What Columbus Technologies and Services does

Columbus Technologies and Services is a privately held U.S. federal contractor headquartered in El Segundo, California, founded in 2001 by Ajay Handa. The firm delivers aerospace engineering, health sciences, and national security services to agencies including NASA, NOAA, NIH/ARPA-H, the Department of Defense, and the FAA, operating from offices in El Segundo, Greenbelt, Pasadena, Huntsville, and Atlantic City. Its workforce of 500+ engineers and scientists supports mission-critical programs such as NASA's Perseverance Rover and enterprise IT, and the company has accumulated 150+ federal awards across its history.

Core capabilities span systems engineering, mission operations support, data analytics, biomedical and health research support, and IT/cybersecurity services. The firm holds CMMI Level 3, ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and CMMC Level 2 certifications, and operates as a certified Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) following the 2017 ownership transition in which Reva Handa acquired a 51%+ stake. These certifications collectively qualify the firm for security-sensitive and socioeconomic set-aside contract vehicles that are unavailable to non-certified competitors.

The business model is built on federal prime contracts and subcontractor positions on multi-billion-dollar IDIQ vehicles, including NASA's ESES IV ($1.1B), NOAA's NMITS ($2.1B), DoD's ProTech ($3B), the SAIC-led Army team ($2.9B), and Leidos's AEGIS vehicle ($2.5B). Pricing is consistent with federal cost-reimbursable and firm-fixed-price task-order work. Revenue is concentrated almost entirely in U.S. federal civilian and defense agencies, with no disclosed commercial or state/local business.

Name

Columbus Technologies and Services

Legal name

Columbus Technologies and Services, Inc.

Website

https://columbususa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Columbus Technologies and Services is a privately held, woman-owned U.S. federal contractor providing aerospace engineering, health sciences, and national security services to NASA, NOAA, NIH/ARPA-H, and the Department of Defense.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Federal Government Technical Services

NAICS

All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541990), Satellite Telecommunications (5174), Specialized Design Services (5414)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Communications Services, Nec (4899), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Testing, Inspection, Certification & Commissioning (TICx) Technical Services (BPAHAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Technical Enablement & Adoption Services (Change Management, Adoption, Champions) (BPAEANAC)

Keywords

• Federal government contracting
• Engineering technical services
• Aerospace defense services
• Health services staffing
• National security solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

El Segundo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Contracts: Columbus generates revenue primarily through federal government contracts as both prime and subcontractor. Revenue is derived from cost-plus-award-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract vehicles with agencies including NASA, NOAA, NIH, FAA, DoD, and DHS. Contracts range from software engineering support to mission operations and IT services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Columbus Technologies and Services is a federal government contractor that provides engineering, technology, and scientific expertise across aerospace, health services, and national security markets. The firm delivers technical services and workforce solutions to U.S. federal agencies, supporting mission-critical programs in defense and civilian sectors.

Product overview

Columbus Technologies and Services is a premier aerospace, health services, and national security solutions company that provides specialized professional services to government and commercial customers. Rather than offering a single unified product or platform, Columbus delivers a portfolio of service offerings organized around three core markets—Aerospace, Health Services, and National Security—supplemented by three expertise areas in Engineering, Technology, and Science. The company's offerings are structured around major contract vehicles and programs including the $1.1B ESES IV contract for NASA Goddard, the $2.1B NMITS contract for NOAA, the ProTech Weather and ProTech Satellite 2.0 contract vehicles, the $2.5B NASA AEGIS contract (partnered with Leidos), and the $500M ARPA-H ECS Team contract for health modernization. Columbus operates as a Woman-Owned Small Business certified by the SBA, providing technical expertise in engineering, science, IT, and professional services to federal agencies including NASA, NOAA, NIH, FAA, DoD, and DHS.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aerospace Engineering Services
• Health Services Solutions
• National Security Solutions

