Winning a federal contract is a major achievement, but securing a position on a multi-agency vehicle can unlock far greater opportunities. With growing reliance on shared acquisition models, government buyers increasingly turn to multi-agency contracts to streamline procurement. For contractors, this means one award can provide access to a broad range of task orders from multiple federal entities. That’s why developing a focused multi-agency contract strategy is critical to long-term growth in the federal market.

This blog explores how to build a successful strategy for pursuing, leveraging, and managing multi-agency contract opportunities.

What Is a Multi-Agency Contract?

A multi-agency contract (MAC) is a government-wide or agency-specific contract vehicle that allows multiple federal agencies to place task or delivery orders under a single pre-competed agreement. These contracts are designed to improve procurement efficiency, reduce duplication, and provide flexible access to vendors for goods and services.

Common multi-agency vehicles include:

• GSA Multiple Award Schedules (MAS)
• Alliant and Alliant 2
• OASIS and OASIS+
• CIO-SP3 and CIO-SP4
• SEWP (Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement)
• FirstSource and FirstSource II (DHS)

These vehicles represent billions in spending each year and are increasingly favored over standalone, single-agency solicitations.

Why You Need a Multi-Agency Contract Strategy

While getting on a MAC can open doors, simply holding a spot is not enough. A well-defined multi-agency contract strategy helps your company:

• Prioritize High-Value Vehicles: Focus resources on contracts aligned with your core offerings.
• Plan for Task Order Competition: Build infrastructure to pursue and win orders issued under the contract.
• Engage Across Agencies: Establish relationships with multiple federal buyers from different departments.
• Manage Compliance and Reporting: Prepare for audits, utilization tracking, and reporting requirements.
• Optimize Teaming and Past Performance: Leverage subcontractors and previous work to win more business.

Without a strategy, many vendors underperform or underutilize their MAC opportunities.

How to Build a Multi-Agency Contract Strategy

To compete effectively in the MAC environment, your strategy should cover both pre-award preparation and post-award execution.

1. Target the Right Vehicles

Start by identifying which MACs are best suited to your services, clients, and growth goals. Evaluate:

• Contract ceiling and scope
• Task order history
• Agency usage trends
• Socioeconomic set-aside structures
• Technical domains and CLINs

Reviewing opportunities and spending patterns on SAM.gov can provide valuable insight into which contracts align with your business.

2. Prepare for Proposal Requirements

MACs often involve complex and high-scoring proposal submissions. Your multi-agency contract strategy should include:

• Resume and past performance alignment
• Price modeling or rate table preparation
• Certification tracking (e.g., ISO, CMMI, facility clearances)
• Proposal team resourcing and timelines

Plan well in advance to meet all technical, management, and pricing requirements.

3. Build a Flexible Infrastructure

Winning a MAC doesn’t guarantee task orders. You’ll need the infrastructure to identify, respond to, and manage task order competitions, including:

• A centralized proposal response team
• A BD pipeline focused on order-level intel
• Task order response templates and pricing models
• A dashboard for tracking task order outcomes and pipeline health

This foundation supports long-term contract utilization and revenue generation.

4. Engage With Multiple Agencies

Unlike single-award contracts, MACs give you access to buyers across multiple departments. Your multi-agency contract strategy should include:

• Agency-specific capture plans
• Relationship building with contracting officers and small business liaisons
• Tailored capability briefings and marketing materials
• Attendance at industry days for agencies that use the vehicle

Consistent agency outreach ensures you’re top-of-mind when orders are released.

5. Position for Teaming

Some MACs require or encourage teaming, especially for niche capabilities. Your strategy should include:

• Identifying complementary partners early
• Creating reusable teaming templates and NDAs
• Developing past performance narratives from joint efforts
• Negotiating workshare and prime/sub relationships

Strong teaming enhances your technical depth and expands your addressable market.

Common Pitfalls in Multi-Agency Contract Pursuits

Even experienced contractors make mistakes when it comes to MACs. Avoid these common pitfalls:

• Pursuing Every Vehicle: Spreading resources too thin across vehicles that don’t align with your pipeline or skill set.
• Underestimating the Workload: MACs often require rapid response to short-turnaround task orders.
• Neglecting Post-Award Planning: Failing to allocate staff or tools to pursue task orders after award.
• Assuming Agencies Will Find You: Without proactive marketing, you may be overlooked—even if you’re on the contract.
• Ignoring Compliance Requirements: Many MACs require usage tracking, subcontracting plans, or quarterly reporting.

A disciplined multi-agency contract strategy will help you avoid these risks and make the most of your investment.

Measuring the Success of Your Strategy

Once you’ve implemented your MAC strategy, monitor performance through key indicators such as:

• Number of task orders pursued vs. won
• Win rate by agency or contract type
• Revenue generated by each vehicle
• Cost of pursuit vs. return on investment
• Teaming partner engagement and contributions

These metrics provide insight into what’s working—and where your strategy needs to evolve.

When to Seek Outside Support

Pursuing MACs can be resource-intensive, especially for small to mid-sized businesses. Consider seeking expert support if:

• You lack proposal capacity for large, complex bids
• You need help identifying high-value vehicles
• Your team is unfamiliar with MAC compliance or reporting
• You want help building task order response infrastructure

If you’re ready to strengthen your positioning on government-wide or agency-specific vehicles, contact us. Hinz Consulting helps contractors design and implement effective strategies for multi-agency contract success.