Showing the top 3 of 25 competitors. Open the profile for the full list.

Who sells to the same buyers in the same markets, not who wins against whom on a given contract. Prime contract obligations by the agency and NAICS code of each award; subawards are never added. A company is a family of legal entities, joined by parent UEI or, in part, by an AI reading of names.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026 · FY2024–FY2026.

Lobbying and PAC activity

Organizations in House lobbying disclosures and FEC records whose names an AI judgment matched to this company. Those records carry no identifier shared with contracts, so every match is by name.

Across the company family of ARETE ASSOCIATES (2 recipients).

Matched organizations

  • Arete AssociatesAI match · 100%
Lobbying · 2023
$40K
4 reports
Lobbying · 2023–2024
$40K

Lobbying by year

  1. 2023$40K
    4 reports
  2. 2024$0
    1 reports

Top issues

  1. Defense4 reports

Who was contacted

  1. U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES4 reports
  2. U.S. SENATE4 reports

Houses of Congress and federal agencies the reports list as contacted (a report names every one for all its issues).

Lobbying firms hired

  1. Atlantic Strategies Group LLC$40K
    5 reports

Registrants who are individuals are counted, not named.

Lobbying amounts are the filers' own good-faith estimates on quarterly LD-2 reports (the law asks for amounts rounded to $10,000; under $5,000 need not be itemized), latest amendment only. When an organization files its own report, it replaces what outside firms report for it that quarter. Matches are by name. Lobbying and political giving are legal and public: they show engagement with government, not influence over any award. Correlation is not influence: these organizations' lobbying and their contracts are shown side by side, and nothing here implies either affected the other.

Source: Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026 · 2023–2026.

Source: Committees, candidates and committee contributions to candidates (Federal Election Commission), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026 · 2026, 2024, 2022.

Matches: Analisa AI name judgments (entity-match@1), updated Oct 5, 2026.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026.