As an SBA-certified 8(a) company, Alethia can be awarded a sole-source contract up to $4.5M with no competition required and no Justification & Approval (J&A) needed. Alethia is also an MDA SHIELD IDIQ contract holder, providing a competition-compliant path for contracting officers who need to route through a GWAC or IDIQ vehicle.
Note on recent FAR changes: The revised FAR Part 19 (effective Oct 2025) requires contracting officers to first attempt competition via a GWAC or approved IDIQ before issuing a sole-source 8(a) award. Alethia's SHIELD IDIQ seat satisfies this requirement directly, giving your team a streamlined, compliant path to award without building a new vehicle from scratch.
Sole source path (under $4.5M):
Above $4.5M or where competition is required: use the MDA SHIELD IDIQ to compete a task order among qualified holders. Alethia is also available for 8(a) competitive set-asides, WOSB set-asides, full and open competition, and teaming with large primes.
Start the Conversation Download Capability StatementNeed a competition-compliant path? The SHIELD IDIQ satisfies the FAR 19.108 GWAC-first requirement. Contact us and we'll help you determine the fastest route to award for your specific requirement.
Alethia holds a Top Secret Facility Clearance (TS FCL) and our personnel hold TS/SCI and SAP clearances — no ramp-up time for programs requiring cleared staff from day one. Combined with CMMC 2.0 Level 2 compliance, we are positioned for programs requiring CUI handling, controlled environments, and stringent cybersecurity posture.
All codes are eligible for WOSB set-aside and 8(a) sole-source awards. Contact us to confirm NAICS applicability for your specific requirement.
| NAICS | Description | What We Deliver | 8(a) | WOSB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 541511 | Custom Computer Programming Services | Engineering-grade UI/UX, back-end APIs, full-stack software for SATCOM & SDA | ✓ | ✓ |
| 541512 | Computer Systems Design Services | Systems architecture, data fusion platform design, multi-source integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| 541330 | Engineering Services | Software engineering support, system design, technical advisory for defense programs | ✓ | ✓ |
| 541712 | R&D in Physical, Engineering & Life Sciences | Applied R&D for SATCOM, Space Domain Awareness, and RF sensing technologies | ✓ | ✓ |
Alethia is an experienced teaming partner for large prime contractors pursuing SATCOM, SDA, and cybersecurity program support. We bring cleared personnel, CMMC compliance, deep domain expertise, and the ability to help primes meet their small business and WOSB subcontracting goals.
Help your prime meet WOSB and 8(a) subcontracting targets with a proven, cleared software partner.
Deep specialization in SATCOM, Space Domain Awareness, RF data fusion, and compliance software.
TS FCL and TS/SCI cleared personnel ready to integrate into classified program environments.
Alethia is an awarded contract holder on the Missile Defense Agency's Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) Multiple Award IDIQ — a $151 billion, 10-year contract vehicle supporting classified and unclassified efforts across DoD.
SHIELD supports the Golden Dome initiative and covers 19 mission areas including engineering, cybersecurity, RDT&E, software development, testing, and sustainment. For contracting officers navigating the revised FAR Part 19 requirement to compete through a GWAC or approved IDIQ before issuing a sole-source 8(a) award, SHIELD provides a direct, compliant path.
Large primes on SHIELD are required to submit small business subcontracting plans. Alethia is available as a WOSB/8(a) subcontractor to primes pursuing SHIELD task orders in SATCOM, SDA, software development, and cybersecurity mission areas.
Discuss a SHIELD RequirementSHIELD supports both prime and subcontract opportunities. Contact us to discuss how Alethia's SHIELD seat can serve your program's acquisition strategy.
The SBA 8(a) Business Development Program allows federal contracting officers to award contracts directly to certified 8(a) firms without competition. For contracts under $4.5 million, no Justification and Approval (J&A) is required. However, under the revised FAR Part 19 (effective October 2025), contracting officers are now required to first attempt competition through a government-wide acquisition contract (GWAC) or approved IDIQ before issuing a sole-source 8(a) award. Alethia holds a seat on the MDA SHIELD IDIQ, which satisfies this requirement and gives contracting officers a competition-compliant path without building a new vehicle.
