US Agency for Global Media

The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), an independent civilian agency that procures and funds international broadcasting operations, transmitting infrastructure, and media technology worldwide, has awarded 57,569 federal contracts totaling $2.94 billion in combined potential value since 1978, with $3.45 billion obligated to date. Recent contract activity has declined sharply: 1,030 awards in 2022, 962 in 2023, 750 in 2024, 123 in 2025, and 196 year-to-date in 2026. The most recent recorded award date is October 16, 2026. USAGM maintains a highly fragmented competitive landscape with 5,454 distinct prime contractors; the top five awardees by count—all classified as Miscellaneous Foreign Awardees and Paydesk LIMITED—hold 49% of recent awards by count but only 6% by combined potential value, indicating that foreign-based vendors execute most awards at lower dollar thresholds while the agency's dollar value disperses across a broad contractor base. Ninety-eight percent of awards carry no set-aside designation; the remainder splits between total small business awards (2%) and minimal 8(a), SDVOSB, HUBZone, and other small-business set-asides (all under 1% individually). USAGM also obligates grant funding through five distinct recipients: RFE / RL Inc. leads with five awards and $812.8 million in federal dollars, followed by Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. ($532.7 million across five awards) and Radio Free Asia ($344.6 million across five awards). These three recipients account for 49% of the $3.94 billion in cumulative grant dollars across 43 total awards since 1999; grant activity runs at approximately four to six awards per year and consists almost entirely of Project Grants (95%) with minimal Cooperative Agreements (5%).

Current contract opportunities focus on broadcasting infrastructure support and facility operations across USAGM's international transmitting stations. Recent solicitations include antenna maintenance support in the Philippines (due September 15, 2026), remote monitoring services for shortwave and medium-wave broadcasts worldwide (due September 14, 2026), facilities maintenance at the Philippines transmitting station (due September 7, 2026), and landscaping services at the Kuwait station set aside for small business (due August 24, 2026, now closed). Multiple sole-source notices of intent under FAR 6.302-1 target vendor lock-in for mission-critical broadcasting continuity: Radiodiffusion Television de Djibouti for operations and maintenance in Djibouti (due September 25, 2026), Global Emergency Media Ltd for medium-wave transmission services for Radio Farda at 864 kHz (due September 23, 2026), and Nodir Tursun-Zade for remote monitoring and technical support in Tajikistan supporting Voice of America broadcasts (due September 24, 2026). No recent grant opportunities are recorded in the source data.

The U.S. Agency for Global Media, formerly known as the Broadcasting Board of Governors, broadcasts news and information about the United States and the world to audiences abroad.