Government Contracts / DoD
Department of Defense (DoD) — small business spending goals, top NAICS codes, and how to get on the vendor list as a post-acquisition buyer.
Small Biz Spend
$82.0B
Small Biz Goal
23%
SDVOSB Goal
3%
WOSB Goal
5%
Top categories
Computer Systems Design
Largest IT buyer in federal government — DISA, CYBERCOM, service branches.
Janitorial Services
Base operations support at 800+ military installations worldwide.
Automotive Repair
Fleet vehicle maintenance at installations — typically local small business awards.
Management Consulting
Organizational effectiveness, logistics, and change management for commands.
Site Preparation
Construction and facility maintenance at military bases — high set-aside percentage.
How to get on the list
Register in SAM.gov with an active UEI — required for any DoD contract award.
Search beta.SAM.gov for open solicitations filtered by NAICS code and set-aside type.
For installation-level work, contact the base's contracting office directly — not all opportunities appear on SAM.gov.
If the acquired firm held security clearances, file ownership change notification with DCSA within 90 days of close.
For vehicle and task-order-based work, identify which IDIQ vehicles the acquired firm holds and whether task orders can flow immediately after novation.
Contract vehicles
GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS)
Pre-competed vehicle for services — required by many DoD commands for professional services and IT.
SEWP (Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement)
NASA-administered IT vehicle heavily used by DoD for technology products and services.
CIO-SP3
NIH-administered IT vehicle used across DoD and civilian agencies for IT services and solutions.
Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs)
Installation-level vehicles — often not publicly competed, established through direct outreach to base contracting.
Acquisition strategy
DoD is the largest single federal buyer at over $400B annually, with $82B going to small businesses. For an acquisition buyer, the most valuable DoD-related assets in any target firm are: active security clearances (Facility Clearance + personnel clearances), existing task order vehicle positions (SEWP, CIO-SP3, MAS), and CPARS records showing Satisfactory or above. Each of these takes 2–5 years to build from scratch and cannot be purchased independently — they only transfer with the business through a proper acquisition and novation.
SAM.gov registration note
DoD solicitations are primarily on beta.SAM.gov. Filter by NAICS code, set-aside type (SDVOSB, 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB), and agency (Army, Navy, Air Force, Defense Logistics Agency, DISA, etc.). Installation-level contracts often appear under the local installation's contracting office code rather than at the departmental level.
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10-question assessment covering SAM.gov registration, novation, working capital, certifications, and past performance.
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