Open 8(a) set-aside contracts
SAM.gov (System for Award Management, the government's contracting website) data through Oct 23, 2026: 54 open 8(a) (the Small Business Administration's Business Development program) set-aside solicitations (133 notices) on SAM.gov. Below you'll see who is buying, under which NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) codes, where the work is and how long you have to respond, and what that means for where to spend your bid time.
What the numbers say
- Dept. of the Army accounts for 10 of the 54 open solicitations (19%).
- The top two agencies (Dept. of the Army and Dept. of the Navy) together account for 37%; no other agency has more than 8.
- 33 of 54 (61%) close within 14 days, so checking once a week misses many of them. Check SAM.gov daily, or use a daily digest.
- 20 were first posted in the 7 days through Oct 23, 2026.
- 8(a) set-asides are 2% of all 2,854 open set-aside solicitations of any type on the same date.
Top agencies
| Agency | Open | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Dept. of the Army | 10 | 19% |
| Dept. of the Navy | 10 | 19% |
| Dept. of the Air Force | 8 | 15% |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | 5 | 9% |
| Defense Logistics Agency | 4 | 7% |
| Departmental Offices | 2 | 4% |
| Federal Prison Industries, Inc | 2 | 4% |
| Administrative Office of the Us Courts | 1 | 2% |
Top NAICS codes
| NAICS | Open | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 236220 Commercial and Institutional Building Construction | 6 | 11% |
| 541330 Engineering Services | 4 | 7% |
| 541990 All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3 | 6% |
| 237310 Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction | 2 | 4% |
| 336611 Ship Building and Repairing | 2 | 4% |
| 541310 Architectural Services | 2 | 4% |
| 541519 Other Computer Related Services | 2 | 4% |
| 561110 Office Administrative Services | 2 | 4% |
Time left to respond
| Due in | Open | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 7 days or less | 21 | 39% |
| 8 to 14 days | 12 | 22% |
| 15 to 30 days | 11 | 20% |
| More than 30 days | 10 | 19% |
Place of performance (state)
| State | Open | Share |
|---|---|---|
| DC | 6 | 11% |
| UT | 3 | 6% |
| VA | 3 | 6% |
| WA | 3 | 6% |
| NJ | 2 | 4% |
| OH | 2 | 4% |
| PA | 2 | 4% |
| TX | 2 | 4% |
| No state in the place-of-performance field or title | 23 | 43% |
1 of the states shown were read from the notice title because the structured field was blank.
Notice type
| Type | Open | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solicitation | 16 | 30% |
| Combined Synopsis/Solicitation | 15 | 28% |
| Special Notice | 11 | 20% |
| Sources Sought | 7 | 13% |
| Presolicitation | 5 | 9% |
By set-aside code
37 8(a) competitive set-aside, 17 8(a) sole source. A solicitation whose notices carry different codes counts under each.
New this week
20 of the 54 were first posted between Oct 17 and Oct 23, 2026 (the 7 days through the latest data).
8 examples, with our take
A mixed handful, not the full list: different agencies, NAICS codes and notice types, each with at least 5 days left. Each title opens the official notice on SAM.gov. The one-line take is ours, written from the notice's structured fields; read the notice itself before deciding anything.
- Notice of Intent to Lease Space Using other Than Full and Open Competition
Our take: Presolicitation: nothing to bid yet, but it announces a solicitation to watch for; coded 8(a) sole source, which usually means the agency already has a specific firm in mind, so read it as a sign of what the agency wants, not as a bid to chase; only 5 days left.
- REELING MACHINE, CABLE, MOTOR DRIVEN
Our take: Solicitation is posted, so this can be bid now; coded 8(a) sole source, which usually means the agency already has a specific firm in mind, so read it as a sign of what the agency wants, not as a bid to chase; only 5 days left; no place of performance in the structured data.
- 13--140D0426Q0641 IDIQ for Law Enforcement Equipment
Our take: Solicitation is posted, so this can be bid now; it is an umbrella contract, the kind called an IDIQ (indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract) or a BPA (blanket purchase agreement): winning it gets you on the contract, and the paid work comes later as separate orders; only 6 days left; no place of performance in the structured data.
- 711th HPW Mission Support Services MAC IDIQ
Our take: Solicitation is posted, so this can be bid now; it is an umbrella contract, the kind called an IDIQ or a BPA: winning it gets you on the contract, and the paid work comes later as separate orders; only 7 days left.
- RFI-ePMO Support Services
Our take: Sources sought is market research, not a bid; a short capability statement is how firms tell the agency a set-aside would get offers; only 7 days left.
- Architect & Engineering Services, Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) Multiple Award (A&E) Contracts needed for new construction, renovation, alteration and repairs required by Federal Prison Industries (FPI)
Our take: Solicitation is posted, so this can be bid now; it is an umbrella contract, the kind called an IDIQ or a BPA: winning it gets you on the contract, and the paid work comes later as separate orders; only 8 days left.
- Hose Assembly, Nonmetallic
Our take: Presolicitation: nothing to bid yet, but it announces a solicitation to watch for; a typical DLA (Defense Logistics Agency) parts buy: low price usually wins and the deadline is short; only 10 days left; no place of performance in the structured data.
- Yellow Split Peas, Vegetable Oil, Super Cereal Plus, Soft White Wheat and Hard Red Winter Wheat for use in International Food Assistance Programs
Our take: Solicitation is posted, so this can be bid now; 12 days left.
What is an 8(a) set-aside?
8(a) set-asides are limited to firms in the SBA (Small Business Administration) 8(a) Business Development program: small businesses at least 51% owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged U.S. citizens (or by eligible tribes, Alaska Native corporations, Native Hawaiian organizations or community development corporations). Participation lasts up to nine years. Agencies can compete contracts among 8(a) firms or award them to one 8(a) firm directly (sole source), so only program participants can bid on these notices. The statutory government-wide goal for small disadvantaged businesses, which include 8(a) firms, is 5% of federal prime contracting dollars. Source: SBA: 8(a) Business Development program.
How we count
Source: the public SAM.gov Contract Opportunities data file (SAM.gov data services), downloaded and processed by us; this snapshot uses data through Oct 23, 2026.
8(a) set-aside means the notice's set-aside code is 8A (8(a) competitive set-aside) or 8AN (8(a) sole source). The rules for these set-asides are in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 19.8.
Open means, in SAM.gov data through Oct 23, 2026: the notice is still in the latest data file (active), it is a notice type you can respond to (combined synopsis/solicitation, solicitation, presolicitation, sources sought or special notice; award notices and standalone modification/cancellation notices are excluded), and its response date is Oct 23, 2026 or later. 52 active 8(a) notices with no response date are left out.
Counted by solicitation: notices that share a solicitation number count once (the notice ID is used when there is none). A solicitation's deadline is the latest response date among its open notices; its agency, NAICS, state and type come from its most recent notice.
Counts are regenerated each time the site is built from the latest data, so they change daily. Notices can be amended or cancelled after we process them; SAM.gov is the official record. Fed Tipsheet is an independent service. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to SAM.gov, GSA (General Services Administration), SBA or any U.S. Government agency.
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More: SDVOSB set-asides · HUBZone set-asides · WOSB set-asides · 8(a) set-asides · SAM.gov email alerts guide · Open bids by NAICS