Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts generally run for terms from 3 to 10 years although recent research done at FedBizOpps indicates that 5 and 10 year periods of performance are becoming much more common. For the most part, competitors in the market covered by the IDIQ are shut out for the duration of the IDIQ. This is problematic and dangerous to companies hoping to compete and can happen for, among others, the following reasons:   

1. An IDIQ is made public but you might miss the public announcement either because you were not watching FedBizzOpps or because you are new to the market.
2. You bid on an IDIQ but are not among the companies that were awarded the contract. This can happen if you were eliminated because of (1) a poorly written Request for Proposal (RFP), (2) overconfidence in the strength of your technical response, or (3) you made a either a pricing miscalculation or incorrect assumption.

It really doesn't matter why you didn't receive an award. What hurts is that you could be shut out of a market that you have dominated in the past and/or one in which your firm has significant experience and capabilities. Either way, you have lost out on a potentially lucrative source of income. 

Read more about IDIQ contracts.  Download your complimentary copy of my new e-Book, Loading the Dice in DC, Legally: Learn the Politics and Realities of Federal Contracting.

Regards,
Richard White
President
Fedmarket
rwhite@fedmarket.com
301-908-0546 (cell)