TSA spends roughly $2 billion each year on contracts, and a meaningful share of that spend flows to small and diverse businesses. The agency sits inside the Department of Homeland Security, which runs one of the federal government's more active small business programs. If your company works in security services, IT, or specialized equipment, TSA is worth pursuing seriously.
This guide covers what TSA buys, how the set-aside structure works, and exactly how to position your business to win a first contract.
What TSA actually buys
TSA's mission is airport and transportation security, and its procurement categories follow directly from that mission.
The largest spend areas include security guard and patrol services (NAICS 561612), information technology and data management (NAICS 541519), and security detection equipment and related electronics (NAICS 334290). Contracts in the guard services category can run from a few hundred thousand dollars at smaller regional airports to multi-million dollar vehicles at major hubs. IT contracts covering network operations, cybersecurity, and systems integration tend to be larger, often structured as indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) vehicles with task orders ranging from $500,000 to well above $10 million.
TSA also procures professional services, training development, logistics, and facilities support. Contract sizes vary widely. A small business doing workforce training or curriculum development might see awards between $250,000 and $2 million. A company providing national-scale IT managed services could be on a vehicle worth hundreds of millions, though work of that scale is usually won by large primes using small business subcontractors.
One thing to understand before you start: TSA operates federalized screener workforces at most airports, so the workforce itself is federal employment, not a contracted service. The contracting opportunity is in the support functions surrounding that workforce.
Registration and getting into the ecosystem
You need three things before TSA can award you a contract.
First, register in SAM.gov (System for Award Management). This is the federal vendor database. Registration is free and takes about a week to activate. Your registration must be current — SAM registrations expire annually and a lapsed registration can disqualify you from award even if you win a competition.
Second, get a DUNS number (now replaced by the Unique Entity Identifier, or UEI, issued through SAM.gov). This is handled as part of SAM registration.
Third, identify and confirm your small business size status under the relevant NAICS codes. Size standards for NAICS 561612 are based on annual revenue (check the current SBA table at sba.gov — thresholds change). For IT services under 541519, the standard is based on revenue as well. Your SAM.gov profile should reflect the NAICS codes where you are legitimately sized as a small business.
Once registered, set up a capability statement. TSA's small business program office reviews these when vendors request meetings or attend outreach events. A strong capability statement for TSA specifically should call out any past performance with DHS components — Customs and Border Protection, FEMA, Secret Service — since TSA contracting officers treat DHS experience as directly relevant.
The small business office and how to reach them
TSA has an Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), which operates under DHS's broader small business program. The DHS OSDBU is one of the more accessible small business offices in the federal government. They hold regular matchmaking events, publish forecast data, and respond to vendor outreach.
The right contact is TSA's small business specialist or the DHS OSDBU representative assigned to TSA acquisition activity. You can find current contact information through the DHS OSDBU website (dhs.gov/office-small-and-disadvantaged-business-utilization) and through TSA's own procurement pages. Do not cold-call contracting officers directly before you have identified a specific opportunity. The small business office is the appropriate first contact.
DHS OSDBU also maintains an online vendor registration portal separate from SAM.gov. Registering there puts your company in the database that small business specialists and prime contractors use when they are building teams for upcoming awards.
Set-asides and diversity opportunities
TSA uses the full menu of SBA set-aside programs, and DHS as a whole has consistently exceeded its small business prime contracting goals.
The set-aside types you should track:
8(a) Business Development. If your business qualifies for SBA's 8(a) program — which requires social and economic disadvantage, plus meeting size standards — TSA can award contracts to 8(a) firms without competition up to $4.5 million for services and $7.5 million for manufacturing. Sole-source 8(a) awards are one of the fastest paths to a first federal contract with any agency, including TSA.
Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB). These set-asides apply in NAICS codes where women-owned firms are underrepresented. NAICS 541519 (IT services) qualifies for WOSB set-asides. NAICS 561612 (security services) also falls within eligible categories. If you hold a WOSB or EDWOSB certification, flag it in every capability statement you send to TSA.
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). TSA and DHS set aside contracts specifically for SDVOSBs. The Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) at SBA now handles SDVOSB certification. Get certified before you pursue these opportunities, not after.
HUBZone. If your principal office is in a Historically Underutilized Business Zone and at least 35% of your employees live in a HUBZone, you qualify. HUBZone set-asides appear across TSA's procurement activity, including in facilities and logistics support categories.
One practical tip for winning a first contract
Subcontracting is the fastest route in, and TSA's large prime contractors are required to meet subcontracting plan goals for small businesses.
Request a list of TSA's top prime contractors from the OSDBU or pull it from USASpending.gov filtered to TSA as the awarding agency. Then contact those primes directly. Large contractors like Leidos, SAIC, Unison, and similar firms that hold TSA vehicles actively need qualified small business subs to meet their plan commitments. A relationship with a prime can turn into task order work without you ever winning a prime contract yourself.
This path is not glamorous, but it is real. A $400,000 subcontract on a Leidos TSA vehicle gives you past performance you can cite in a future prime bid. That past performance, documented and specific, is what TSA contracting officers want to see before they award directly to you.
Track TSA-specific forecasts on the DHS Acquisition Forecast (available through the DHS OSDBU site) and on beta.SAM.gov. Set up saved searches for your primary NAICS codes filtered to TSA as the contracting office. Opportunities move quickly at some thresholds, and seeing a solicitation the day it posts matters.
Where to start this week
Register or renew in SAM.gov. Download TSA's most recent acquisition forecast from DHS OSDBU. Build or update your capability statement with TSA-relevant language. Then reach out to the DHS OSDBU to introduce your company and ask about upcoming small business outreach events.
TSA is not the easiest agency to break into as a new vendor. The security context means contracting officers are deliberate about who they bring on. But the set-aside infrastructure is real, the dollars are significant, and primes need subcontractors. Work the system methodically and the first contract is achievable within 12 to 18 months of serious effort.
