Federal Contracting Glossary
GWAC (Government-Wide Acquisition Contract)
A pre-competed, government-wide IDIQ for IT and related services that any agency can order from, run by GSA, NASA SEWP, or NIH.
Definition
A Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) is a pre-competed, multiple-award IDIQ for information technology — and IT-related professional services — that any federal agency can use to place orders. GWACs are operated by a small number of executive agents designated by OMB: GSA (vehicles such as 8(a) STARS III, Polaris, and Alliant), NASA (SEWP for IT products), and NIH (CIO-SP series).
GWACs let agencies issue task and delivery orders against a vetted pool of holders without running a full open-market procurement each time. Many GWACs include socioeconomic tracks — for example small-business or 8(a) pools — which makes a GWAC award a powerful, durable channel for IT contractors selling across the government.
How this affects your proposal
A GWAC award is a multi-year channel, so competing for a spot is worth serious effort — strong past performance, a clean cost/price story, and a sharp understanding of the scope and any socioeconomic track are essential.
Common questions about gwac (government-wide acquisition contract)
Who runs GWACs?
OMB designates the executive agents: GSA, NASA (SEWP), and NIH (NITAAC). Only these agencies operate true GWACs, though many other vehicles function similarly.
Can new contractors join a GWAC anytime?
Generally no — you compete during the initial solicitation. Some GWACs include on-ramp provisions to add awardees through a later competition, but otherwise you wait for the follow-on vehicle.
Related terms
General Services Administration (GSA)
The U.S. government's central acquisition agency, operating the GSA Schedules and gover…
IDIQ Contract
An Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity contract that lets an agency place task or …
Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA)
A simplified, ongoing arrangement an agency sets up to fill repetitive needs by placing…
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