Regional Innovation Clusters

The General Services Administration, procuring on behalf of the Small Business Administration's Office of Investment and Innovation, seeks contractors to establish Regional Innovation Clusters involving public-private partnerships that align federal, state, and local resources with regional strengths to catalyze technology innovation and economic growth, with proposals due August 24, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and technical questions due August 7, 2026. This is full and open competition with no set-aside.

The SBA anticipates awarding up to 10 single-award, firm-fixed-price contracts with estimated value of $600,000 to $1,000,000 per award over a two-year period (September 30, 2026 through September 29, 2028). Place of performance is the United States. NAICS code is 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services); PSC code is R499.

Each offeror must propose a single target industry from a priority list—Advanced Manufacturing, Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Supply Chains, Defense Industrial Base Technologies and Components, Energy and Critical Materials, Food Supply and Agricultural Systems, or Transportation and Logistics—and designate one geographic service area at the county level. Core performance components include cluster network maintenance in the specified industry, small business support service delivery (technical assistance focused on technology commercialization and business growth), cluster management and oversight, and quarterly and annual reporting on membership, capital obtained, innovation metrics, and regional economic impact. Contractors must disclose any existing active RIC contracts to prevent service duplication.

Evaluation uses a three-step best-value process with no discussions anticipated. Step 1 (10-page limit) and Step 2 (5-page limit) are equally weighted and more important than Step 3. Step 1 assesses understanding of cluster network maintenance and small business support, including regional competitive advantages and partnership development. Step 2 evaluates cluster management capabilities, organizational structure, staffing plan, and reporting mechanisms. Step 3 (3-page limit) requires at least three past performance references from contracts or projects completed within two years prior to solicitation closing. Only proposals receiving Medium or High Confidence ratings advance through each step; those with Low Confidence ratings are eliminated. Price evaluation follows only for proposals advancing all technical steps.

Submissions must include active SAM.gov registration, UEI, complete business information, and proposed cluster name and geographic service area. All price proposals must use the provided pricing schedule template. Partial proposals are not accepted.