What NAICS 561320 Covers
NAICS 561320 — Temporary Help Services — covers businesses that supply workers to client establishments on a temporary basis. The defining characteristic: the staffing firm, not the client agency, is the employer of record. Workers remain on the staffing firm's payroll and are not considered permanent employees of the federal agency.
Federal agencies use this code for a wide range of needs: administrative clerks, data entry operators, IT help desk staff, mail room support, security desk assistants, and general office labor. Anything where the agency needs surge capacity or short-term coverage without adding headcount falls here.
Do not confuse this with 541612 (HR consulting), 561310 (executive search), or 541511 (IT staffing, which often gets classified separately). If you are placing workers on-site at an agency location and handling payroll and benefits, 561320 is your code.
How Much the Federal Government Spends Here
Federal spending on NAICS 561320 has run between $3 billion and $3.5 billion annually in recent fiscal years, based on USASpending.gov data. The Department of Defense accounts for roughly 40% of that volume, with the Army, Navy, and Defense Logistics Agency each running nine-figure annual totals. Civilian agencies — including DHS, VA, Treasury, and HHS — account for most of the remaining spend.
The trend has held steady to slightly upward since 2019. Hybrid and remote work policies have not reduced agency demand; if anything, agencies have used temporary staff to cover positions they are slow to fill permanently.
Contracts are overwhelmingly awarded as task orders under existing vehicles rather than as standalone procurements. That has two implications. First, getting on a contract vehicle is the primary hurdle. Second, once you are on one, the volume of task order opportunities is substantial.
Which Set-Asides Dominate
Staffing is one of the more set-aside-friendly NAICS codes in the federal market. Administrative and clerical staffing does not require specialized licenses, complex equipment, or multi-year performance history on classified programs. That lowers the barrier for new entrants with the right certifications.
The most common set-aside categories you will see on 561320 solicitations:
8(a) Business Development. SBA's 8(a) program is heavily used in staffing. Agencies can sole-source up to $4.5 million to 8(a) firms (or $7.5 million for manufacturers). Large civilian agencies routinely issue administrative staffing task orders sole-sourced to 8(a) companies. If you qualify, 8(a) is likely your fastest first contract.
Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB). WOSB set-asides are frequent in administrative support staffing. NAICS 561320 qualifies for both WOSB and Economically Disadvantaged WOSB (EDWOSB) set-asides. The current WOSB set-aside threshold is $7 million; anything above that requires competition among WOSBs or EDWOSBs.
HUBZone. Firms located in and employing workers from Historically Underutilized Business Zones get price evaluation preferences and access to HUBZone set-asides. For staffing firms with office locations in rural counties or certain urban areas, this certification stacks well with 8(a) or WOSB.
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). VA specifically mandates SDVOSB and VOSB preferences under the Veterans First Contracting Program. VA medical centers and regional offices use staffing contractors regularly. SDVOSB certification gives you a clear lane at VA.
Small Business Set-Asides. Even without a specific socioeconomic certification, many 561320 awards are restricted to small businesses. The size standard is $34 million in average annual receipts over the past three years. Most staffing firms well below that threshold will qualify.
Contract Vehicles That Carry NAICS 561320
Most federal staffing dollars flow through contract vehicles. The three you should know:
GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) — SIN 736. GSA Schedule SIN 736 covers Temporary Help Services, including administrative, professional, and technical temporary staffing. Getting on the GSA MAS under SIN 736 is the most important step you can take before any other BD activity. Agencies can issue task orders directly off the Schedule without running a full competition. The GSA Schedule approval process takes six to twelve months on average; start early.
Within SIN 736, there are sub-SINs covering different worker categories: 736-1 for temporary administrative and professional staffing, 736-5 for temporary information technology staffing (though much IT staffing goes under NAICS 541512 instead). Know which sub-SINs align with the workers you actually place.
Army CHESS and Agency-Specific IDIQs. Beyond GSA, several agencies run their own IDIQ vehicles for staffing. The Army has used its own administrative staffing vehicles for years. DHS has issued staffing IDIQs that cover administrative support across its components. These are typically competed once and then used for task orders over five to ten years.
Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs). Agencies establish BPAs against the GSA MAS or against open market for routine, recurring staffing needs. A BPA holder gets preferential access to task orders for the duration of the agreement — usually two to three years. Landing one BPA with a mid-sized agency can generate $500K–$2M in annual revenue from a single relationship.
Small Business GWACs. While most GWACs (like Alliant 2 or OASIS) are designed for services other than commodity staffing, some hybrid vehicles include 561320. Check the approved NAICS list for any vehicle before pursuing it.
SBA Size Standard
The SBA size standard for NAICS 561320 is $34 million in average annual receipts over the most recently completed three fiscal years.
That figure sounds high, but staffing revenue is driven by billable hours across a large workforce. A firm placing 200 temp workers at $25/hour with 40-hour weeks hits $10 million in annual revenue. You can be a legitimate small business and still have meaningful scale.
Size is measured at the time of offer. If you are growing fast, track your rolling three-year average carefully. Exceeding the threshold mid-contract does not disqualify you from that contract; it affects eligibility for new awards.
Certifications That Create an Edge
Any of the socioeconomic certifications above (8(a), WOSB/EDWOSB, HUBZone, SDVOSB) can open sole-source and set-aside opportunities. Beyond those, a few additional steps matter:
SAM.gov registration. You cannot receive a federal contract without an active registration in SAM.gov. Registration is free; budget one to two weeks for processing on a first registration. Maintain it annually.
NAICS code accuracy. List 561320 as a primary or active NAICS code in your SAM.gov profile. Contracting officers filter vendor searches by NAICS. If it is not in your profile, you will not appear.
Past Performance. Federal agencies use the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS). Even small commercial or subcontract performance can be documented. If you have provided staffing to a private employer or a prime contractor on a federal program, get that documented. Many 8(a) sole-source awards at the micro-purchase and simplified acquisition threshold levels do not require past performance, but anything above $2 million will ask for it.
State and local certifications. NMSDC MBE, WBENC, and state-level MBE/WBE/DBE certifications are not required for federal contracts. They matter for corporate and state procurement, which can fill your pipeline while you build federal past performance.
Finding Active Solicitations
beta.SAM.gov. Use the Opportunities search with NAICS code 561320. Filter by Set-Aside Type to focus on 8(a), WOSB, or SDVOSB depending on your certifications. Set up email alerts so you are notified when new solicitations post.
Agency procurement forecasts. Most large agencies publish annual procurement forecasts on their websites. GSA's forecast, DHS's forecast, and the Army's forecast all include planned staffing acquisitions by NAICS and set-aside type, often 12–18 months out. These give you lead time to build relationships before the solicitation drops.
GSA eBuy. If you are on the GSA MAS, GSA eBuy sends you RFQs directly from agencies using your Schedule SIN. This is one of the highest-value channels for MAS holders.
FPDS-NG. The Federal Procurement Data System shows historical awards by NAICS, agency, and contractor. Search for recent 561320 awards to identify which agencies are active buyers and which firms are winning. Then look up those prime contractors — some of them may be looking for subcontractors or teaming partners.
What a First Contract Looks Like
Realistically, your first federal contract under 561320 will be one of three things:
A sole-source 8(a) task order at $500K–$2M, issued by a civilian agency that needs administrative support at a specific site. These move quickly once a contracting officer identifies you. The key is getting in front of agency small business offices with your capability statement before they write the requirement.
A GSA BPA off the Schedule, competed among Schedule holders, for recurring administrative staffing at a field office. These are typically $250K–$1M per year and renew annually. Winning one requires a strong technical approach and competitive labor rates on your Schedule pricelist.
A subcontract under a larger prime's staffing IDIQ. Prime contractors on large staffing vehicles often need certified small business subcontractors to meet their subcontracting plans. This path requires less paperwork than prime contracting and gives you CPARS-eligible past performance.
Build toward the GSA Schedule first. It takes time, but it is the single credential that opens the most doors. While that application is in process, pursue state or local government contracts, corporate staffing agreements, or subcontracting relationships to build your reference accounts. When you are ready to respond to federal solicitations, you will need at least two to three client references that demonstrate you can manage payroll, benefits, and performance for a team of temporary workers.
The agencies awarding the most 561320 contracts are not looking for the largest staffing firm. They are looking for the most reliable one at the right price. Your certifications get you to the table; your references and labor rates close the deal.
