Federal Trade Commission

Abbreviation: FTC

Chairman (as of 2026): Andrew N. Ferguson

2026 Budget: $450M

SAM.gov CGAC Code: 2900

The Federal Trade Commission protects consumers and promotes competition. FTC enforces antitrust laws alongside the Department of Justice and brings cases against unfair or deceptive acts and practices under Section 5 of the FTC Act.

It is led by five commissioners, no more than three of whom may be from the same political party.

How to Win FTC Contracts

Winning work at the Federal Trade Commissionmeans understanding a procurement culture that blends rigorous compliance, deep mission focus, and a preference for vendors who can speak the agency's language from day one. This guide walks through how FTC buys, the vehicles it uses, and the steps your company should take to go from registered vendor to awarded contractor.

Understanding FTC Procurement

The Federal Trade Commission obligates roughly $80-130M annually in contracts supporting consumer-protection enforcement, antitrust investigation, economic analysis, and IT modernization. FTC’s contract profile reflects a litigation-driven agency with growing data-analytics needs.

Expert witnesses, litigation support, e-discovery, economic-analysis advisors, and IT modernization are the dominant categories.

How FTC Buys

FTC uses GSA MAS, OASIS+, and NITAAC for most buys. The Office of Acquisitions runs procurement centrally.

Litigation-specific work (expert witnesses, e-discovery) often single-award by case.

Major Contract Vehicles

FTC Expert Witness IDIQs— Domain-specialist expert witness services for antitrust and consumer-protection litigation.
E-Discovery BPAs— Document review and digital evidence processing.
Economic Analysis BPAs— Econometric analysis and market-definition work.
OASIS+ and CIO-SP4— Professional services and IT modernization.

Step 1: Get Registered and Compliant

Required Registrations

SAM.gov registration with UEI and CAGE code, full FAR representations and certifications.

FTC-Specific Requirements

Antitrust or consumer-protection domain expertise. FedRAMP Moderate for cloud services. SOC 2 Type II for litigation data handling.

Certification Programs

8(a), WOSB, HUBZone, SDVOSB.

Step 2: Identify Opportunities

Primary Sources

SAM.gov filtered by FTC. The agency publishes a forecast through the Office of Acquisitions.

Key Offices

FTC Office of Acquisitions — Washington, DC.

Top Contract Types

FFP for commodity services. T&M/LH for expert and litigation support. IDIQs for multi-year programs.

Step 3: Position Your Company

Build Relationships

Attend ABA Antitrust Law Section, Federal Trade Commission Bar, and ACI (American Conference Institute) events. Antitrust and consumer-protection communities are tight-knit.

Relevant NAICS Codes

541611–Management Consulting
541110–Offices of Lawyers
541512–Computer Systems Design
541720–Research in Social Sciences
541990–Professional Services NEC

Step 4: Develop Winning Proposals

Technical Approach

Demonstrate antitrust, consumer-protection, or economic-analysis domain expertise.

Past Performance

Prior FTC, DOJ Antitrust Division, state AG consumer protection divisions, or major antitrust firm experience.

Pricing Strategy

FTC balances price and technical, heavily weighting expert credentials.

Winning Strategies

Build PhD economist networks for antitrust and consumer-protection analysis.
Specialize in specific industries (tech, healthcare, energy) for market-specific expert work.
Track FTC’s enforcement priorities for upcoming case volumes.
Team with e-discovery primes for litigation-support scale.
Use OASIS+ as primary vehicle for professional services.