A SEWP contract is a NASA-administered Governmentwide Acquisition Contract that federal agencies use to buy information technology, communications, and audio-visual products and services from pre-competed commercial vendors. Its full name is Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement, and NASA runs it as an Executive Agent designated by the Office of Management and Budget under the Clinger-Cohen Act, originally the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996.1NASA SEWP. NASA SEWP V About Us It is structured as an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity vehicle under Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 16.505, so agencies place orders as needs arise rather than on a fixed schedule.2Acquisition.GOV. 48 CFR 16.505 – Ordering The appeal for buyers is speed: the competition happened when NASA awarded the contracts, so an agency can go from requirement to delivery order without running its own full procurement.
What You Can Buy Through SEWP
The contract covers IT, communications, and audio-visual products and services.1NASA SEWP. NASA SEWP V About Us On the hardware side, that includes workstations, servers, networking equipment, and storage systems built to federal security standards. Software runs from operating systems to cybersecurity platforms and cloud applications. Cloud offerings sold through SEWP must meet Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) requirements, the governmentwide baseline for security assessment of cloud products used by federal agencies.3General Services Administration. FedRAMP The vehicle also supports installation, maintenance, technical training, managed IT services, and product-based engineering support.
One boundary matters for every purchase. Products sold through SEWP must comply with Section 889 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, which bars federal agencies from acquiring covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial component of any system, and from contracting with companies that use such equipment in their own operations.4Acquisition.GOV. Section 889 Policies The named manufacturers are Huawei Technologies, ZTE Corporation, Hytera Communications, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, Dahua Technology, and their subsidiaries or affiliates. Vendors quoting on SEWP orders confirm their products contain no components from those companies.
Who Can Order From SEWP
Every federal agency can use SEWP, civilian departments and the Department of Defense alike.1NASA SEWP. NASA SEWP V About Us Eligibility also extends beyond the federal government to state, local, tribal, and education entities, an expansion that has been in place since SEWP IV launched in 2009.
Government support service contractors can buy through SEWP as well, but only on behalf of a federal agency. The authorizing contracting officer sends an Authorization Letter to the SEWP Program Management Office before or with the first order, identifying the agency, the contracting officer, the contractor’s corporate name and address, the support contract number and period of performance, and a signed statement that the contractor is authorized to purchase.5NASA SEWP. NASA SEWP V Ordering Information A fresh letter is required each time an option period is exercised on the support contract.
How an Agency Places an Order
Ordering is short compared to a standalone procurement. An end user identifies what they need, generates a purchase request, and sends it with funding information to their agency’s procurement office. That office then issues a delivery order using any valid federal delivery order form.5NASA SEWP. NASA SEWP V Ordering Information
Before the delivery order goes out, the buying agency typically solicits quotes from SEWP contract holders through NASA’s Quote Request Tool, an online system on the SEWP website.6NASA SEWP. NASA SEWP V SEWP Tools Buyers describe their requirements and receive competing quotes from multiple vendors. Once the agency picks a vendor and issues the order, the SEWP Program Management Office reviews, processes, and tracks it, then forwards it to the contract holder for fulfillment. Any later modifications also route through the Program Management Office rather than going straight to the vendor.5NASA SEWP. NASA SEWP V Ordering Information
There is no maximum dollar value on a single SEWP order, and purchase card orders are subject only to the buying agency’s card limits, not any SEWP-imposed ceiling.
What the Buying Agency Pays in Fees
NASA funds program administration through a surcharge applied to every order. Under SEWP V, that surcharge is 0.34% of the order value, built into the price quoted by the contract holder rather than shown as a separate line.5NASA SEWP. NASA SEWP V Ordering Information On a $500,000 order, the fee works out to $1,700.
A per-order fee cap has historically limited the surcharge on very large orders. Under SEWP IV, that cap was $10,000, so orders above roughly $2.2 million paid no additional surcharge beyond that amount.7NASA SEWP. NASA SEWP IV Ordering Information Because the rate and the cap can change between contract generations, buyers on current SEWP V orders should confirm the applicable cap with the SEWP Program Management Office.
How a Company Becomes a SEWP Contract Holder
Vendors do not join SEWP on a rolling basis. They win a spot during an open solicitation posted on SAM.gov, and interested companies should watch that site for announcements, amendments, and deadlines.8System for Award Management. SEWP VI Final RFP – 6th Generation of Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurements Preparing a proposal is not a quick turnaround; it involves past performance data, detailed pricing, and a technical narrative describing how the company will handle large-scale federal fulfillment.
Proposals also address supply chain risk. Under SEWP VI, vendors complete a Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management attestation as part of the submission package.9NASA SEWP. NASA SEWP VI Information Small business participation plans are evaluated too. Every product offered must include accessibility documentation showing compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act; vendors typically supply Accessibility Conformance Reports in the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template format for each product line. NASA reviews proposals in stages, examining pricing accuracy, technical approach, delivery capability, and customer service capacity. Winners are listed on the SEWP website and then onboarded to start receiving quote requests.
Small Business Set-Asides
SEWP reserves meaningful capacity for small businesses. Under SEWP VI, dedicated set-aside tracks exist for 8(a) firms, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, HUBZone-certified companies, and Women-Owned Small Businesses. The contract-level NAICS code for SEWP VI Categories B and C is 541512, which carries a small business size standard of $34 million in average annual revenue. Individual delivery orders may be placed under alternative NAICS codes, so a company that exceeds the size standard at the contract level can still qualify as small for specific orders placed under a code with a higher threshold. Small businesses compete for prime contract slots directly and receive dedicated order opportunities restricted from full-and-open competition.
Where SEWP Stands Now: V to VI
The program is in a transition period between its fifth and sixth generations. NASA has extended the SEWP V ordering period through September 30, 2026, with two option periods available: a four-month extension through January 31, 2027, and a further three-month extension through April 30, 2027.10NASA SEWP. NASA SEWP Home SEWP VI will carry a 10-year ordering period from its effective date once contracts are awarded.8System for Award Management. SEWP VI Final RFP – 6th Generation of Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurements
Agencies with multi-year IT projects should plan for the switchover. Delivery orders already issued under SEWP V remain valid through their own performance periods after the ordering window closes, but no new orders can be placed against the expired contracts once that window shuts.