Handshake Subscription

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Acquisitions, is soliciting quotations for continued access to the Handshake Talent Engagement Suite on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, with quotations due September 22, 2026, at 11:00 AM EST. This is a noncompetitive, sole-source procurement under FAR Part 12 commercial procedures, with Stryder Corp identified as the only reasonably available source.

Place of performance is virtual, with CMS administrative oversight at 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland. The Government determined that Handshake's proprietary network, federal-specific features, and platform design for early career talent recruitment cannot be replicated by alternative vendors such as LinkedIn or USAJobs.

The requirement includes one Account Owner seat, three Recruiter Sourcer licenses, Federal Expert Assist support (1:1 training and office hours), the Insights Dashboard with real-time recruiting performance data and peer benchmarking, an annual Promotions Budget credit of $37,500 for targeted job postings, and a Dedicated Customer Success Manager. The Recruiter Sourcer licenses enable job posting, candidate management, unlimited outreach messaging, recruitment event hosting, and school prioritization tools across Handshake's network of 25 million students and alumni at over 1,500 colleges and universities.

The contract will be issued as a firm-fixed-price purchase order covering a base year from September 25, 2026, through September 24, 2027, plus four optional one-year renewal periods. Quotations must be submitted electronically in PDF format, not exceeding eight pages excluding pricing and certifications. Evaluation is pass/fail across five factors: Technical Approach, Personnel Qualifications and Experience, Project Management Approach, Past Performance, and Price, with technical factors combined being significantly more important than price. Offerors must comply with Section 508 accessibility standards and submit either an HHS Section 508 Accessibility Conformance Checklist or a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template-based Conformance Report. Although the Government intends to award to Stryder Corp, other responsible sources may submit quotations demonstrating ability to satisfy all material requirements within the required schedule. The NAICS code is 518210; PSC code is DA10.