GovTribe studied data from over 260,000 unique users and millions of interactions to uncover trending opportunities in the federal market heading into January 2026. Let’s start by diving into the top three.

Trending federal opportunities

1. 1. USSOUTHCOM J2 EDA IDIQ
      Posted by: Army Contracting Command
      NAICS Category: 541519 - Other Computer Related Services
      PSC Category: DA10 - It And Telecom - Business Application/Application Development Software As A Service

      The Department of the Army Materiel Command is soliciting proposals for a multiple-award Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to support U.S. Southern Command's (USSOUTHCOM) Enhanced Domain Awareness (EDA) Program, which will deliver strategic and technical support services across 16 distinct work orders. The solicitation (W91QEX26R0001) encompasses cloud infrastructure development, data transformation, knowledge graph development, web services, cybersecurity, geospatial systems, and predictive analytics capabilities. Key contract requirements include Cloud Web Developers, Geospatial Research Analysts, Data Scientists, Senior Program Specialists, and other technical roles with varying security clearance levels, including Top Secret Facility Clearance at proposal submission. The government will evaluate proposals using a best-value trade-off source selection method, with technical factors (experience and resumes) and past performance significantly more important than price, and offerors must demonstrate a minimum of three years of relevant U.S. Government contract experience with references totaling at least $4,000,000 awarded within the last five years. Proposals are due by 11:00 AM on January 5, 2026, with an amendment issued on December 22, 2025, and the government has emphasized that due dates in the solicitation will have no exceptions.
      
      This procurement is set aside for small businesses with a size standard of $34 million, targeting Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, Women-Owned Small Businesses, and HUBZone Small Businesses, with the incumbent contractor being Quiet Professionals LLC. The contract has a base performance period of 4 months (February 24, 2026 through June 23, 2026) followed by three 12-month option periods and a potential 6-month extension, for a total performance period not exceeding 3.5 years, with pricing structured as primarily Firm-Fixed-Price and cost-reimbursable elements for Other Direct Costs. The contract scope includes supporting cloud-agnostic, containerized solutions across IL-2, IL-4, and IL-5 environments, potentially spanning AWS GovCloud and Azure Government platforms, with ambitious technical objectives such as knowledge graph development targeting one billion graph edges. Offerors must submit three volumes: a 15-page technical experience volume, a 15-page past performance volume with Department of Defense contract references, and a pricing volume. The place of performance is Miami, Florida 33172, and the government intends to award multiple contracts based on proposals meeting the specific evaluation criteria outlined in the solicitation.

   2. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) SHIELD Multiple Award IDIQ Contract
      Posted by: Missile Defense Agency
      NAICS Category: 541715 - Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
      PSC Category: AC13 - National Defense R&D Services; Department Of Defense - Military; Experimental Development
      
      

      The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) issued a Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract solicitation under the name SHIELD (Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense) for research and development services across 19 different work areas supporting national defense objectives. The solicitation, designated HQ0859-25-R-E001, seeks to establish an enterprise flexible vehicle enabling MDA and other Department of Defense entities to rapidly issue task and delivery orders for services including science and technology, research and development, cybersecurity, prototyping, and systems engineering. Offerors were required to demonstrate recent and relevant corporate experience in a minimum of two but no more than three specified work areas at the prime contractor level, with flexibility for small business offerors to demonstrate experience through first-tier subcontractors. The evaluation criteria focused on corporate experience, with proposals assessed against the solicitation's technical and administrative requirements, including compliance with subcontracting plan provisions. The question submission deadline was September 15, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time, with proposals due by October 10, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time, followed by multiple amendment releases addressing industry inquiries through October 7, 2025.
      
      This solicitation used full and open competition with no set-aside designations, and the government announced its intent to award IDIQ contracts to all qualifying offerors in the competitive range. The anticipated maximum contract value is $151 billion over a 10-year performance period consisting of a base ordering period and one or more optional ordering periods, with individual task orders potentially utilizing various contract types and NAICS codes. As of December 18, 2025, MDA had awarded IDIQ contracts to a total of 2,100 qualifying contractors across two tranches of awards—1,014 awardees announced on December 2, 2025, and an additional 1,086 awardees announced on December 18, 2025—representing major defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Boeing, BAE Systems, L3Harris Technologies, and numerous smaller technology and engineering firms. The contract vehicle is classified under NAICS code 541715 (Research and Development in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences) and PSC code AC13 (National Defense R&D Services). Following the award of IDIQ contracts, MDA transitioned to the ordering phase, conducting market research and issuing Fair Opportunity Proposal Requests to contract holders competing for specific task and delivery orders.

   3. SOF Global Services Delivery Request for Proposal (DRAFT)
      Posted by: US Special Operations Command
      NAICS Category: 541611 - Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
      PSC Category: R499 - Support- Professional: Other
      
      

      The SOF Global Services Delivery (SOFGSD) Request for Proposal seeks to procure comprehensive professional services supporting United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) operations across education and training, management support, program management, engineering and technical services, professional services, and administrative services. The solicitation is a draft RFP in the pre-release phase, with an Industry Day scheduled for June 16-17, 2025, at SOFWERX in Tampa, Florida. Key requirements include that prime contractors must possess a Top Secret Facility Clearance, maintain an adequate accounting system, demonstrate a $2 million line of credit, and achieve a minimum Basic Confidence Level cybersecurity score of 110. Evaluation will be conducted using a Highest Technically Rated Offeror (HTRO) methodology, with offerors self-scoring across seven technical categories including total contract personnel positions, concurrent geographic performance, workforce transitions, labor category expertise, Statement of Work alignment, personnel retention, and past performance ratings from the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS). Critical dates include a deadline of May 20, 2025, for submitting questions on the draft RFP, an Industry Day on June 16-17, 2025, final draft RFP comments due by the end of June 2025, and anticipated final RFP release in early July 2025, with proposal submission expected in early November 2025.
      
      This solicitation is designated as a 100 percent small business set-aside with an anticipated 10-15 multiple awards to be issued as an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. No incumbent contractor is identified in the available documentation. The contract will support USSOCOM operations at multiple locations including MacDill Air Force Base, Fort Bragg, Hurlburt Field, Camp Lejeune, Coronado, and various Theater Special Operations Commands, with a primary performance location in Tampa, Florida, and potential global deployment. Contractor personnel must possess security clearances up to Top Secret with potential access to Sensitive Compartmented Information, and the initial contract includes a $2,500 firm fixed price for a post-award kick-off conference. The solicitation emphasizes three core service imperatives—Stability (mission continuity), Agility (dynamic workforce management), and Reach (global network capabilities)—with task orders to be competed either in a general pool or through three specialty pools for education, exercise support, and intelligence services. Offerors must submit up to five work samples from Department of Defense contracts performed within the last five years, with at least one Tier 1 work sample demonstrating prime contractor performance.

Next, let’s take a quick look at the rest of the top 20 hot federal contracting opportunities heading into January 2026.

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These opportunities were pulled from GovTribe, a government contracting platform built by contractors for contractors to make the job easier. The best part? You don't need to take our word for it.