Multiple Award IDIQ Contracts – Get on the Team

A Multiple Award IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity) Contract is pre-competed and awarded to a select group of companies with an opportunity to participate in that particular contract based on their proposals for specific delivery or task orders within the IDIQ contract.

In this episode of FedBiz’5 we are hosting Anthony D’Attore from FedBiz Access to discuss Multiple Award IDIQ Contracts as a way to get in on a pre-competed contract.

IDIQ stands for indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity. In other words, contracting officials know they’re going to need certain goods or services. They don’t know how much, and they don’t know when. So, the contract is issued as an IDIQ contract.

An IDIQ contract provides an indefinite quantity of goods or services for a fixed time. Under the IDIQ contract, the government places delivery orders (for goods) or task orders (for services) against a basic contract for individual requirements.

Single Award and Multiple Award IDIQs are a primary way that government agencies solicit contracting work. Single Award IDIQs are awarded to a single party.

Try the Market Intel Database Free for 30-Days (Use code: INTEL30 at checkout)

Multiple Award IDIQs on the other hand, are awarded to a group of companies or contractors who must then compete against each other for each project or order within the IDIQ contract.

An IDIQ contract is initially publicly posted as a solicitation. An analogy of a Multiple Award IDIQ would be like at the first day of high school you walk through the door and there’s a poster up that says they want everybody to try out for the basketball team. That would be the IDIQ contract solicitation.

Some people will go to try out and some people won’t. Well, the people that respond to the Multiple Award IDIQ are the ones that go to the tryout. Now after the tryout some people will make it on the team and some people won’t. Some companies will be awarded the IDIQ contract based on their proposal (based on their basketball talents as in our example) and some won’t.

When a delivery order (for goods) or a task order (for services) is issued on the project, it does not go to a specific company. Instead, those companies that are participating in a Multiple Award IDIQ compete for each delivery or task order by issuing another proposal and being awarded that particular job within the IDIQ contract.

The benefit is these companies are competing against a limited pool of other companies. Some of these companies may even form teaming arrangements or act as a subcontractor to a prime contractor relationship within the Multiple Award IDIQ pool of companies.

IDIQ solicitations can be found on SAM.gov or on a market research system like the Market Intel Database. Market research can help businesses find out who’s been doing the work, what part of larger contracts can support a prime vendor, and what new opportunities are on the horizon.

In addition, larger contractors or prime vendors that bid on large scale IDIQ’s typically must include a subcontracting plan that includes certified vendors across the set-aside categories.

FedBiz Access offers research and engagement strategy sessions, as well as marketing packages to government contractors and targeted buyers at the federal, state, and local levels. FedBiz Access has over 21 years of experience working with companies to help them win business by ensuring their research, engagement strategy, registrations, certifications, and GSA Schedules are current, complete, and compliant.