Complex Commercial SATCOM Solutions (CS3)
Active Master IDIQ Awarded
- Federal agency
-
Federal Acquisition Service
- Awardees
- 22
- Task orders
- 39
- Obligated
- $449,243,597
Vehicle facts
- Agency
-
- Federal Acquisition Service General Services Administration
- Combined task order value
-
- $452,473,496 Current, with exercised options
- $765,238,488 Potential, with all options
- Last date to order 90% complete
- Shared ceiling 18% used
- $2,500,000,000.00
IDV award and task order details come from SAM.gov/FPDS.
About this vehicle
GSA Federal Acquisition Service established CS3, a multiple-award IDIQ for complex satellite communications solutions and professional satellite engineering services, on October 16, 2017, with ordering authority extending through October 14, 2027—approximately 14 months of available procurement window remaining. The vehicle carries a $2.5 billion combined ceiling and operates unrestricted; 92 percent of awarded task orders carry no set-aside designation, with the balance distributed across small-business awards.
The vehicle sustains steady ordering momentum. Thirty-eight task orders have been awarded to date, with six orders placed in 2025 alone—the highest annual volume since the vehicle's inception. Combined task-order potential value stands at $774.9 million, of which $438.7 million has been obligated, representing 57 percent burn against available ceiling. Recent awards show meaningful scope diversity: mission-critical low-earth-orbit satellite internet hardware and service for contingency operations; dedicated 85 Mbps Ethernet links for strategic military installations; Ku-band satellite bandwidth for global content distribution; and mobile data internet services for law enforcement investigations.
Competition concentrates among a small set of primes. Global Enterprise Solutions, Inc. holds the largest combined potential value at $496.6 million across six orders, while SES Space & Defense, Inc. leads by order count with ten awards totaling $124.4 million. Inmarsat Government, Inc., Ultisat, Inc., and Ritenet Corp. round out the top tier. Together, these five firms capture 97 percent of combined potential value. Comsat, Inc. holds six orders but only $1.4 million combined value, indicating smaller order sizes.
Customer concentration spreads across civilian and defense agencies. The Department of the Air Force, US Agency for Global Media, and the Department of Homeland Security Coast Guard account for substantial volumes; however, the portfolio funds 20 distinct customer agencies, preventing any single customer from dominating the vehicle. Task orders range from under $35,000 (mobile connectivity services, recurring Comsat phone support) to $108 million ceilings (global Ku-band and teleport services). Firm fixed-price pricing prevails throughout. Performance spans continental and overseas locations, including Antarctica, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and forward-deployed military installations.
Description
CS3 is a multiple award, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract vehicle for complex satellite communications solutions and professional satellite engineering services. Complex Commercial SATCOM Solutions consist of customized engineered solutions to meet customers' unique SATCOM needs. These solutions may include any combination of fixed satellite services and/or mobile satellite services, components, and ancillary equipment such as terminals, teleports, terrestrial tail circuits, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, and peripherals.
IDV awards
Show all 22
Latest task orders
Show 15 more
Latest 25 of 39 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top awardees by obligations
| Rank | Awardee | Obligated | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Global Enterprise Solutions, Inc. | $270,525,007 | 60% |
| 2 | SES Space & Defense, Inc. | $76,167,032 | 17% |
| 3 | Inmarsat Government, Inc. | $70,571,560 | 16% |
| 4 | Ritenet Corp. | $11,728,796 | 3% |
| 5 | Ultisat, Inc. | $8,473,388 | 2% |
| 6 | Globecomm Systems Inc. | $6,372,713 | 1% |
| 7 | Hughes Network Systems LLC | $1,827,662 | <1% |
| 8 | Trace Systems, Inc. | $1,704,896 | <1% |
| 9 | Incident Communication Solutions LLC | $545,660 | <1% |
| 10 | By Light Professional It Services LLC | $517,884 | <1% |
Top funding agencies by obligations
| Rank | Funding agency | Obligated | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Department of the Army | $144,998,141 | 32% |
| 2 | US Special Operations Command | $103,191,480 | 23% |
| 3 | Department of the Navy | $70,584,889 | 16% |
| 4 | Air Force | $51,136,191 | 11% |
| 5 | US Agency for Global Media | $47,661,365 | 11% |
| 6 | Department of Homeland Security | $14,889,062 | 3% |
| 7 | Department of Commerce | $7,722,769 | 2% |
| 8 | Defense Information Systems Agency | $4,983,931 | 1% |
| 9 | Peace Corps | $2,152,113 | <1% |
| 10 | Social Security Administration | $1,827,662 | <1% |
Obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Obligated |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $22,748,327 |
| FY2025 | $27,536,505 |
| FY2024 | $36,658,049 |
| FY2023 | $49,618,842 |
| FY2022 | $53,879,661 |
| FY2021 | $50,849,289 |
| FY2020 | $55,311,701 |
| FY2019 | $50,127,837 |
| FY2018 | $102,513,388 |
Quick answers
What is the CS3 contract vehicle?
Complex Commercial SATCOM Solutions (CS3) is an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract vehicle run by Federal Acquisition Service (General Services Administration), awarded on October 16, 2017.
Which companies hold CS3?
22 companies hold CS3's IDV awards, one each. The latest went to U.s. Electrodynamics, Inc. on November 14, 2017. The awardees whose task orders obligated the most are Global Enterprise Solutions, Inc., SES Space & Defense, Inc. and Inmarsat Government, Inc.
How much has been spent through CS3?
39 task orders have been placed under CS3, obligating $449,243,597. Their combined current value, with exercised options, is $452,473,496.
What is the shared ceiling of CS3?
CS3's shared ceiling is $2,500,000,000; its task orders have used 18% of it.
Which agencies use CS3 the most?
The departments whose task orders under CS3 obligated the most are Department of the Army ($144,998,141), US Special Operations Command ($103,191,480) and Department of the Navy ($70,584,889).
How much was obligated through CS3 in fiscal year 2025?
Task orders under CS3 obligated $27,536,505 in fiscal year 2025.
On GovTribe
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