Strategic Asset Spotlight: NASA SEWP
In this week’s Strategic Asset Spotlight, the Coalition turns our attention to the oldest IT governmentwide acquisition contract (GWAC) program, NASA’s Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP). NASA SEWP provides federal agencies and their approved contractors with streamlined access to the latest innovative IT products and services spanning across a wide range of technologies, such as desktops and servers, cloud-based services, telecommunications, storage systems, health IT, and security tools. SEWP is a best-in-class, multi-award indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) vehicle that offers low pricing and a speedy ordering procedure through pre-competed contracts. NASA launched the program in 1993, and it currently sits on its fifth iteration, SEWP V.
SEWP is not only the oldest GWAC program in government, but also the largest in terms of annual contract purchases by federal agencies. Over the past several years, SEWP has experienced consistent growth in obligations. Since SEWP V’s release in fiscal year (FY) 2015, obligations have increased by over 500 percent, surpassing $9 billion in FY 2022. Furthermore, in FY 2022, SEWP V accounted for nearly 40 percent of all GWAC obligations, exceeding the second largest vehicle by over $3 billion in sales.
| Fiscal Year | Sales | Growth |
| 2015 | $1,443,350,669.71 | – |
| 2016 | $2,811,473,410.85 | 94.79% |
| 2017 | $3,634,204,204.72 | 29.26% |
| 2018 | $4,589,233,096.79 | 26.28% |
| 2019 | $5,660,236,827.90 | 23.34% |
| 2020 | $7,984,442,861.26 | 41.06% |
| 2021 | $8,705,680,069.47 | 9.03% |
| 2022 | $9,188,713,089.61 | 5.55% |
SEWP, generally regarded as the “vehicle of choice” for the Federal Government for IT and communications solutions, is used by all federal agencies for their mission needs. In FY 2022, with $3.6 billion in spending under the program, the Department of Defense accounted for over one-third of SEWP spending obligations. The chart below shows the spending obligations of the top ten federal agencies using SEWP. From FY 2021 to 2022, nine of the top ten agencies saw their SEWP spending increase.
| Agency | 2022 SEWP Obligations | Growth |
| Defense, Department of | $3,627,993,426.05 | 7.51% |
| Air Force, Department of | $856,392,840.23 | 4.47% |
| Navy, Department of | $799,584,539.27 | -1.60% |
| Defense Information Systems
Agency (DISA) |
$556,742,098.53 | 8.18% |
| Army, Department of | $505,030,835.78 | 11.70% |
| Veterans Affairs, Department of | $1,605,037,948.32 | -11.79% |
| Justice, Department of | $658,748,963.55 | 1.41% |
| Treasury, Department of | $587,593,817.53 | 16.36% |
| State, Department of | $538,155,819.68 | 25.35% |
| Health and Human Services, Department of | $377,655,044.32 | 3.85% |
| Homeland Security, Department of | $297,450,819.64 | 9.23% |
| Agriculture, Department of | $231,955,461.87 | 4.81% |
| Energy, Department of | $157,978,507.32 | 117.85% |
| Interior, Department of | $145,553,938.53 | 32.74% |
The SEWP program provides excellent opportunities for small businesses and is key in helping agencies meet their small business contracting goals. The contract’s structure contains three small business set-aside groups – HUBZone businesses, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned businesses, and Small Businesses. In fact, out of the 140 prime contract holders, more than 100 are small businesses. In total, small businesses accounted for over 75 percent of SEWP obligations in FY 2022. There is strong participation in the program across a range of socioeconomic categories, as demonstrated by the chart below.
| Small Business Category | 2022 SEWP Obligations |
| 8(a) | $740,379,436.62 |
| HUBZone | $1,061,440,466.42 |
| Economically Disadvantaged Women Owned | $490,810,898.67 |
| Small Disadvantaged Business | $2,293,656,441.79 |
| Service Disabled Veteran Owned | $3,412,061,917.30 |
| Women Owned | $1,862,756,344.60 |
| Veteran Owned | $3,448,640,973.05 |
There is no question that SEWP has served customer agencies over the program’s history by providing innovative IT solutions and flexible procurement procedures. The Coalition commends NASA’s dedication to delivering an effective, best-value GWAC. The SEWP team has begun its market research into the formulation of the contract’s next iteration, SEWP VI, which is anticipated to launch in 2025. NASA has held multiple engagements to hear ideas and recommendations from industry on how the agency can improve the program in the future. With each iteration of SEWP, NASA has expanded the scope of services.
The Coalition is excited to support NASA to ensure that SEWP’s next iteration continues along this path and aligns with the program’s mission of providing best value for the Federal Government and American taxpayer. As with OASIS+ and Alliant 3, we have formed a NASA SEWP working group for our members to communicate on the future procurement. For those interested in joining, please email Michael Hanafin at mhanafin@thecgp.org.