Federal Contracting Glossary
IDIQ Contract
An Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity contract that lets an agency place task or delivery orders against pre-negotiated terms over a set period.
Definition
An IDIQ (Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity) contract is a contract vehicle that provides for an indefinite quantity of supplies or services during a fixed ordering period (commonly a 5-year base plus option years). Rather than buying everything up front, an agency awards the IDIQ to one or more holders and then issues individual task orders (services) or delivery orders (supplies) as needs arise, within stated minimum and maximum values.
Contractors compete to win a spot on the IDIQ through a full solicitation under FAR Part 16. Once on a multiple-award IDIQ, holders receive orders either by fair-opportunity competition among the awardees or by direct order where the FAR allows. Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) and the GSA Schedules are large, widely used IDIQ-style vehicles.
How this affects your proposal
Winning a spot on a multiple-award IDIQ is competitive — offerors must score well on responsibility AND evaluation factors to be awarded. Once on the vehicle, your win rate on task orders depends on how sharply you respond to fair-opportunity competitions and your relationships with the ordering agencies.
Common questions about idiq contract
How long does an IDIQ contract last?
A 5-year ordering period is common, often structured as a base plus option years. The FAR caps the base ordering period for most multiple-award IDIQs at five years, with options that can extend the total.
Can new contractors join an IDIQ after award?
Generally no for a fixed pool, though some large vehicles include on-ramp provisions that let the agency add awardees through a later competition. Otherwise you must wait for the follow-on contract.
Related terms
Task / Delivery Order
An individual order placed against a parent IDIQ, GWAC, or GSA Schedule, issued by an a…
Fair Opportunity Competition
A streamlined competition run among the holders of an IDIQ or GSA Schedule to award a s…
GSA Schedule (MAS)
A long-term, government-wide contract vehicle holding pre-negotiated prices and terms t…
General Services Administration (GSA)
The U.S. government's central acquisition agency, operating the GSA Schedules and gover…
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