The Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity has issued a pre-solicitation notice, announcing its intent to on-ramp new holders onto the OMNIBUS IV multiple-award IDIQ for military medical research and development. The RFP is anticipated in early November 2026. DHACA states it will make multiple new awards, and the solicitation will be set aside for firms certified under the SBA 8(a) Program.
OMNIBUS IV was awarded in May 2022 to 56 primes under full and open competition, with a $10B cumulative ceiling and a ten-year ordering horizon. New awards align to the existing vehicle and its four market segments covering infectious disease, radiation effects, combat casualty care, medical simulation, clinical medicine, chemical and biological readiness, genomics, and rehabilitation:
- Market Segment 1, Research and Development
- Market Segment 2, R&D Support Services
- Market Segment 3, Regulatory Processes
- Market Segment 4, Translational Science Support and Services
One change is worth noting carefully. DHA’s April 2025 market research invited all small business socioeconomic categories — 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, EDWOSB, and SDVOSB. This pre-solicitation narrows the field to 8(a)-certified firms only. If your certification lapses before award, or you are a small business outside the 8(a) program, this on-ramp is closed to you as a prime.
OPPORTUNITY SNAPSHOT
- Opportunity: OMNIBUS IV Small Business On-Ramp, military medical research and development
- Agency: Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity (DHACA)
- Set-Aside: SBA 8(a) Program certified firms only
- Anticipated RFP: Early November 2026
- Awards: Multiple Award
- Vehicle Ceiling: $10B
- Ordering Periods: Base 20 June 2022 to 19 June 2027; option 20 June 2027 to 19 June 2032
- NAICS: 541714, R&D in Biotechnology; PSC AN14
- Order Types: Firm fixed price, time and materials, and cost reimbursement
WHY THIS OPPORTUNITY MATTERS
Unlike many large vehicles, OMNIBUS IV is demonstrably active, and the pace is accelerating. The numbers DHACA published with this notice:
- 61 task orders issued to date, excluding minimum guarantee orders, worth more than $690 million including unexercised options — and 95% of those 61 were awarded during fiscal years 2024 through 2026, meaning the vehicle’s ordering velocity has risen sharply in its later years
The small business record is equally concrete. Of those 61 task orders, 42 went to small businesses, 8 were set aside specifically for the 8(a) Program, and 15 were awarded to an 8(a) participant.
Demand also comes from more than one customer. Orders have been placed by DHACA, the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity now integrated into DHACA, Naval Supply Systems Command, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Competitive 8(a) offerors typically bring:
- Active 8(a) certification with runway through award
- Military medical or federal health R&D past performance mapped to a specific market segment
- Scientific and regulatory personnel including physicians, toxicologists, biostatisticians, or regulatory affairs specialists
- Human and animal subjects research compliance experience
WHO SHOULD CONSIDER THIS OPPORTUNITY
This on-ramp is built for 8(a)-certified firms working in defense health research and the services that support it. Firms with experience in the following should assess their fit now:
- 8(a)-certified firms with military medical or federal health research and development past performance
- Clinical and research protocol support providers staffing physicians, psychologists, physiologists, biochemists, and toxicologists
- Regulatory affairs firms supporting human and animal subjects protection, compliance, and FDA submissions
- Translational science specialists moving discoveries from research into deployed medical capability
- Medical simulation, modeling, and training technology developers
- Research logistics, biomedical support, and medical readiness operations firms
- Current OMNIBUS IV subcontractors seeking a prime seat on the vehicle
HOW OST CAN HELP
OST supported multiple clients who won seats in the original OMNIBUS IV competition, and the RFP is expected within weeks. That is enough time to position, but not enough to start from zero. We support firms with:
- Bid/No-Bid assessment: Confirming 8(a) status and runway, selecting which market segments you can credibly win, and sizing the effort against your capacity
- Capture planning: Win themes and segment positioning built on how DHACA has been placing task orders
- Teaming strategy: Identifying complementary partners via OST’s partnering portal (200+ companies) to close scientific, regulatory, and clinical gaps
- Past performance strategy: Documenting health R&D references mapped to the specific market segments you intend to bid
- Proposal development: Full proposal management, writing, color team reviews, and production on a compressed timeline
The RFP is anticipated in early November 2026, and DHACA states no further delays are expected after the slips that pushed this on-ramp out of fiscal year 2026. With a $10 billion ceiling, ordering authority through June 2032, accelerating task order velocity, and 42 of 61 task orders already going to small businesses, an 8(a) seat on OMNIBUS IV is among the more valuable positions available in defense health this year. If this interests you, please book a call with OST Partner and President Bill Schalik via the button below.
