Department of Education Government Contracts — Contractor Guide
Researched by the BidStride Research Team
The Department of Education oversees federal student financial aid programs, supports K-12 education, and funds education research. ED's primary contracting areas are IT systems for financial aid processing (FAFSA, StudentAid.gov), research and evaluation services, data collection, and administrative support. The Federal Student Aid (FSA) office manages the largest financial aid distribution system in the world.
Department of Education awards approximately $1B+ in contracts annually with a 25% small business contracting goal. Typical contract types used include IDIQ, FFP, T&M, CPFF. All ED solicitations above the simplified acquisition threshold are posted on SAM.gov.
$1B+
25%
of prime contract dollars
Key Procurement Offices
Department of Education contracting is distributed across these offices and commands. Target your business development toward the offices most aligned with your capabilities, and build relationships before solicitations are released.
- ED Contracts and Acquisitions Management (CAM)
- Federal Student Aid (FSA) Acquisitions
- Institute of Education Sciences (IES)
Search SAM.gov for ED solicitations
Top NAICS Codes — ED Contracting
These NAICS codes appear most frequently in Department of Education solicitations. Ensure your SAM.gov registration includes the codes matching your services.
Small Business Goals — ED
Department of Education has a statutory small business prime contracting goal of 25% of annual contract dollars. This applies across all socioeconomic categories including 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, and SDVOSB.
Ensure your certifications are current on SAM.gov to qualify for set-aside competitions. Contracting officers are required by law to first consider whether requirements can be met by small businesses before opening competition to all offerors.
Key Regulations — ED Contracts
Contractors bidding on Department of Education contracts should understand these regulations and clauses. Review them before submitting any proposal.
- EDAR (Education Department Acquisition Regulation)
- FAR
- FERPA (student privacy)
- FISMA
- Higher Education Act
Always verify applicable clauses in the actual solicitation. Clause applicability depends on contract type, value, and specific program requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions — ED Contracting
ED's Federal Student Aid (FSA) office manages one of the most complex federal IT ecosystems, including StudentAid.gov, the FAFSA processing system, the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), and the Debt Management Collection System. These systems process hundreds of billions in student aid annually. FSA IT modernization has been a priority, generating significant contract opportunities for experienced federal IT contractors.
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) funds rigorous research on education programs and policy. IES awards research contracts for randomized controlled trials, program evaluations, longitudinal studies, and descriptive research. Education research firms with strong statistical and evaluation capabilities are the primary market. IES also manages the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which contracts for national data collection.
ED's student loan servicing contracts are among the largest civilian IT contracts in the federal government, managing repayment for 40+ million borrowers. Navient, MOHELA, HESC, and other servicers hold these contracts. Small businesses participate primarily as subcontractors. The FUTURE Act and FSA modernization have affected the servicer landscape significantly in recent years.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects student education records. ED contractors who access student data must comply with FERPA restrictions on disclosure and use. This includes student loan servicers, research contractors, and IT vendors with access to NSLDS or other student data systems. FERPA compliance must be demonstrated in security plans and data handling agreements.
Track ED opportunities with BidStride
BidStride monitors SAM.gov daily and filters Department of Education solicitations by your NAICS codes. Get relevant ED contracts in your inbox every morning before 7 AM.
Free plan: 5 alerts/month. Scout: unlimited. No commitment.
Looking for state government contracts?
Browse state procurement guides →