The Department of Health and Human Services is the largest civilian agency buyer in the federal government. It spent roughly $53 billion on contracts in FY2023, spread across NIH, CDC, FDA, CMS, HRSA, SAMHSA, and several other operating divisions. If you have capabilities in research support, IT, professional services, construction, or scientific equipment, HHS is worth serious attention.
What HHS actually buys
The spending breaks down unevenly across divisions, and knowing where the money flows matters.
NIH is the dominant buyer. It obligated more than $6 billion in contracts in FY2023. The bulk goes to research support services, scientific equipment and supplies, IT infrastructure, facilities management, and administrative support. NIH uses a decentralized model: 27 separate institutes and centers each run their own acquisitions, which means there are dozens of contracting offices to track rather than one.
FDA spends roughly $2–3 billion annually on IT, laboratory supplies, regulatory consulting, food safety inspections, and facilities.
CDC focuses on public health IT, laboratory services, communications, and research support. Its contracting volume runs around $1–2 billion per year.
CMS is the odd one out. It administers Medicare and Medicaid, which means most of its spending flows through benefit payments rather than contracts. Its direct contracting budget is smaller than NIH or FDA, concentrated in IT systems and contractor support for program management.
HRSA and SAMHSA are smaller buyers but worth noting if you work in healthcare workforce development, community health, or behavioral health program support.
Across the department, the biggest spend categories are: - Professional and management support services - IT services and infrastructure - Research and development support - Scientific equipment, supplies, and chemicals - Facilities and construction services
Set-aside preferences at HHS
HHS uses all the standard small business set-aside programs, and the agency has strong utilization numbers relative to its size.
8(a) is widely used, particularly at NIH. Program offices at NIH have long-standing relationships with 8(a) firms in research support, IT, and administrative services. If you hold an 8(a) certification and your NAICS codes align with NIH's recurring needs, this is your fastest entry point. NIH can sole-source to 8(a) firms for contracts up to $4.5 million (services) and $7 million (manufacturing).
WOSB and EDWOSB programs get real use at HHS, especially for professional services, communications, and program management. The agency meets or exceeds its WOSB goals in most fiscal years. WOSB set-asides are available in NAICS codes where women-owned small businesses are underrepresented; the SBA maintains the eligible NAICS list.
HUBZone set-asides appear regularly across HHS operating divisions, particularly for facilities-related work and some IT services. If your business is HUBZone-certified, run the USASpending.gov data for HHS HUBZone awards in your NAICS codes before targeting other vehicles.
SDVOSB usage at HHS is lower than at VA or DoD, but it exists. If you hold a verified SDVOSB status through the VA's VETCERT system, you can still compete for SDVOSB set-asides at HHS; don't rule it out.
SDB price evaluation preference is less common at HHS than the dedicated set-aside programs, but contracting officers have discretion to use it.
HHS publishes small business utilization data annually through its OSDBU. The FY2023 report showed the department achieved its prime contracting goals for small businesses, 8(a), and WOSB categories. The data is public at hhs.gov/osdbu.
Finding HHS opportunities
beta.SAM.gov is the starting point. When you search, filter by Department/Ind. Agency = "DEPT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES," then narrow by sub-tier (e.g., "NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH" or "FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION") and set-aside type. Set up saved searches with email alerts so you hear about new solicitations when they post.
HHS Forecast of Contract Opportunities lives at hhs.gov/osdbu/contract-opportunities. The agency posts a forward-looking forecast of anticipated procurements, typically updated quarterly. This is not just a nice-to-have: seeing a $2M IT support contract planned for Q3 gives you four to six months to position, make contact, and get on a contracting officer's radar before the solicitation drops. Use this list aggressively.
FPDS-NG (the Federal Procurement Data System) lets you pull historical award data. Go to fpds.gov, search by agency and NAICS code, and pull award history for the last three years. This tells you who won, at what price, on what vehicles, and how often the work recurs. That data tells you whether a contract is coming up for recompete, who your likely competition is, and whether the work has been set aside in prior cycles.
NIH-specific resources: NIH maintains its own procurement portal at nih.gov/about-nih/work-at-nih/nih-procurement. The NIH OSDBU (Office of Research Services) publishes a separate list of small business contract opportunities and runs outreach events specifically for small and diverse firms. If NIH is your primary target, sign up for their small business listserv.