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 500 Columbus employees contributed directly to the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover mission.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Learning Tree InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2019Learning Tree International and Columbus announced a new corporate partnership on June 18, 2019, enabling a broad Public Sector audience to realize the benefits of Modern Learning Solutions.
• RaytheoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRaytheon is listed as a partner company on Columbus's Customers and Partners page.
• LeidoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeidos is listed as a partner on Columbus's Customers and Partners page. Columbus partnered with Leidos on the NASA AEGIS Contract (10-year, $2.5 billion).
• Jacobs EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJacobs is listed as a partner on Columbus's Customers and Partners page. Columbus received the 2021 Jacobs Supplier Excellence Award for support to Jacobs Space Exploration Group at NASA Marshall.
• KBRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKBR is listed as a partner on Columbus's Customers and Partners page.
• SAICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAIC is listed as a partner on Columbus's Customers and Partners page. Columbus was a team member on the SAIC team winning the $2.9 billion U.S. Army software development and maintenance contract.
• Kelly Government SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKelly Government Solutions is listed as a partner. Columbus is a team member of the KGS team awarded the NIH STOPS five-year contract for scientific, technical, and professional support services.
• VencorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVencore is listed as a partner company on Columbus's Customers and Partners page.
• Leidos (NASA AEGIS Contract)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColumbus is a partner to Leidos on the NASA AEGIS Contract, a 10-year $2.5 billion contract providing telecommunications, cloud, and data center services across all NASA centers and facilities.
• DigiFlightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColumbus partnered with DigiFlight to support the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) Security Assistance Management Division (SAMD) in Huntsville, Alabama. This partnership supports national security initiatives.
• LynkercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColumbus, as a member of the Lynker team, was awarded the NOAA Mission Information Technology Services (NMITS) contract with a maximum value of $2.1 billion. The contract supports IT services across all NOAA Line Offices.
• Lockheed Martin CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColumbus was awarded a three-year contract by Lockheed Martin Corporation to provide Help Desk and Field Support Services (HDFSS) for JPL under the DICE Contract.
• Alpha OmegaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColumbus supports NOAA NCEI IT modernization under a subcontract with Alpha Omega, providing system and database administration and software development support.
• APR (NASA JPL TSAS Contract)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColumbus returned to support NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a subcontractor to APR under the TSAS Contract, continuing a more than two-decade relationship with JPL.
• MSM Columbus VenturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColumbus is the mentor partner of a Joint Venture named MSM Columbus Ventures, one of three Service Disabled, Veteran Owned small businesses awardees on the NOAA ProTech Weather contract.
• ABSc Team (INSCOM GI Contract)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColumbus is a team member of the ABSc Team awarded an IDIQ contract for Global Intelligence support by U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM).

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Leidos Holdings: Leidos is one of the largest federal IT, engineering, and scientific services contractors, serving NASA, NOAA, DoD, and intelligence agencies with mission solutions that directly overlap Columbus's aerospace, health, and national security offerings — including partnering with Columbus on the $2.5B NASA AEGIS contract.
• Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC): SAIC is a direct competitor providing federal IT modernization, systems engineering, and mission support to NASA, NOAA, DoD, and intelligence customers — including serving as prime on the $2.9B Army contract where Columbus is a team member.
• Jacobs Solutions: Jacobs is a global engineering, science, and technical services firm heavily embedded in NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and broader federal aerospace programs, directly competing with Columbus's aerospace mission engineering offerings and awarding Columbus its 2021 Supplier Excellence Award.
• Booz Allen Hamilton: Booz Allen is a top-tier federal management and technology consulting firm serving DoD, intelligence, civilian, and health agencies, directly competing for federal digital, cyber, and engineering services work that overlaps Columbus's national security and health portfolios.
• KBR Inc. KBR is a federal engineering, science, and mission support contractor with major NASA, DoD, and science agency programs — listed as a core partner to Columbus and a direct competitor in spaceflight engineering and government technical services.
• Peraton: Peraton is a mid-large federal contractor specializing in IT, intelligence, and mission support across DoD, INSCOM-adjacent intelligence, and civilian agencies, overlapping Columbus's intelligence training, cybersecurity, and national security services offerings.
• ManTech International (now Carlyle-owned): ManTech is a federal IT and technical services contractor whose cybersecurity, intelligence, and mission systems engineering work directly overlaps Columbus's national security and IT services offerings across DoD and intelligence customers.
• ICF International: ICF is a professional services firm providing research, analytics, IT modernization, and mission support to federal civilian and health agencies, comparable to Columbus's biomedical, IT, and policy support work for NIH, NOAA, and FAA.
• CGI Federal: CGI Federal is a major IT and business consulting services provider to U.S. federal civilian agencies including HHS, FAA, and NOAA, comparable to Columbus's health services, FAA NAS IT support, and NOAA Line Office IT modernization work.

Emerging players

• Abacus Technology: Abacus Technology is a smaller federal IT and engineering services contractor serving NASA, DoD, and civilian agencies with software, systems engineering, and IT operations work comparable in mission and customer footprint to Columbus, though at smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/columbususa
• Facebookfacebook.com/ColumbusTechnologiesAndServices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/columbususa

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Columbus Technologies and Services