Glossary / Contracts
8(a) STARS IIISTARS III
8(a) STARS III is GSA's governmentwide acquisition contract for information-technology services held only by 8(a) program participants. Its ceiling is $50 billion over a base and option period reaching into the 2030s. Agencies may compete orders among the holders or direct an order to one holder up to the 8(a) sole-source thresholds, and the contract includes emerging-technology and outside-the-continental-United-States sub-areas. Holders that graduate from 8(a) may keep performing existing orders but generally not take new ones.
Why it matters to your pipeline
STARS III combines the 8(a) program's sole-source authority with a ready vehicle, so an agency that wants to buy from a particular 8(a) firm can do so in weeks. For an 8(a) IT firm, a seat is one of the most valuable assets the program offers; for a non-8(a) firm, the holders are teaming partners worth knowing.
When this term shows up in an opening GovSmith finds for you, your vCM explains what it means for that pursuit and does whatever it calls for. You decide; we do the work.
Example
A DHS component directs a $3.9M cybersecurity-assessment order to an 8(a) STARS III holder it worked with before, with no competition and an award in under a month.
Find out what applies to you
Some terms will matter to your business right away and some won’t for years. A vCM can tell you which are which.