Registration and portal requirements beyond SAM.gov
SAM.gov registration is required for all federal contractors. Full stop. Keep your registration active; it expires annually.
Beyond SAM.gov, HHS has a few additional touchpoints:
HHS Vendor Communication Plan (VCP): HHS contracting officers are encouraged to use pre-solicitation communication with industry. This means you can request a meeting with a program office before a solicitation posts, if you approach it correctly. The agency's VCP guidance is at hhs.gov/grants/contracts. Most requests go through the contracting officer; cold outreach directly to program staff without CO involvement tends to go nowhere.
Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS): When you complete your SAM.gov profile, you're automatically listed in DSBS, which large prime contractors and federal buyers use to find small businesses. Make sure your capabilities narrative is accurate and specific. "IT services" is not a capabilities statement. "Application development and maintenance on cloud-hosted platforms for federal health data systems" is.
NIH eRA Commons: If your work touches NIH research grants (distinct from contracts), you'll need an eRA Commons account. Most of what HHS sets aside for diverse businesses falls under the FAR-based contracts side, not grants, so this is relevant mainly if you're subcontracting to an NIH grant recipient.
No HHS-specific vendor portal exists the way some agencies have built proprietary systems. SAM.gov plus the agency forecast covers the core of it.
Subcontracting through major primes
Several large contractors hold umbrella vehicles at HHS, particularly at NIH and FDA. Getting onto their subcontractor lists is a legitimate path to first revenue before you win a prime contract on your own.
Booz Allen Hamilton holds significant professional services and IT work at NIH and across HHS. They maintain a supplier diversity portal and actively pursue diverse subcontractors to meet their subcontracting plan commitments.
Leidos is a major IT and research support contractor across HHS operating divisions. Their small business subcontracting program is real; they face federal scrutiny on subcontracting plan performance.
SAIC and ICF International both hold HHS vehicles in program management and IT. Same dynamic applies.
Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers hold advisory and IT implementation work at CMS and across the department. For professional services firms, these are strong targets.
How to approach primes: go to their websites, find the supplier diversity or small business subcontracting page, and register in their supplier database. Then do the work to identify which specific contracts they hold at HHS (use FPDS to look this up) and reach out to their capture or BD teams about specific recompetes. Generic outreach to a supplier diversity inbox rarely converts. Specific outreach tied to a named contract does.
The federal government requires contractors with contracts over $750,000 to submit subcontracting plans. Primes are evaluated on whether they meet those goals. That gives you leverage.
First steps for a diverse business targeting HHS
Start with the basics before trying to win anything.
Step 1: Confirm your certifications are current. 8(a), WOSB, HUBZone, or SDVOSB status needs to be active and reflected in your SAM.gov profile. If you're in the middle of an application, do not start pursuing HHS contracts yet; contracting officers check certification status at award.
Step 2: Pull the HHS forecast and highlight every opportunity in your NAICS codes. Look at the estimated value, the set-aside type, and the anticipated award date. Build a 90-day pipeline from that list.
Step 3: Run FPDS data on those same NAICS codes filtered to HHS. Identify the three to five contracts that recur, that match your size, and that have been set aside. Those are your targets.
Step 4: Attend HHS OSDBU outreach events. The HHS OSDBU runs matchmaking events, small business forums, and industry days throughout the year. So does NIH's OSDBU. These are not networking events in the social sense; they're pre-solicitation intelligence gathering opportunities. You talk to contracting officers and program leads, ask specific questions about upcoming work, and leave with names and context that make your proposal better.
Step 5: Request a capability briefing. Once you've identified a specific contract or program, request a 30-minute meeting with the contracting officer or small business specialist at the relevant HHS division. Bring a capabilities statement that speaks directly to their work, not a generic brochure. Be specific about past performance that mirrors what they buy.
The federal procurement cycle runs long. A contract you identify today may not be awarded for 12 to 18 months. The businesses that win are the ones who were in front of the contracting office 6 months before the solicitation posted.
HHS is not the easiest agency to break into, but it is one of the most consistent buyers of the services diverse businesses commonly offer. The OSDBU takes its mandate seriously. The data is public. The forecast is updated. Use all of it.