Yes. Alethia Software Solutions LLC is a certified SBA 8(a) small business. Contracting officers can award Alethia sole-source contracts up to $4.5 million with no competition required. Alethia is also a certified Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), which makes it eligible for WOSB set-aside contracts in industries where WOSBs are underrepresented.
The current sole source threshold for SBA 8(a) contracts is $4.5 million for services (and $7 million for manufacturing). Below this threshold, a contracting officer can award directly to a certified 8(a) firm without a competitive solicitation or J&A — provided competition via a GWAC or approved IDIQ is first attempted or deemed not feasible under the revised FAR Part 19. Above $4.5 million, the requirement must be competed among 8(a) firms. Alethia's SHIELD IDIQ seat provides a compliant competition vehicle for both below- and above-threshold requirements.
Yes. Alethia holds a Top Secret Facility Clearance (TS FCL). Personnel hold Top Secret, SCI, and SAP clearances. Alethia can support classified development environments and has experience delivering software on classified networks including Navy and Air Force programs.
Yes. Alethia Software is CMMC 2.0 Level 2 compliant (self-attested) and follows NIST SP 800-171 controls for handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Alethia can work in CUI-handling environments and support programs with active CMMC requirements.
Alethia's primary NAICS codes are 541511 (Custom Computer Programming Services), 541512 (Computer Systems Design Services), 541330 (Engineering Services), and 541712 (R&D in Physical, Engineering and Life Sciences). All four codes are eligible for WOSB set-aside and 8(a) sole-source awards. Contact us to confirm NAICS applicability for your specific requirement.
Yes. Alethia has extensive experience working as a subcontractor to large defense primes including. Alethia can help primes meet their small business and WOSB subcontracting goals while contributing cleared, mission-experienced software engineering capability to the team.
Alethia Software is a Colorado Springs-based software contractor holding a Top Secret Facility Clearance with TS/SCI cleared personnel. Alethia is registered in SAM.gov, certified SBA 8(a) and WOSB, and available for direct award, set-aside, and teaming opportunities. Contact us at christie@alethia.software or call 719-387-1445.
A Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) set-aside restricts competition to certified WOSB firms in industries where women-owned businesses are underrepresented. Contracting officers can use WOSB set-asides to meet agency small business goals. Alethia is a certified WOSB and eligible for these awards across all of its NAICS codes.
Yes. Alethia has guided multiple systems through the DoD Risk Management Framework (RMF) to achieve Authority to Operate (ATO), including systems in constrained legacy environments. Alethia also built Certifield, a STIG compliance tracking and POA&M automation platform, specifically to streamline the ATO process. Learn more about Certifield.
SHIELD (Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense) is the Missile Defense Agency's $151 billion Multiple Award IDIQ supporting classified and unclassified DoD work across 19 mission areas including software development, cybersecurity, engineering, and RDT&E. Alethia is an awarded SHIELD contract holder. For contracting officers who need to route through a GWAC or IDIQ before issuing a sole-source 8(a) award under the revised FAR Part 19, Alethia's SHIELD seat provides a direct, compliant path. Task orders can be competed among SHIELD holders or, where applicable, issued on a sole-source basis below the competitive threshold.
Two significant changes have taken effect. First, the revised FAR Part 19 (September 2025) introduced FAR 19.108, which requires contracting officers to first attempt competition through a GWAC or approved IDIQ before issuing a sole-source 8(a) award — effectively ending the "sole source first" default for agencies adopting the deviation. Second, the current administration has dramatically reduced new 8(a) admissions and suspended over 1,000 firms for documentation failures, making existing certified 8(a) firms with clean standing and active contract vehicles more valuable to contracting officers. Alethia's combination of 8(a) certification, WOSB status, SHIELD IDIQ seat, and active SAM.gov registration means it remains straightforward to get Alethia on contract through multiple compliant paths.