Federal agencies and their contractors navigate a dense landscape of IT acquisition vehicles. Four governmentwide acquisition contracts (GWACs) dominate the IT services and products market in 2026: SEWP V, STARS III, Alliant 2, and Alliant 3. Each has a distinct ceiling, ordering period, socioeconomic set-aside posture, and scope. The GSA Alliant 3 program page provides current details on the newest and most significant addition to this landscape, while agencies and contractors must also track the NASA and GSA vehicles described below.
SEWP V: NASA's Product-Focused Workhorse
The Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP V) is managed by NASA, which holds the Executive Agent designation for this contract. SEWP V carries a $20 billion ceiling per individual contract — making it one of the most heavily used IT product vehicles in government. Its ordering period runs through September 30, 2026, with options extending to April 2027.
SEWP V is organized into four groups reflecting different socioeconomic categories. Group A is unrestricted and open to large and small businesses alike. Group B(1) is reserved for HUBZone small businesses; Group B(2) for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs). Group C is for small businesses broadly, and Group D covers unrestricted firms competing within specific technology areas. Ordering is accomplished via delivery orders and blanket purchase agreements.
SEWP V's scope leans heavily toward products: IT hardware, audio/visual systems, ITC products, and associated services. This product-centered focus distinguishes it from the services-dominant Alliant vehicles. Agencies that need to procure significant quantities of equipment alongside modest support services tend to reach for SEWP V. The follow-on vehicle, SEWP VI with a $60 billion ceiling, has been delayed by bid protests; award is expected in summer 2026.
STARS III: 8(a) Set-Aside IT Services
GSA's Streamlined Technology Acquisition Resource for Services (STARS III) is the premier IT services GWAC for 8(a) small businesses. Its $50 billion total ceiling reflects strong agency demand for the sole-source and set-aside task orders available under the vehicle. The ordering period runs through July 1, 2026, with an option to extend to July 2029 pending exercise.
STARS III is exclusively a small business set-aside under SBA's 8(a) Business Development Program. This means only certified 8(a) firms hold prime contracts. The vehicle's most powerful feature for agencies is its sole-source authority: contracting officers may award sole-source task orders up to $5.5 million under standard thresholds, up to $30 million for Alaska Native Corporations and tribally owned concerns on civilian contracts, and up to $150 million on defense contracts.
The STARS III scope covers IT services under NAICS codes 541511, 541512, 541513, 541519, and 518210 — spanning custom software development, systems integration, IT consulting, and data processing. Critically, STARS III does not currently have an on-ramp open, meaning contractors not already on the vehicle must wait for a future opportunity or pursue 8(a) eligibility for the next on-ramp if one is announced.
Alliant 2: The Established Full-Scope Services Vehicle
GSA's Alliant 2 remains active through June 30, 2028, with a ceiling of $90.75 billion — the largest stated ceiling among current active IT GWACs. Alliant 2 is unrestricted, with 43 large and small business awardees holding prime contracts. Its full IT services scope spans the complete lifecycle: strategy, design, development, integration, operations, and maintenance. Alliant 2 explicitly includes emerging technology areas such as artificial intelligence, robotic process automation, and blockchain, giving it continued relevance even as Alliant 3 ramps up.
Task orders under Alliant 2 support both civilian and defense agencies worldwide and may be issued in all task order types — firm-fixed price, time and materials, labor hour, cost-reimbursement, and hybrids. Agencies that have established ordering relationships and task orders under Alliant 2 will continue working the vehicle through its remaining ordering period and through individual task order performance periods beyond that.
Alliant 3: The New Preferred Vehicle
Alliant 3 launched its ordering period on March 10, 2026, and runs through March 9, 2031, with a five-year option extending to 2036. It carries no program ceiling — an intentional design choice reflecting the scale of anticipated IT services demand across the federal government. Phase 1 awarded contracts to 43 firms in February 2026; an additional 33 slots are being evaluated in Phase 2. No on-ramp is currently open to new entrants.
The Office of Management and Budget has designated Alliant 3 as a preferred governmentwide solution under Executive Order 14240, which directs agencies to use shared services and common acquisition vehicles to reduce duplication and improve efficiency. This designation carries real procurement weight: agencies that bypass Alliant 3 for equivalent IT services work may face scrutiny from their chief acquisition officers. Alliant 3 serves both civilian and defense agencies, covers the full IT services lifecycle, and accepts all task order types.
What It Means for Contractors
Vehicle selection strategy has real revenue implications. Here is how to think about positioning across these four GWACs in 2026.
If your firm is 8(a)-certified, STARS III provides sole-source pathway access that no other IT GWAC offers. The $5.5 million standard sole-source ceiling — and the dramatically higher thresholds for ANCs and tribal firms — allows agencies to award work quickly without a competitive fair opportunity process. Being on STARS III is a significant competitive advantage for eligible small businesses, even as the ordering period approaches its option point.
If your firm is on Alliant 3, that vehicle's OMB preferred status means agencies are actively steering IT services dollars there. Phase 2 evaluation is ongoing; firms not yet awarded should track the GSA Alliant 3 page for any future on-ramp announcements. Being absent from Alliant 3 is an increasingly material gap in your vehicle portfolio.
For product-heavy opportunities — servers, workstations, audio/visual systems, hardware at volume — SEWP V remains the go-to vehicle for agencies. Contractors without a SEWP V position should evaluate teaming arrangements with current Group A or Group C holders while tracking the SEWP VI award, which will define the product-vehicle landscape after 2027.
Alliant 2 still has two full years of ordering life remaining through mid-2028, and task orders awarded before that date can carry performance periods well beyond it. Firms with existing Alliant 2 positions should be actively pursuing new task orders now, particularly for long-duration programs that will sustain revenue through the early 2030s. The SEWP V contract information page at NASA provides current holder and ordering details for that vehicle.
