Department of Health and Human Services Government Contracts — Contractor Guide
Researched by the BidStride Research Team
HHS is the primary federal agency responsible for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential services. HHS components include the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and several other agencies. NIH alone awards over $6B in contracts annually for research support, IT, and facility management.
Department of Health and Human Services awards approximately $25B+ in contracts annually with a 25% small business contracting goal. Typical contract types used include IDIQ, CPFF, FFP, T&M, SBIR/STTR. All HHS solicitations above the simplified acquisition threshold are posted on SAM.gov.
$25B+
25%
of prime contract dollars
Key Procurement Offices
Department of Health and Human Services 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.
- NIH Office of Acquisitions (OA)
- CDC Procurement and Grants Office
- FDA Office of Acquisitions
- CMS Acquisition and Grants Group
- SAMHSA
Top NAICS Codes — HHS Contracting
These NAICS codes appear most frequently in Department of Health and Human Services solicitations. Ensure your SAM.gov registration includes the codes matching your services.
- 541712Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (Nanotechnology)
- 541512Computer Systems Design Services
- 621111Offices of Physicians (except Mental Health Specialists)
- 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- 561210Facilities Support Services
Small Business Goals — HHS
Department of Health and Human Services 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 — HHS Contracts
Contractors bidding on Department of Health and Human Services contracts should understand these regulations and clauses. Review them before submitting any proposal.
- HHSAR (HHS Acquisition Regulation)
- FAR
- HIPAA Business Associate Requirements
- Section 508 Accessibility
Always verify applicable clauses in the actual solicitation. Clause applicability depends on contract type, value, and specific program requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions — HHS Contracting
NIH awards over $6 billion in contracts annually for research support services, IT systems, facility management, and administrative support. NIH uses GWAC vehicles including CIO-SP3 for IT, as well as agency-specific IDIQs. The NIH Office of Acquisitions (OA) manages most contracting centrally. NIH also awards grants (which are different from contracts) through separate mechanisms for biomedical research.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) manages the nation's largest healthcare programs and contracts for IT systems, data analytics, program integrity services, and administrative support. CMS frequently uses IDIQ contracts with many award holders to maintain competition on task orders. Key vehicles include the SPARC and Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) contracts.
Contractors handling Protected Health Information (PHI) or electronic PHI (ePHI) on behalf of HHS components must comply with HIPAA as Business Associates. This requires a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) and compliance with HIPAA Security Rule safeguards. FDA, NIH, and CMS all handle significant amounts of health data, so HIPAA compliance is a baseline requirement for many HHS contracts.
FDA contracts for IT systems, laboratory support, drug review support, regulatory science, and administrative services. FDA uses CIO-SP3 for IT and OASIS for professional services. FDA also has unique needs for good laboratory practices (GLP) compliance support and postmarket surveillance data analytics. FDA contracting is managed through the Office of Acquisitions and Grants Services (OAGS).
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