If you have an 8(a) business, federal IT opportunities are not limited to the Washington, D.C. area. Federal agencies, military installations, laboratories, medical centers, and other government facilities operate throughout the United States, creating potential IT markets in many states.
When I talk to a lot of people regarding the new 8(a) rules that could allow any person that has suffered social disadvantage (including Caucasians) access into the 8(a) program they tell me, “even if I had 8(a) I just wouldn’t know where to start, all the work is in DC.”
The Reality — Federal IT Work Exists Across All 50 States
It is true that around 50% of the IT work is in the DC, Virginia, Maryland area; however, the federal government has facilities all across the US. That is why I have listed the top 3 locations for each State. Larger markets such as Texas, New York, and California have a much deeper bench of federal contract awards by place of performance, but the goal here is simply to show that IT work exists right around the corner.
8(a) IT Buyers by State
| Home State | #1 Target Location | #2 Target Location | #3 Target Location |
| Alabama | Redstone Arsenal – Huntsville | Marshall Space Flight Center – Huntsville | Maxwell AFB – Montgomery |
| Alaska | Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson – Anchorage | Eielson AFB – Fairbanks | Interior/BLM – Anchorage |
| Arizona | Davis-Monthan AFB – Tucson | Luke AFB – Phoenix | DHS/CBP – Tucson/Phoenix |
| Arkansas | Little Rock AFB | VA – Little Rock | USDA – Little Rock |
| California | Space Systems Command – Los Angeles | Naval Information Warfare – San Diego | NASA Ames – Silicon Valley |
| Colorado | Peterson/Schriever Space Force – Colorado Springs | Denver Federal Center | Buckley Space Force Base – Denver |
| Connecticut | Naval Submarine Base – Groton | VA – West Haven | DHS/Federal offices – Hartford |
| Delaware | Dover AFB | CMS – Woodlawn, MD | Philadelphia Federal Offices |
| Florida | MacDill AFB/SOCOM – Tampa | Patrick SFB/Cape Canaveral | Eglin AFB – Fort Walton Beach |
| Georgia | CDC – Atlanta | Robins AFB – Warner Robins | Fort Eisenhower – Augusta |
| Hawaii | INDOPACOM – Honolulu | Pearl Harbor | Schofield Barracks |
| Idaho | Idaho National Laboratory – Idaho Falls | Mountain Home AFB | Boise Federal Complex |
| Illinois | Scott AFB – St. Louis Metro | Great Lakes Naval Station | VA – Chicago |
| Indiana | Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane | DFAS – Indianapolis | VA – Indianapolis |
| Iowa | USDA – Des Moines/Ames | VA – Iowa City | CMS – Woodlawn, MD |
| Kansas | Fort Riley | McConnell AFB – Wichita | USDA – Kansas City |
| Kentucky | CMS – Woodlawn, MD | Fort Knox – Louisville area | Wright-Patterson AFB – Dayton |
| Louisiana | Barksdale AFB – Shreveport | Fort Johnson | NASA Michoud – New Orleans |
| Maine | Portsmouth Naval Shipyard – Kittery | Togus VA – Augusta | Portsmouth Federal/Defense market |
| Maryland | CMS – Woodlawn | NIH – Bethesda | Fort Meade/NSA |
| Massachusetts | Hanscom AFB – Bedford | MIT Lincoln Laboratory/DoD – Lexington | VA/HHS – Boston |
| Michigan | Detroit Arsenal/TACOM – Warren | VA – Detroit/Ann Arbor | Battle Creek Federal Center |
| Minnesota | VA – Minneapolis | USDA – Minneapolis/St. Paul | CMS – Woodlawn, MD |
| Mississippi | Stennis Space Center | Keesler AFB – Biloxi | Naval Construction Battalion – Gulfport |
| Missouri | NGA – St. Louis | USDA – Kansas City | Whiteman AFB |
| Montana | Malmstrom AFB – Great Falls | Interior – Billings | USDA/Forest Service – Missoula |
| Nebraska | STRATCOM/Offutt AFB – Omaha | USDA – Lincoln | VA – Omaha |
| Nevada | Nellis AFB – Las Vegas | Nevada National Security Site | VA – Las Vegas |
| New Hampshire | Portsmouth Naval Shipyard | VA – Manchester | Hanscom AFB – MA |
| New Jersey | Picatinny Arsenal | Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst | FAA Technical Center – Atlantic City |
| New Mexico | Sandia/Kirtland AFB – Albuquerque | Los Alamos National Laboratory | White Sands Missile Range |
| New York | Rome Laboratory/AFRL – Rome | West Point | VA/Federal market – NYC |
| North Carolina | Fort Liberty – Fayetteville | Research Triangle federal/HHS market | Camp Lejeune |
| North Dakota | Minot AFB | Grand Forks AFB | USDA – Fargo |
| Ohio | Wright-Patterson AFB – Dayton | NASA Glenn – Cleveland | DFAS – Columbus |
| Oklahoma | Tinker AFB – Oklahoma City | Fort Sill – Lawton | FAA – Oklahoma City |
| Oregon | Bonneville Power Administration – Portland | VA – Portland | Forest Service/Interior – Portland |
| Pennsylvania | NAVSUP – Mechanicsburg | Defense Logistics Agency – Philadelphia | VA – Philadelphia/Pittsburgh |
| Rhode Island | Naval Undersea Warfare Center – Newport | VA – Providence | Hanscom/DoD – Massachusetts |
| South Carolina | Charleston Naval/Joint Base | Fort Jackson – Columbia | Shaw AFB – Sumter |
| South Dakota | Ellsworth AFB – Rapid City | VA – Sioux Falls | USDA – South Dakota |
| Tennessee | Oak Ridge/DOE – Knoxville | Arnold AFB – Tullahoma | VA – Nashville |
| Texas | Joint Base San Antonio | NASA Johnson – Houston | Fort Cavazos – Killeen |
| Utah | Hill AFB – Ogden | Dugway Proving Ground | VA/Federal – Salt Lake City |
| Vermont | DHS/USCIS – Vermont | VA – White River Junction | Federal market – Burlington |
| Virginia | Pentagon/Arlington | DHS – Northern Virginia/DC | Quantico/Fort Belvoir |
| Washington | Joint Base Lewis-McChord – Tacoma | Naval Base Kitsap | Navy – Puget Sound |
| West Virginia | FBI CJIS – Clarksburg | IRS – Martinsburg | CMS – Woodlawn, MD |
| Wisconsin | VA – Milwaukee | Fort McCoy | USDA – Madison |
| Wyoming | F.E. Warren AFB – Cheyenne | Interior/BLM – Cheyenne | USDA/Forest Service |
How an 8(a) Certification + GSA Schedule Opens Local Federal IT Markets
If you would like to find out how an 8(a) Certification paired with a GSA Schedule can create a new market for your firm via Federal Sales fee free to give us a call at 859-442-3300. We can do quick analysis to see if your firm is ready to work with the government.
