Government Contracts / HHS
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — small business spending goals, top NAICS codes, and how to get on the vendor list as a post-acquisition buyer.
Small Biz Spend
$5.0B
Small Biz Goal
30%
SDVOSB Goal
3%
WOSB Goal
5%
Top categories
Research and Development in Biotechnology
NIH is the world's largest funder of biomedical research — small business R&D via SBIR/STTR and commercial contracts.
Computer Systems Design
CMS IT systems for Medicare and Medicaid — large-scale enterprise IT with long contract periods.
Management Consulting
Program management and organizational improvement for CMS, CDC, FDA, and NIH program offices.
Facilities Support Services
NIH campus and CDC facility operations — large campuses with recurring facility needs.
Data Processing and Hosting
Healthcare data analytics, claims processing support, and public health surveillance systems.
How to get on the list
Register in SAM.gov with active UEI.
Identify which HHS operating division is the target buyer: NIH, CMS, CDC, FDA, HRSA, SAMHSA, AHRQ — each has its own contracting office.
Review NIH's Office of Acquisition and Logistics Management (OALM) forecast for upcoming research and IT contracts.
For CMS work, check the CMS acquisition forecast and reach out to the CMS Office of Acquisition and Grants Management.
Explore SBIR/STTR grant-to-contract pathways if the acquired firm has R&D capabilities.
Contract vehicles
NIH CIO-SP3
NITAAC-managed IT GWAC used by NIH and across HHS — positions are competitively awarded and highly valuable.
HHS HHSN BPA
HHS-specific Blanket Purchase Agreements for recurring services at operating divisions.
SBIR/STTR Awards
Non-dilutive R&D funding for small businesses — Phase I ($300K), Phase II ($2M), leading to Phase III contracts.
GSA MAS Schedule
Professional services and IT purchases at HHS frequently flow through GSA MAS.
Acquisition strategy
HHS is an underappreciated target for post-acquisition government contractors because the operating divisions — NIH, CMS, CDC, FDA — each behave as independent buyers with their own contract vehicles, preferred vendors, and procurement officers. An acquired firm with existing CMS IT contracts or NIH research support contracts has recurring revenue tied to statutory programs (Medicare, Medicaid, public health) that do not disappear with budget cycles. HHS small business spending is also highly set-aside-friendly at 30% — above the government average.
SAM.gov registration note
HHS solicitations appear on SAM.gov filtered by agency "HHS" and component (NIH, CMS, CDC, FDA, etc.). NIH also publishes its own forecast of contracting opportunities at NIH.gov/grants-contracts. CMS uses the CMS eMarketplace for some IT purchases. For R&D work, NIH SBIR/STTR solicitations are published separately at sbir.nih.gov.
Free tool
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