By set-aside
Small-business set-asides in federal construction
Set-aside programs reserved $4.7B of FY2026 NAICS 236220 construction dollars for small businesses. Service-disabled veteran-owned and total small-business set-asides lead, but full-and-open competition still carries the large majority of the money.
| Set-aside program | FY2026 obligations | Awards | Share of dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside | $2.8B | 1,462 | 5.2% |
| Total Small Business Set-Aside | $1.6B | 1,837 | 3.0% |
| 8(a) Business Development Set-Aside | $173.6M | 162 | 0.3% |
| Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Sole Source | $71.4M | 77 | 0.1% |
| HUBZone Set-Aside | $48.4M | 119 | 0.1% |
| Indian Small Business Economic Enterprise Set-Aside | $32.7M | 44 | 0.1% |
| Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside | $23.1M | 7 | 0.0% |
| Women-Owned Small Business Set-Aside | $22.5M | 60 | 0.0% |
| HUBZone Sole Source | $14.7M | 19 | 0.0% |
| Women-Owned Small Business Sole Source | $5.5M | 10 | 0.0% |
| Indian Economic Enterprise Set-Aside | $448K | 3 | 0.0% |
| Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business Set-Aside | $0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Veteran-Owned Small Business Sole Source | $0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Small-business set-asides, all programs | $4.7B | 3,802 | 8.9% |
| Full and open (no set-aside) | $48.0B | 13,246 | 91.1% |
How set-asides work
A set-aside restricts competition to firms that qualify under a specific program. The largest single program here is Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside at $2.8B, followed by the total small-business set-aside. A firm can qualify for more than one program, but each award carries a single set-aside code. Average award size also differs by pool: the set-aside awards on this page average well under $2M each, while full-and-open awards average several times that, so the set-aside pool is smaller in both dollars and typical deal size.
Set-aside eligibility is defined by your NAICS size standard and your ownership and control structure, not by your revenue alone. Small-business totals are a minority of federal construction dollars, so a firm that depends only on set-asides is fishing in a smaller pool — but a smaller pool with less competition.
Frequently asked questions
What is a set-aside?
A set-aside restricts competition for an award to firms that qualify under a specific small-business program, such as the total small-business, 8(a), HUBZone, service-disabled veteran-owned, or women-owned programs.
What share of federal construction is set aside?
In FY2026 a minority of construction dollars, roughly one dollar in eleven, went through a small-business set-aside; the large majority was competed full and open. Set-asides are a smaller pool with less competition.
How do I know which set-asides I qualify for?
Eligibility depends on your NAICS size standard and on ownership and control, not revenue alone. The FCEXperts Pro membership walks through the certification requirements for each program.
Related guide: Small-business set-asides explained
Turn this data into wins
The same federal-contracting fundamentals behind this analysis are taught in the FCEXperts Pro Membership. The full federal-contracting training library, templates, and member-only expert briefings.