The Department of Transportation is preparing the recompete of Enterprise Information Technology Shared Services (EITSS), the IDIQ that runs DOT’s Common Operating Environment for every Operating Administration except FAA. Per DOT’s FY26 forecast, the follow-on, known publicly as EITSS-2, carries an estimated value of $500M–$999M, with the RFP forecast around September 2026 and award anticipated January 2027.
The work supports the DOT Office of Information Technology Shared Services, which delivers the Department’s enterprise computing platform. Based on DOT’s published EITSS-2 scope, this support requirement spans:
- Infrastructure and hosting, network and security operations, collaboration tools and endpoints; Tier 0 through Tier 2 service desk, VDI, and IMAC; asset, wireless, and telecommunications support; COOP and disaster recovery; and the program management and governance that underpins the Common Operating Environment
DOT’s FY26 forecast lists EITSS-2 as a Small Business Set-Aside, a change from the prior cycle, which ran parallel unrestricted and small business RFPs. Timing is the pressure point: the current small business incumbent’s IDIQ expires November 11, 2026, and the unrestricted incumbent’s unrestricted IDIQ, is on its fifth and final option (expires January 7, 2027). Based on the contracts ending soon, the window to build teaming and past performance is now.
OPPORTUNITY SNAPSHOT
- Opportunity: Enterprise Information Technology Shared Services 2 (EITSS-2) recompete
- Agency: DOT Office of the Chief Digital and Information Officer; contracting through FHWA’s Office of Acquisition and Grants Management
- Estimated Value: TBD (early indications suggest $500M–$999M)
- Estimated RFP: September 2026
- Estimated Award: January 2027
- NAICS: 541519 in DOT’s FY26 forecast; 541513 ($37M standard) on the incumbent contracts — confirm at RFP
- Contract Type: Agency-specific IDIQ
- Duration: 24-month base plus five 12-month options; two awards anticipated
- Competition: Small Business Set-Aside
- Place of Performance: DOT Headquarters, Washington, DC, plus field sites
WHY THIS OPPORTUNITY MATTERS
EITSS is the operational backbone of DOT’s $3.5 billion annual IT portfolio. Reported spending across the two incumbent contracts has run roughly $67M to $77M per year, and the vehicle is still absorbing new work.
What EITSS-2 buys:
- Infrastructure administration and engineering, hosting, networking, security operations, collaboration tools, endpoints, end user support, and the program management that holds the enterprise together
The 1DOT reorganization reshapes how this work will be bought. DOT is consolidating more than 425 systems, seven data centers, and over 4,200 servers into shared enterprise platforms under a product-centric digital factory model. EITSS-2 is the operations and sustainment half of that picture; the separate 1DOT Digital Services BPA ($1B–$1.9B) covers software engineering. Expect scope and service levels to reflect the new model, not the prior 2018 PWS requirements, and as such competitive teams typically bring:
- Enterprise infrastructure and service desk past performance at federal scale; cleared personnel for security operations and FISMA and RMF compliance; ITIL and ITSM maturity; recruiting depth to absorb incumbent staff; and teaming partners drawn from the EITSS subcontract base
WHO SHOULD CONSIDER THIS OPPORTUNITY
This recompete is built for small businesses delivering enterprise IT operations to federal civilian customers. Firms with experience in the following should assess their fit now:
- Enterprise infrastructure operations, hosting, and network engineering
- End user support and service desk, Tier 0 through Tier 2, including VDI, endpoints, and IMAC
- Security operations, continuous monitoring, and FISMA and RMF compliance
- ITIL and ITSM service management, asset management, and telecommunications support
- IT program management, governance, and business relationship management
- Current subcontractors to SAIC or Veritium seeking a prime or major subcontractor role
- 8(a), WOSB, SDVOSB, and HUBZone firms and joint ventures
HOW OST CAN HELP
With the RFP forecast for this fall and both incumbent vehicles expiring within months, EITSS-2 is squarely in the capture window. OST supports firms pursuing federal enterprise IT opportunities with:
- Bid/No-Bid assessment: Evaluating fit against the EITSS-2 scope, size status under the applicable NAICS, and win probability against the incumbents
- Capture planning: Win themes, customer engagement, and positioning shaped by the 1DOT digital factory model
- Teaming strategy: Identifying complementary partners via OST’s partnering portal (200+ companies) to close capability and past performance gaps
- Past performance strategy: Documenting federal enterprise IT operations past performance mapped to DOT’s likely evaluation criteria
- Proposal development: Technical approach, staffing and transition plans, pricing, and compliance
With a small business set-aside signaled and incumbent vehicles expiring in November 2026 and January 2027, the DOT EITSS-2 recompete is a near-term, multi-year opportunity for small businesses with enterprise IT operations depth. The firms that build teams and document past performance now will be best positioned when the solicitation drops. If this interests you, please book a call with OST Partner and President Bill Schalik via the button below.
Schedule a discussion today.
