SHIELD (Systems, Hardware, Integration, Engineering, Logistics & Derivatives) is a multiple-award Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract vehicle managed by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). It supports MDA mission requirements across 19 distinct work areas, from R&D and prototyping to production, sustainment, and cybersecurity. Approximately 2,440 companies hold SHIELD seats.
Free Assessment · Defense Contracting
MDA SHIELD Task Order Readiness Scorecard
2,440 companies hold a SHIELD seat. Task orders are dropping now. How ready are you to win?
Step 1 of 60% complete
How many of the 19 SHIELD work areas does your company have relevant experience in?
SHIELD covers 19 work areas from R&D and prototyping to production, sustainment, and cybersecurity. Task orders will be competed within specific work areas.
About the SHIELD Program
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) SHIELD (Systems, Hardware, Integration, Engineering, Logistics & Derivatives) contract is a multiple-award IDIQ vehicle supporting MDA mission requirements across 19 distinct work areas. With 2,440 awardees holding SHIELD seats, competition for individual task orders is fierce, but companies with strong positioning win outsized share.
Task orders under SHIELD are competed through a Fair Opportunity process, typically with 30-day proposal response windows. Companies that monitor the contract vehicle proactively, maintain cleared workforces, and have established teaming relationships consistently outperform reactive competitors.
This scorecard assesses five dimensions of TO readiness: your capability coverage across SHIELD work areas, proposal infrastructure, competitive positioning (teaming + past performance), security posture, and monitoring practices. Results are for research and planning purposes only — actual win rates vary by task order, competition, and proposal quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
Individual task orders under SHIELD are competed through a Fair Opportunity process under FAR 16.505. MDA issues a Fair Opportunity Proposal Request (FOPR) to all SHIELD awardees considered eligible for a given work area. Response windows are typically 30 days, making preparation and proactive monitoring essential.
SHIELD's 19 work areas span the full acquisition lifecycle: Research & Development, Systems Engineering, Prototyping, Test & Evaluation, Production, Fielding, Sustainment, Lifecycle Logistics, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, Integration, Command & Control, Sensors, Interceptors, Directed Energy, Program Management, Training, Studies & Analysis, and Facilities. Task orders will specify the relevant work area(s).
It depends on the specific task order. Many SHIELD work areas involve classified systems and programs, requiring cleared personnel at various levels (Secret, Top Secret, TS/SCI). However, some unclassified work areas exist. Companies should assess their clearance posture relative to the work areas they intend to pursue and begin sponsoring clearances proactively.
Teaming is critical. Sole-competitor responses are at a disadvantage when competing against teams that offer complementary capabilities, broader work area coverage, and deeper past performance. With 2,440 SHIELD awardees, there are ample teaming partner options. Formalizing agreements before FOPRs drop gives you a significant edge.
SAM.gov is the official source for FOPR notices, but relying solely on SAM.gov is reactive. SamSearch tracks SHIELD-related procurement activity across MDA in real time (including award data, spending patterns, and competitor activity) so you can position proactively rather than scramble when an FOPR drops.
This scorecard is a research and planning tool based on general government contracting best practices and common factors that influence IDIQ task order success. It does not account for your company's specific proposal quality, customer relationships, pricing strategy, or the particular requirements of individual task orders. Use it to identify gaps and prioritize preparation, not as a guarantee of win probability.