Winning a government contract is competitive enough—but when you’re competing inside a multi-award contract environment, success depends on more than just a strong proposal. Contractors must build a thoughtful, flexible multi-award contract strategy to consistently win task orders and maximize their share of the overall award.

In this blog, we’ll break down what a multi-award contract is, why it demands a different approach, and how to develop a strategy that keeps you competitive throughout the contract lifecycle.

For active multi-award opportunities and task order solicitations, visit SAM.gov.

1. What Is a Multi-Award Contract?

A multi-award contract (MAC) is a type of government contract where multiple vendors are awarded indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts under a single solicitation. Once the awards are made, agencies issue task orders or delivery orders to the pool of awarded vendors for specific work.

Examples of major multi-award vehicles include:

• GSA Multiple Award Schedules (MAS)
• SeaPort-NxG (Navy)
• OASIS (General Services Administration)
• CIO-SP4 (NIH)
• ASTRO (DoD)

Winning a spot on a MAC gives you access to a stream of opportunities—but task order competitions within the pool are fierce and ongoing.

2. Why You Need a Multi-Award Contract Strategy

Winning the base IDIQ award is just the start. Without a clear strategy, contractors risk:

• Losing out on task orders to more aggressive or better-positioned competitors
• Spreading resources too thin across low-probability bids
• Missing opportunities due to lack of proactive customer engagement
• Failing to meet minimum ordering thresholds (if required)

A focused multi-award contract strategy ensures you prioritize the right opportunities, maximize revenue potential, and maintain strong relationships with agency customers.

3. Key Elements of a Strong Multi-Award Contract Strategy

a. Task Order Targeting and Qualification

Not every task order is worth chasing. Set clear criteria for:

• Alignment with your core capabilities
• Past performance relevance
• Pricing competitiveness
• Teaming strength
• Contract-specific metrics (e.g., turnaround time, labor mix)

Use a bid/no-bid process tailored for the MAC environment to prioritize pursuits.

b. Customer Engagement Plan

Winning task orders often depends on pre-solicitation positioning. Build relationships with agency decision-makers by:

• Attending industry days or contract-specific vendor events
• Scheduling capability briefings
• Engaging early when draft task orders or Requests for Information (RFIs) are released
• Understanding specific program needs beyond the generic IDIQ scope

Customer intimacy is critical for multi-award success.

c. Agile Proposal Response Process

MAC task orders often have:

• Short turnarounds (5–14 days)
• Limited page counts
• Strict compliance requirements

Your team must be ready to:

• Quickly assemble proposal teams
• Reuse and tailor boilerplate content
• Submit compliant, compelling responses under pressure

Investing in proposal templates and rapid response infrastructure gives you a major edge.

d. Competitive Pricing Strategy

Task order pricing is highly competitive within a pool. Develop a dynamic pricing strategy by:

• Maintaining cost models specific to MAC customers
• Conducting market research and rate analysis regularly
• Offering value-adds or flexible pricing options when allowed
• Balancing price competitiveness with performance quality

Aggressive pricing alone isn’t enough—you must match cost with credible delivery strategies.

e. Partnering and Teaming Flexibility

Teaming arrangements may shift based on the scope of individual task orders. Be prepared to:

• Form quick, opportunity-specific partnerships
• Leverage subcontractors with niche capabilities
• Adjust labor mixes based on task order requirements

Building a network of reliable partners enhances your ability to pursue a wider range of work.

f. Performance Tracking and Reporting

Agencies evaluate MAC contractors based on:

• Task order wins and losses
• Past performance ratings
• Responsiveness and delivery
• Quality control outcomes

Track your internal performance metrics to continuously improve—and ensure you stay eligible for future on-ramps or recompetes.

4. Best Practices for Multi-Award Contract Management

• Dedicate a contract manager to oversee MAC activities
• Create a task order pipeline to monitor upcoming opportunities
• Stay compliant with reporting requirements (especially for GSA and DoD vehicles)
• Conduct task order after-action reviews for every win and loss
• Maintain continuous readiness with updated boilerplate content, key personnel resumes, and past performance examples

Winning the base award is just the beginning—task order wins sustain your success.

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

a. Chasing Every Task Order

Dilutes your resources and reduces focus.
Fix: Be selective and strategic about pursuits.

b. Poor Communication with Agencies

Customers remember responsiveness during both capture and delivery.
Fix: Assign strong account managers for key programs.

c. Failing to Build Differentiators

If all proposals sound the same, price becomes the only deciding factor.
Fix: Highlight technical or management advantages consistently.

d. Neglecting Internal Capture Processes

Even within a MAC, task orders require proactive pursuit.
Fix: Treat each task order with the same discipline as new business capture.

6. Conclusion

A winning multi-award contract strategy goes beyond securing a spot on a contract vehicle—it requires proactive capture, strategic pricing, rapid response infrastructure, and deep customer engagement. Contractors that approach multi-award vehicles with discipline and strategy position themselves not just for participation, but for sustained, profitable success.

Looking for support with developing your multi-award contract strategy or improving your task order win rate? Hinz Consulting provides full-cycle capture, proposal development, and contract management consulting to help contractors succeed after the award.