ECS Federal wins $96M award to support health research funding agency

A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agency has named ECS Federal as the prime contractor on a four-year, $96 million contract to provide support services, the Fairfax County IT business announced Tuesday.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) was created in 2022 to improve the government’s ability to quickly develop biomedical and health solutions.

Under the contract, ECS will provide programmatic support services, including thought leadership in areas like biotechnology and regenerative medicine, to two ARPA-H mission offices: Health Science Futures (HSF), which works to eradicate limitations that stymie progress with health developments, and Scalable Solutions (SSO), which tackles challenges to developing health solutions like geography and economies of scale.

“We are excited to provide foundational support to HSF and SSO, help drive health care system innovation, and act as a health transformation agent,” John Heneghan, president of ECS, said in a statement.

Additionally, ECS will help HSF and SSO address scalability challenges with access to health care and equity, as well as the global supply chain. The company, a subsidiary of Glen Allen-based Fortune 1000 IT and professional staffing services firm ASGN, will also provide strategic planning and advisory support services, including program and financial management.

In March, ECS, which has about 4,000 employees, announced it was one of five companies awarded a potential $500 million indefinite-delivery, indefinite quantity Strategic Technical ARPA-H Talent Support Contract vehicle.

ASGN reported revenue of $4.45 billion in fiscal year 2023.