Library services, digital archives, and information management for government agencies. Find active federal and state libraries and archives contracts — AI-scored against your profile across SAM.gov and 200+ portals.
Annual federal spend under NAICS 519120 is estimated at $500 million-$1 billion, driven by digitization, preservation, and information management mandates. The Library of Congress and National Archives (NARA) are top buyers, alongside DoD and civilian agencies. Contracts are predominantly awarded via IDIQs and BPAs, with task orders for specific projects (e.g., digitizing records, archival processing). Demand spikes with compliance deadlines (e.g., M-19-21 for electronic records) and aging physical collections. Competition is moderate; incumbents often hold multi-year contracts. Small businesses succeed by targeting niche capabilities like metadata standards or handling classified archives.
These agencies are the largest buyers of libraries and archives services and products in the federal government. Each awards contracts under NAICS 519120 regularly — build relationships with their small business offices first.
Focus on agency-specific IDIQ vehicles like NARA's Archives and Records Management Services (ARMS) or Library of Congress' Library Services and Digital Initiatives contracts. Set-asides are common: 8(a), SDVOSB, and HUBZone for task orders under $7.5M. The highest-leverage move is to partner with a prime on a GSA Schedule 541 (Library Services) or 541519 (Other Information Services) to gain past performance. Certifications like Certified Archivist (ACA) or PMP for project leads differentiate your bid.
Contracts are typically LPTA for well-defined digitization tasks and best-value for complex archival management. Common vehicles: GSA Schedule 541 (Library Services), NARA's ARMS IDIQ, DoD's Defense Digital Service contracts, and 8(a) STARS III for IT-related archives. Evaluation emphasizes past performance, staffing plans, and technical approach over price.
No federal license is required, but agencies often require key personnel to hold certifications like Certified Archivist (ACA) or Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) from SAA. For IT-related tasks, PMP or ITIL may be requested.
Bonds are rarely required for task orders under $150K. For larger IDIQ base contracts, performance bonds may be needed if the award exceeds $150K. Most library/archive work is services-based, so bonds are less common than in construction.
8(a), SDVOSB, and HUBZone set-asides are frequently used, especially for NARA and DoD digitization projects. WOSB set-asides appear less often. Many task orders are competed among small businesses under GSA schedules.
Moderately competitive. There are about 200 active small business vendors, but incumbents with strong past performance dominate. New entrants can win by targeting specific agency needs (e.g., classified archives for DoD) or teaming with larger primes.
Task orders range from $50,000 to $5 million, with most between $250,000 and $2 million. Digitization projects tend to be larger ($1M+), while archival processing or cataloging tasks are often under $500K.