8(a) STARS III

8(a) STARS III (Streamlined Technology Acquisition Resource for Services III) is a government-wide indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract vehicle managed by GSA and restricted entirely to firms participating in the SBA's 8(a) Business Development Program. It provides federal agencies with a pre-competed source of IT services from socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses.

What is 8(a) STARS III?

STARS III is GSA's third-generation 8(a) IT services vehicle and a designated Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC). The vehicle covers a broad range of IT services organized into functional areas, including IT operations and maintenance, systems design, software development, data management, cybersecurity, and emerging technology services such as artificial intelligence and cloud migration.

Because STARS III is a set-aside vehicle restricted to 8(a) firms, agencies can issue task orders directly to STARS III contract holders without separate competition among non-8(a) contractors. This satisfies both the competition requirements under FAR Subpart 6.1 and the small business set-aside goals agencies are required to meet under 15 U.S.C. 644. Task orders under STARS III can be placed on a sole-source basis to a single 8(a) firm (subject to the dollar thresholds in FAR 19.808) or competed among all STARS III holders.

GSA manages STARS III as an indefinite-delivery vehicle, meaning agencies pay no fee to access the vehicle and place task orders directly using their own contracting authority. The base contract period is five years with a five-year option.

Why it matters for contractors

For 8(a)-certified small businesses, holding a STARS III contract is one of the highest-value positions in federal IT contracting. The vehicle is government-wide, so a single contract award opens the door to task order competitions across all civilian agencies and selected DoD components. Agencies strongly prefer existing GWACs over creating new vehicles, which means a STARS III contract can reliably generate a pipeline of opportunities throughout its ten-year life.

STARS III also allows teaming and subcontracting, so smaller 8(a) firms can partner with other STARS III holders to pursue larger task orders that would exceed their standalone capabilities. Firms that lose their 8(a) certification mid-contract are permitted to complete existing task orders but cannot compete for new ones, so maintaining active 8(a) status is operationally critical.

Example

A small 8(a)-certified cybersecurity firm holds a STARS III contract. The Department of Homeland Security issues a task order solicitation for zero-trust architecture design and implementation across several of its bureaus. The firm receives the solicitation directly from DHS via the GSA eBuy platform and submits its proposal in competition with other STARS III holders, ultimately winning a three-year task order worth $12 million.