Department of Agriculture
Abbreviation: USDA
Secretary of Agriculture (as of 2026): Brooke Rollins
2026 Budget: $231B
CGAC Code: 1200
Website: usda.gov
The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, and nutrition. Established in 1862 under President Lincoln, USDA administers domestic nutrition assistance programs such as SNAP and WIC, oversees federal food safety for meat and poultry, manages the National Forest System, and runs farm income support, crop insurance, and rural infrastructure programs.
Headquartered in the Jamie L. Whitten Federal Building in Washington, D.C., USDA reaches every U.S. county through Farm Service Agency offices, Cooperative Extension, and partner state agencies. The department spans 17 mission-area agencies covering research, marketing, regulatory compliance, conservation, and rural credit.
Sub-Departments
Bureaus, services, and major components within USDA.
Agricultural Marketing Service
Administers grading, standards, and marketing programs for agricultural commodities and oversees the National Organic Program.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Protects U.S. agriculture from pests and diseases and administers the Animal Welfare Act.
Agricultural Research Service
USDA's intramural research arm, running more than 90 laboratories on crop, livestock, soil, and nutrition science.
Economic Research Service
Produces peer-reviewed economic research on agriculture, food, rural America, and natural resources.
Foreign Agricultural Service
Leads overseas agricultural market development, trade policy, and food aid programs.
Food and Nutrition Service
Administers SNAP, WIC, school meals, and other federal nutrition assistance programs.
Farm Service Agency
Delivers farm loan, commodity, conservation, and disaster assistance programs to U.S. producers.
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Inspects meat, poultry, and processed egg products for safety and accurate labeling.
National Agricultural Statistics Service
Conducts the Census of Agriculture and hundreds of annual surveys covering crops, livestock, and farm economics.
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Funds external research, education, and extension partnerships with land-grant universities.
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Provides technical and financial assistance for voluntary conservation on private working lands.
Rural Business-Cooperative Service
Finances rural business development and cooperative enterprises through grants, loans, and loan guarantees.
Rural Housing Service
Provides homeownership, rental, and community facility financing in rural communities.
Risk Management Agency
Administers the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, the primary risk-management safety net for growers.
Rural Utilities Service
Finances rural electric, telecommunications, water, and wastewater infrastructure.
U.S. Forest Service
Manages 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands and leads federal wildland fire response.
How to Win USDA Contracts
Winning work at the Department of Agriculturemeans 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 USDA buys, the vehicles it uses, and the steps your company should take to go from registered vendor to awarded contractor.
Understanding USDA Procurement
The U.S. Department of Agriculture obligates roughly $9-11B in contract dollars annually across 17 mission-area agencies, funding everything from nutrition programs to national forest management, rural utility upgrades, animal and plant disease surveillance, and agricultural research. USDA procurement is highly decentralized: the Office of Procurement and Property Management (OPPM) sets policy, but actual awards flow through regional contracting offices and the agency-level shops at APHIS, Forest Service, NRCS, FSIS, and ARS.
Because USDA missions touch every U.S. county, opportunities skew heavily toward geographically distributed service work, including facility maintenance on forest lands, veterinary services, laboratory supplies, IT modernization, and large nutrition-assistance IT platforms like SNAP EBT processing. Contracts range from micro-purchases for county Farm Service Agency offices to nine-figure IT integration awards.
How USDA Buys
USDA uses a mix of agency-specific IDIQ contracts, GSA Schedules, and government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs). Small-dollar buys run through the SmartPay purchase card or simplified acquisition procedures. For complex IT and data services, USDA leans on NITAAC CIO-SP3, GSA MAS, and its own agency BPAs such as DASH (Departmental Acquisition Support Services).
The department publishes forecasts through the USDA Acquisition Forecast portal each year, giving vendors 6-12 months of visibility into planned buys. Bid protests tend to be lower than DoW-adjacent agencies, but technical evaluations are strict on past performance in agricultural, scientific, or rural-infrastructure domains.
Major Contract Vehicles
- DASH (Departmental Acquisition Support Services)— Multi-award IDIQ for acquisition support, program management, and policy analysis across USDA.
- Forest Service BPA Portfolio— Blanket Purchase Agreements for wildland fire suppression services, aviation, and forest health work.
- USDA IT Services BPAs— Application development, cloud migration, and cybersecurity support for mission-area agencies.
- NITAAC CIO-SP3— Preferred GWAC for USDA IT modernization, used heavily by FSA, RMA, and NRCS.
- GSA MAS— Default vehicle for professional services, laboratory equipment, and commercial IT.
Step 1: Get Registered and Compliant
Required Registrations
USDA-Specific Requirements
Certification Programs
Step 2: Identify Opportunities
Primary Sources
Key Offices
Top Contract Types
Step 3: Position Your Company
Build Relationships
Relevant NAICS Codes
- 541512–Computer Systems Design
- 541611–Administrative Management Consulting
- 541715–R&D in Physical, Engineering, Life Sciences
- 561210–Facilities Support Services
- 115310–Forestry Support Activities
- 562910–Remediation Services
- 238990–Specialty Trade Construction
Step 4: Develop Winning Proposals
Technical Approach
Past Performance
Pricing Strategy
Winning Strategies
- Specialize by mission area, since a vendor known for APHIS work wins more APHIS work than a generalist chasing everything at USDA.
- Build rural capability: USDA heavily rewards vendors who can demonstrate HUBZone footprints or strong presence in agricultural states.
- Pursue the USDA Forecast early each fiscal year and map your capabilities to forecasted buys before solicitations hit SAM.
- Team with established USDA primes on large IDIQs like DASH; subcontract past performance becomes your ticket to future prime awards.
- Invest in quality past-performance documentation, since CPARS ratings on USDA-specific work move the needle more than volume alone.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating USDA as a monolith. Each mission-area agency has distinct procurement cultures, priorities, and contracting officers.
- Ignoring rural delivery logistics. Winning a nationwide FSA task order without a plan to serve 2,100+ county offices is a fast path to a termination-for-default.
- Under-pricing to win, then failing to absorb travel and seasonal surge costs common to Forest Service and APHIS field work.
Small Business Programs
USDA exceeds government-wide small business goals most years. Small-business set-asides drive roughly 50% of contract obligations. Focus programs: 8(a), HUBZone (USDA has the highest HUBZone utilization of any cabinet department), WOSB/EDWOSB, and SDVOSB.
Key Contracting Offices
- USDA Office of Procurement and Property Management (OPPM) — Washington, DC
- Forest Service Acquisition Management — Albuquerque, NM and regional offices
- APHIS Marketing and Regulatory Programs Business Services (MRPBS) — Minneapolis, MN
- ARS Acquisition and Property Division — Beltsville, MD
- Rural Development Procurement Management Division — Washington, DC
USDA by the Numbers
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