Customer base.
All federal agencies seeking 8(a) set-aside IT services.
What's structurally distinctive about STARS III.
8(a) only — period
Holders must be SBA 8(a)-certified at the time of contract award AND maintain certification through performance. Graduating out of 8(a) status terminates the holder's ability to receive new task orders.
Functional area structure
STARS III organises by functional area (cyber, cloud, app development, etc.). Vendors qualify per functional area; not all 8(a) primes hold all areas.
Sole-source friendly
8(a) sole-source authority extends through STARS III up to thresholds ($4.5M for non-defense, $7.5M for DoD). Often the fastest path from agency need to contract award.
Mentor-protégé central
The vast majority of STARS III primes operate via SBA-approved mentor-protégé agreements. Allied vendors reach STARS III work by partnering as protégé subs or as commercial subs.
Whether allied vendors can directly hold STARS III.
Direct allied vendor participation is not possible; the path is teaming with an 8(a) prime that holds a STARS III contract.
How to get on STARS III.
Restricted to current 8(a)-certified small businesses. Periodic on-ramps; monitor SBA + GSA announcements.
Recent opportunities tagged to STARS III.
No matching opportunities in the last 30 days. Bridger’s ingest sweeps SAM.gov every 4 hours — this lane fills as new task orders publish.
Filter Opportunities to STARS III →