Fed Creative Brief.

What's expiring in federal creative work, who holds it, and how to get in.

Fed Creative Brief is a twice-monthly briefing for creative, marketing and media agencies chasing government work: the biggest expiring contracts, the vehicle each one sits on, whether you can bid or must team, and who's already positioned.

Free tier: one issue a month. No spam; unsubscribe anytime. Built from public USAspending.gov data. Or just read the sample issue (PDF).

Why now

246 likely recompetes

Federal marketing, PR, media, design and video contracts with final end dates between Jan 2027 and Apr 2028. $2.24B obligated to date.
Source: USAspending.gov, pulled 2026-10-11; awards ≥ $100K in 8 creative NAICS codes.

Most big work sits on vehicles

Of the 111 worth ≥ $1M, our analysis puts 67 behind a vehicle or GSA Schedule (team or holder-only) and 44 likely open to a new prime.
These are our estimates from past award structure. See the method notes.

77 drew a single offer

Last time, 77 of the 246 got only one bid. Thin competition is where a prepared agency can get in.
Source: FPDS "number of offers received".

What's in each issue

The expiring list

The top 20 creative and marketing contracts ending in the next 3–18 months, ranked by value and capture timing, each linked to the public record.

Bid or team?

A plain-English call on every top item: open to new primes, GSA Schedule only, holders-only, or locked to the incumbent, with our reasoning.

Who to call

The incumbent, other holders of the same vehicle, and other firms the agency already buys from, so you know who to approach about teaming.

Campaign context

Editor's notes on the agencies and programmes behind the money, plus timing calls such as the September fiscal-year cliff.

Sample excerpt

TEAM: replacement vehicle may already be awarded

CMS: Health Insurance Exchange Public Education and Outreach

Incumbent: IPG DXTRA, Inc. · $819.9M obligated · ends 2027-03-10 · task order 75FCMC22F0003 on a multiple-award IDIQ whose ordering period ended 2026-02-28.
Why: only IDIQ holders could prime orders under the old vehicle. In Sept 2025 CMS signed new IDVs in the same NAICS with IPG DXTRA, Porter Novelli, Ogilvy PR, Ketchum, Fors Marsh and Edelman. If that is the replacement, the follow-on is holders-only.
Teaming targets: those holders. Public record

LIKELY NEW COMPETITION: non-holders may prime

FDA: National Education Campaign Program task order

Incumbent: True North Communications · $77.1M obligated · ends 2028-01-11 · order on a single-award IDIQ whose ordering period ended 2026-06-30.
Why: the vehicle can't take new orders, so a follow-on would normally be a fresh competition. Watch SAM.gov for a sources-sought notice.
Others the agency buys from in this NAICS: MediaForce LLC, Event Source Professionals. Public record

Excerpted from the October 2026 sample issue (PDF). Verdicts are editorial inferences from public data.

Pricing (founding-member pricing)

Free

monthly highlights

Top 5 expiring contracts each month
Bid-or-team verdict for each
Sample of the full issue

Founding member

$29/mo

or $249/yr · price locked for founding members

Full top-20 issue, twice a month
Teaming targets for every item
Full CSV: every expiring award, vehicle and verdict
Request an agency or NAICS deep-dive

FAQ

Where does the data come from?

From public federal award records on USAspending.gov (sourced from FPDS), refreshed for each issue. Every item links to its public record so you can verify it.

How is this different from HigherGov, GovTribe or Fed-Spend?

Those are broad databases, and some flag recompetes. Fed Creative Brief is narrow and written for one audience: creative, marketing and media agencies. For each item we add a call on whether you can prime or must team, plus who to call. It's a short read, not a dashboard.

What does "bid or team" mean?

Our read of how the follow-on is likely to be bought, based on how it was bought last time. Standalone contracts usually get a new open solicitation. GSA Schedule orders go to schedule holders. Orders on multiple-award IDIQs or BPAs go only to holders, so a non-holder has to team.

Do you find opportunities on SAM.gov?

Not yet. We track contracts before they hit SAM.gov, using award end dates. Adding sources-sought and pre-solicitation notices is on the roadmap.

Can I cancel?

Yes, anytime. Founding pricing stays locked as long as you remain subscribed.