Every year, Deltek’s analysts put together webinars and reports to highlight the best ways to win government business in the coming fiscal year. While the new administration’s policies have shifted federal spending, there are still plenty of high-value opportunities out there for small businesses to succeed.
That’s why the experts behind Deltek’s GovWin IQ platform annually produce a series of reports examining the leading federal contracting opportunities for each fiscal year. This year’s edition of the series includes analysis focusing on both unrestricted and set-aside opportunities. In this blog, we will focus on the top opportunities set-aside for small businesses.
For a full discussion of trends from our Top Opportunities research for 2026, you can view the video below.
Top 10 Set-Aside Federal Opportunities for 2026
The federal government aims to set aside a significant amount of its overall prime contracting dollars for businesses who fit into one of several set-aside categories. Just because a company fits into the category of a small business, or is qualified as an 8(a) business, does not mean they aren’t able to get in on some of the major contracting opportunities.
The top 10 federal set-aside opportunities for FY 2026 total tens of billions of dollars in value, are associated with several different federal agencies, and are tied to a variety of industry categories, with many of them owned or planned to be operated by the GSA. Each of the opportunities were drawn from Deltek’s GovWin IQ solution of business development intelligence on government contracting opportunities and were vetted by our team of government market experts.
In the course of our Top Opportunities research, we identified a Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) contract vehicle that is the top overall federal set-aside opportunity for FY 2026: Solutions for Intelligence Analysis (SIA 3). This is an established vehicle, originally awarded under both full and open and small business competition. Hover, this FY 2026 opportunity is an on-ramp, one that is exclusive to small businesses.
The full report goes into detail about each of the 10 opportunities. The full list of opportunities included in our research have estimated solicitation dates in FY 2026 and are selected based on the total expected contract value or the anticipated ceiling value. These contracts are expected to be some of the most impactful contracts or vehicles over the remainder of FY 2026.
Understanding Trends from the Top Opportunities
The FY 2026 top 10 small business opportunities offer a total contract value of approximately $45B and are made up of prime contract opportunities from a variety of agencies and industry segments. These represent some of the largest procurement opportunities for small businesses, making them essential targets for contractors seeking growth.
One big trend to keep an eye on that we noted in our Top Opportunities research is consolidation, where formerly stand-alone contracts are instead procured through an existing vehicle, such as those managed by GSA. As competition heats up for these big-ticket deals, sellers will need to do their homework and make targeted plans to pursue the opportunities that fit them best.
Even those small business contractors that aren’t pursuing one of these ten opportunities can benefit from the detailed year-over-year insights in this research, including what’s new, what’s been delayed, and what’s been canceled. This helps firms anticipate market shifts and avoid investing resources in opportunities that may no longer be viable.
See All the Top Opportunities for FY 2026 in our Webinars and Reports
This year’s series of live webinars took place in October 2026 with the Top 20 Unrestricted Federal Opportunities, followed by the Top 10 Federal Set-Aside Opportunities. Each of those reports and webinars are now free to download or view on-demand.
With our series of reports and webinars, contractors will be able to:
- See which small business opportunities offer the highest value, and where your business can compete most effectively.
- Understand how the administration’s small business agenda is shaping procurement, and how to position your strategy accordingly.
- Use Deltek’s expert analysis to prioritize the right deals, shape your pipeline, and grow your government business with confidence.
Ready to dive into the Top Federal Opportunities for FY 2026? Hear first-hand from GovWin’s team of experts, and download the in-depth reports, at the link below.
Resource Hub
Build Your FY 2026 Pipeline
Explore curated reports on the top unrestricted and set-aside federal opportunities for FY 2026, plus a free trial of GovWin IQ.
