Ketchum Inc.

Ketchum Inc., Washington DC Office Division doing business as Ketchum Public Relations, is a for-profit communications and public relations firm that operates as a prime contractor delivering national healthcare education campaigns and strategic communications services to federal health agencies on a full-and-open basis with no set-aside designations. The vendor competes predominantly through the GSA Multiple Award Schedule and purpose-built IDIQs rather than through small-business or disadvantaged-business vehicles, placing it in a large-prime posture across its federal footprint.

Ketchum's federal capability set centers on comprehensive national communications campaigns for healthcare and public health programs. Recent representative work includes a $150.5 million delivery order from CDC (awarded September 2026) for the National Tobacco Education Campaign under the GSA Schedule, running through September 2028 on a time-and-materials basis with place of performance in Washington, DC. The vendor also holds primary contractor status on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' $5 billion National Education Campaign and Outreach (NEC) IDIQ (awarded September 2025, running through August 2032), from which it has executed ten task orders totaling $239.7 million in combined potential value. Named NEC task orders include a $71.5 million nursing home nurse staffing outreach campaign (CMS, awarded September 2024, with FY2024 invoicing of $119 thousand across 0.2 FTEs), a $75.8 million Medicare low-income enrollment outreach campaign (CMS, awarded September 2023, ramping to $1.1 million invoiced and 4.7 FTEs in FY2024 with approximately 50% subcontractor hours), and a $35.6 million CMS Office of Minority Health communications and outreach support contract (awarded August 2022, with $12.5 million government-invoiced labor through FY2024 across 25.7 FTEs and blended rates declining from $274.64/hour in FY2023 to $167.79/hour in FY2024).

Customer concentration is severe and agency-specific. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services accounts for 29 awards representing $8.65 billion of the vendor's $8.98 billion combined potential value across all awards — a 96% concentration within a single customer. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) broadly dominates across CMS, CDC, and subordinate offices, accounting for all material dollars in the portfolio. Secondary customers including the Department of Agriculture, GSA, and other agencies contribute less than 4% combined. Ketchum serves thirteen distinct customer agencies total, but the NEC IDIQ and its task orders represent the core of the federal footprint.

Ketchum's vehicle position is anchored to two primary vehicles: the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (30 task orders, $207.4 million combined potential value) and the CMS National Education Campaign and Outreach IDIQ (10 task orders, $239.7 million). Additional vehicles include an older indefinite delivery contract (HHSM500200600015I) carrying 10 task orders for $64.8 million and a HIPAA Implementation Outreach and Education vehicle with 4 task orders valued at $48.4 million. The GSA Schedule contract (awarded March 2023, running through March 2028 with three five-year options) carries a $36 million ceiling and includes 23 labor categories spanning graphic design, web marketing, public relations, exhibit design, and marketing research, with fully burdened hourly rates from $45.95 for entry-level interns to $351.14 for senior leaders. No security-cleared positions are offered on the Schedule.

Activity trajectory is volatile and concentrated in a narrow band. The vendor reports two awards in 2022, two in 2023, one in 2024, two in 2025, and one in 2026 — averaging less than two awards per year over the five-year window despite the large nominal ceiling values. However, this reflects the nature of large-ceiling IDIQ awards and their associated task orders rather than consistent market penetration. Three awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months with combined potential value of $261.9 million, representing material recompete exposure if those contracts turn over.

Service Contract Inventory data shows Ketchum reported $36.8 million in SCI-invoiced revenue across FY2022–FY2024 as a prime contractor (no subcontractor SCI activity). Workforce scale on SCI-reportable contracts peaked at 29.0 FTEs in FY2023, declined to 26.7 FTEs in FY2024, and dropped to zero FTEs in FY2025 (reflecting SCI reporting lags). Government-paid hourly rates on federal service contracts ran a median of $196.79/hour, with the 10th percentile at $139.51/hour and the 90th percentile at $406.70/hour. Ketchum self-performs substantially all labor — across prime SCI contracts, subcontractors accounted for only 3% of contractor hours on average, with three named subcontractors reported total. The vendor operates as a pure prime with minimal subcontracting depth. Combined dollars obligated across all awards total $358.2 million, representing 4% of the $8.98 billion combined potential value, reflecting the backloaded nature of large-ceiling IDIQ and Schedule vehicles typical of multi-year HHS communications campaigns.