SEWP V vs SEWP VI: What Changes for Contract Holders

If you held a SEWP V contract, the biggest mistake you can make is treating SEWP VI like a renewal. It is a brand new contract with its own catalog, its own rules, and its own compliance obligations, and very little of what you built on SEWP V comes with you.

The stakes are real. SEWP V obligated $12 billion in FY25, FY26 is running more than 18% ahead of that pace, and the vehicle is used by every federal agency. SEWP VI is expected to keep that momentum, with a much larger services scope. Here is what changes, drawn from the NASA SEWP Program Office's own onboarding materials, and what your team should be doing about it now.

You start from zero

NASA has been clear on this point: SEWP VI begins with a clean slate. Nothing transfers automatically from your SEWP V contract.

Your catalog does not come with you. Every product, service, and labor category has to be added to SEWP VI through the Technology Refresh (TR) process before you can quote it. Your BPAs do not carry over either, and SEWP V strategic catalogs go inactive when SEWP V ends, currently expected January 31, 2027. Your SEWP V Program Performance ratings do not follow you, so every contract holder starts SEWP VI with the same blank record. And SEWP VI CLINs do not cross reference to SEWP V. The same CLIN can appear on both contracts and mean something different on each.

A few SEWP V fixtures are simply gone. The EARP is not part of SEWP VI, Government Strategic Sourcing (GSS) is not part of the offerings, and there are no minimum mandatory CLINs.

Don't wait for a migration guide. The Program Office has said it is not preparing transition material beyond what is already published, so reading the SEWP VI documentation and webinars is on you.

Three categories, and a much bigger services play

SEWP VI splits the contract into three separate categories, each with its own scope and its own slate of contract holders. Every contract carries an individual $20 billion ceiling.

Category A, ITC/AV Solutions, falls under NAICS 541519 (IT Value Added Reseller). It covers the full breadth of IT, communications, and AV technology, along with product based services and limited general services.

Category B, Enterprise Wide ITC/AV Service Solutions, falls under NAICS 541512. It covers customized service solutions at the enterprise level, with products allowed only as ancillary support.

Category C, ITC/AV Mission Based Services, also falls under NAICS 541512. It covers service solutions at the mission and program level and is a small business set aside (Group C1). Category C also has per order caps: $2 million per order, options included, in year one, and $10 million in year two. The caps are eligible for removal starting in year three.

The category structure changes how you find work. Customers select a category, then a NAICS code and business size, and you only see the RFQs where you match. A customer who needs both products (Category A) and services (Category B) has to submit two separate requests. That makes your Exhibit 4 submission, where you declare your business size by NAICS code, more important than it looks. It is category specific, so if you hold multiple categories you submit one for each, and NASA verifies what you report.

Your catalog, CLINs, and providers work differently

SEWP is still "catalog by request," meaning items get added to your contract as customers need them. But the mechanics have tightened.

Services live in the catalog too. Category B and C offerings, including labor categories (LCATs), must be in the Database of Record before you quote or receive an award. NASA provides an initial set of 56 LCATs, and you can add your own through the TR process.

CLINs are validated twice. SEWP VI introduces new TR keywords and a CLIN verification file. CLIN data is checked at quote time and again at order time, and a CLIN that is not in the SEWP database cannot be quoted or ordered.

Configuration matters. The same part number with a different configuration or support term needs its own CLIN, and OEM part numbers must be used exactly as the OEM publishes them.

Pricing is tied to your GSA price. Your SEWP price for an item must be at or below your GSA Schedule price after accounting for the fee difference, 0.34% on SEWP versus 0.75% on GSA.

Provider relationships have more options. SEWP VI adds new relationship types, including indirect approval from a distributor. Letters of Authorization are not used to verify these relationships, and a live list of approved providers is available on the Contract Holder Only Page (CHOP).

The practical takeaway: the more complete and accurate your catalog is on day one, the more visible you are to customers. NASA encourages, but does not require, a comprehensive initial TR.

The compliance list is longer

SEWP VI puts real weight on supply chain security, quality certifications, and socioeconomic subcontracting. These are the obligations to put on your calendar.

Every contract holder, in every category and size, must submit the C-SCRM Attestation Form or an ISO 20243 certificate. It is submitted once per company and renewed annually. It is not the same as proposal Exhibit 5, and no substitute forms are accepted. Contract holders must also report supply chain security incidents to the SEWP Program Office within 72 hours and deliver a corrective action plan within 30 days.

ISO 9001:2015 certification is required for all three categories within one year of award, regardless of business size, and must be maintained for the life of the contract. Category B contract holders also need a CMMI Level 2 appraisal within that same first year.

Orders under designated NAICS and PSC codes, mostly help desk and end user support work, require the use of AbilityOne nonprofits as subcontractors under Attachment H.

Every contract holder must accept Government Purchase Card orders and process them directly. The surcharge cannot exceed 4% in any state.

One common misconception is worth clearing up: CMMC is not a contract level requirement on SEWP VI. Any CMMC level, along with FedRAMP, CUI handling, or other agency specific requirements, will be stated in the individual request and checked at the quote level.

Running two contracts at once

Until SEWP V ends, you may be quoting on both vehicles, and customers decide which one to use. The two contracts do not mix. A requirement solicited under SEWP V must be awarded under SEWP V, and a quote on one vehicle has no standing on the other. SEWP V BPAs and orders with options can run past the SEWP V end date, so check with the SEWP CHRM team on anything you expect to extend.

In practice, that means keeping your SEWP V and SEWP VI pricing, CLINs, and quote records cleanly separated, because the same part can carry a different CLIN and a different price on each.

What to do now

Whitelist the @sewp.nasa.gov and @nasa.gov domains so Program Office email does not land in spam. Anything from another domain is not from NASA.

Build your SEWP VI contract holder web page. There is no due date, but you cannot become active without it, and a JV needs its own page.

Complete the C-SCRM Attestation Form now so it is ready when submission instructions arrive.

Finalize Exhibit 4 for each category you hold.

Line up your providers and your initial TR. The 60 day clock for initial deliverables starts when the Program Office issues instructions.

Map your SEWP V catalog to SEWP VI CLINs and confirm your pricing against your GSA Schedule.

Plan for ISO 9001, and CMMI Level 2 for Category B, within your first year.

Attend the in person kickoff in Louisville, Kentucky, November 2 to 4, 2026.

SEWP VI rewards contract holders who quote accurately and deliver on time, and the new catalog and validation rules leave less room for error. VirtualDojo was built for exactly this kind of work: quoting, order management, and contract management for federal resellers, available through Carahsoft on SEWP VI and hosted on FedRAMP infrastructure on Google Cloud. If you want to see how it keeps your SEWP VI catalog, quotes, and orders in order, we would be glad to walk you through it.

Source material: NASA SEWP VI RFP (Amendment 14), SEWP VI Auxiliary Information (September 2026), Post Award and Procurement Orientation presentations, Contract Holder User Manual, and AbilityOne Requirements presentation.