Areas of Opportunity

The MDA is responsible for developmental testing, evaluation, and fielding the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). In fulfilling these responsibilities, the Agency does not purchase commodities in large quantities, but our large prime contractors do as they develop, test, integrate, and field the BMDS for the MDA. This contractual relationship provides contracting opportunities in four major markets:

1. Support for the development, production, fielding and sustainment of the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) and its elements
2. Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS)
3. Infrastructure Support
4. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs.

Support for Development, Production, Fielding and Sustainment of the BMDS and its Elements

This market represents roughly 84% of the dollars the Agency spends each year and those dollars go on prime contracts to large contractors who are responsible for the development, testing, production and sustainment of our BMDS systems.

Small business participation in this market is primarily through subcontracting. We have a Missile Defense Agency Small Business Advocacy Council (MDASBAC), comprised of Small Business Liaison Officers (SBLOs) from our various large business prime contractors. They work together to exchange ideas on how to do more business with small businesses on MDA contracts and provide access to their respective organizations for those interested in doing business on BMDS systems. Some of the skill sets they look for are manufacturing capability across many commodity areas, test support capability, and niche engineering skills across a spectrum of technologies.

For those interested in participating in this market, click here for more information regarding the MDASBAC participants and contacts.

Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS)

This market includes an array of support services from Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) support to administrative and acquisition support functions. These requirements are contained under our Missile Defense Agency Engineering and Support Services or MiDAESS Program.

About 38% of the MiDAESS work was set-aside for small businesses. MiDAESS contracts are Indefinite-Delivery. Indefinite Quantity contracts with task order competition amongst the base contract winners. Source selections result in the award of base contracts and awards are made in various capability groups.

You can still access the MiDAESS solicitation in FedBizOpps archives under "Other Defense Agencies: Missile Defense Agency". If you are not familiar with the MiDAESS Program and provide SETA or other A&AS-type services, please review the solicitations and the various performance work statements for the capability groups contained in the solicitation. You should also register on FedBizOpps for MiDAESS announcements so you can see who wins the awards. There may be opportunities to market your skills to one of the winning teams if you are not already on one.

Infrastructure Support

This includes all the non-A&AS support one would expect to find in any large organization that must provide facilities and Information Technology (IT) support to allow their workforce to function.

The largest area of this marketplace is IT support. Some commodity purchases are purchased from GSA schedules. Other times, we solicit these supplies and services on our own contracts. In many instances, these purchases are set-aside for small businesses.

SBIR/STTR

The MDA runs the fourth largest Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs in the Department of Defense (DoD). These programs require the Agency to set-aside money to fund research and development efforts by small businesses across a wide variety of technical areas related to ballistic missile defense.

Competition for SBIR/STTR awards is high. The DoD issues three solicitations a year for proposals for these efforts, and MDA participates in one DoD solicitation every year.

For help or additional information with the MDA solicitation, please email your requests to sbirsttr@mda.mil.