The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is preparing to release one of the largest and most ambitious contract vehicles of the decade: the Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) IDIQ. With a staggering $151 billion ceiling and a 10-year ordering period, SHIELD will power a wide range of national defense priorities across all domains—air, land, sea, space, and cyber.
This is not a niche contract. SHIELD is designed to support everything from AI-enabled missile tracking to advanced weapons integration and cybersecurity infrastructure. It’s a gateway to high-value task orders for defense innovators across the federal contracting spectrum.
What Makes SHIELD Different
SHIELD will be awarded under full and open competition—but unlike many large contracts, every qualified, technically acceptable offeror will get an award. If you meet the requirements, you’re in. This IDIQ is massive in value and scope, and it’s accessible.
This flexible, multi-domain vehicle will allow MDA and other DoD entities to rapidly acquire:
- Advanced R&D and S&T services
- Prototyping, testing, and integration
- Modeling, simulation, and mission analysis
- Cybersecurity and mission IT
- Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital engineering
- Agile and model-based acquisition support
Both classified and unclassified efforts are in scope, with work spanning multiple security domains. Contractors must be registered in SAM.gov to be eligible.
Don’t Wait—Early Positioning Can Shape the Final RFP
With an award expected for all technically acceptable offerors, SHIELD presents a rare opportunity to gain long-term access to billions in national defense work. By starting your capture and proposal efforts now, you can help to shape the opportunity itself, making it more advantageous to your business.
The draft RFP is expected in early June 2025. That will be your window to submit questions and comments that could influence the final solicitation. Engaging during this period allows you to raise concerns, seek clarification, and help steer the structure of the acquisition before requirements are locked in.
At the same time, early movers will be aligning teammates, refining technical narratives, and identifying capability gaps well ahead of the final release. Waiting until the RFP drops may leave you scrambling to meet complex requirements or missing the opportunity entirely.
OST Can Help You Compete with Confidence
OST has supported clients on some of the government’s most technically complex IDIQs, contributing to more than $27 billion in contract wins. We provide:
- Tailored capture and proposal development strategy
- Teaming and partner alignment
- Full-color team reviews
- Proposal writing, management, and compliance support
- Graphics, conceptualization, and desktop publishing
Let us help you lock in your seat on SHIELD and position your team for long-term success across the national defense landscape.
Contact us today to start building your pursuit plan.
