Cardinal Health, Inc.

Cardinal Health, Inc. supplies pharmaceutical products, medicinal substances, medical devices, and healthcare goods to the federal government as a prime contractor on full-and-open competitive delivery orders and indefinite delivery contracts, with no subcontract footprint and no use of federal set-asides. The vendor is a for-profit corporation headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, with a parent-subsidiary structure anchoring pharmaceutical distribution and manufacturing operations through named subsidiaries Cardinal Health 108, LLC, Cardinal Health 127 Inc., and Generic Drug Holdings LLC.

Cardinal Health's federal work splits cleanly between two customer bases. Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Medical dominates the portfolio by both award count and dollar volume: 405,444 awards carrying $36.01 billion in combined potential value represent virtually the entire prime footprint. The next-largest customer, Defense Logistics Agency (non-Troop Support), placed 7,884 awards worth $3.09 billion. Together, these two DLA customer pools account for 100% of measured awards and 99% of combined potential value. The remaining 34 customer agencies—including Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Department of the Army Medical Command, and Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration—contribute only scattered activity: 13 awards to Army Medical Command for $2.5 million, 13 awards to NIH Clinical Center for $735 thousand, and single-digit awards to VA networks in the low-millions.

Cardinal Health's capability portfolio centers on pharmaceutical distribution and medicinal manufacturing. The top NAICS category is 424210 (Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers), accounting for 315,414 awards. Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412) covers 54,060 awards, and Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing (325411) covers 43,578 awards. Medical device and supplies merchant wholesale (424210) and surgical instrument manufacturing (333315) represent smaller segments. By PSC code, Drugs and Biologicals (6530) anchors 397,564 awards; Medical and Surgical Instruments, Equipment, and Supplies (6515) covers 15,741 awards. Representative recent work includes a $41.77 thousand purchase order from NIH Clinical Center on July 13, 2026, for floxuridine 500mg vials (Dublin, Ohio performance, completion September 30, 2026), a $45.95 thousand order from NIH Clinical Center on June 10, 2026, for specialized medical products, and a $3,008.88 delivery order from Defense Logistics Agency Medical Supply Chain on April 15, 2026, for Penicillin G Benzathine supply. The vendor also fulfills hundreds of sub-$100 delivery orders weekly against DLA pharmaceutical supply contracts, covering individual drug SKUs including loperamide, fluocinonide, insulin, acetylcysteine, and hepatitis vaccines.

Cardinal Health holds position on multiple DLA indefinite delivery contracts used for recurring pharmaceutical supply. The Indefinite Delivery Contract SPE2DX15D0022 carries 43,933 task orders worth $16.7 million in combined potential value. SPM20005D3301 carries 23,420 task orders valued at $508.1 million; SPM20005D3016 carries 19,500 task orders worth $267.3 million; SPM20005D3103 carries 16,507 task orders worth $612.6 million; and SPM2DX10D0028 carries 15,282 task orders worth $456.1 million. A large new prime IDC, SPE2DX, was awarded July 1, 2025, by Defense Logistics Agency with a $4.999 billion ceiling value and base period running through March 6, 2036, with three 30-month option periods for an estimated total value of $30.3 billion. This contract supplies brand, generic, and specialty pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical-related products to support Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Naval Fleet operations at CONUS and OCONUS locations; regional award structure with primary and backup suppliers covers North/EUCOM, West/PACOM, South/SOUTHCOM, and Fleet distribution channels.

Activity has remained steady at 6,873 to 7,607 awards per year from 2022 through 2025, with 4,124 awards recorded year-to-date in 2026. The recompete cliff is minimal: only three awards completing in the next twenty-four months carry combined potential value of $136 thousand. Cardinal Health holds a single sub-grant award: a December 16, 2025 sub-award from Tennessee Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services for access to Original Contract MMS1900113 (Pharmaceutical Wholesaler Distribution Services).