October 2026 marks 10 years since the U.S. General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service launched the Highly Adaptive Cybersecurity Services special item number. For 10 years, the HACS SIN has given federal, state, and local government organizations a streamlined way to buy cybersecurity services and safeguard data infrastructure.
Evolution and demonstrated agility
GSA developed HACS in partnership with the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Homeland Security, and the solution became available to government buyers on Oct. 1, 2016.
Over the past 10 years, the HACS SIN has been updated to reflect executive-level mandates and evolving cyber threats. In 2019, GSA consolidated the four original HACS SINs into one Multiple Award Schedule SIN, 54151HACS, and added high value asset assessment services in support of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency High Value Asset program.
In 2023, HACS incorporated principles from National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-207, Zero Trust Architecture, into the mandatory HACS vendor oral evaluation. By 2025, the SIN had added an incident handling and event management subgroup.
Milestones from the past decade include:
- References in Office of Management and Budget memoranda and executive-level guidance, including Report to the President on Federal IT Modernization, the Chief Information Security Officer Handbook, and OMB Memo M-19-03, Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Agencies by Enhancing the High Value Asset Program.
- More than 700 industry partners approved to offer services through the SIN.
- More than $4 billion in sales, including more than $1 billion awarded to small businesses.
GSA will continue to work with its partners to incorporate new technologies and industry practices so these services keep pace with agency needs.
Skilled industry partners, flexibility, and compliance
Vendors must complete a mandatory technical evaluation to hold a HACS contract, and the SIN covers a broad range of cybersecurity services.
Agencies can order through HACS by establishing a blanket purchase agreement or by placing a task order under General Services Acquisition Regulation Subpart 538.71.
Resources
GSA offers resources to help government buyers and industry partners plan and complete HACS procurements:
- HACS website: News, events, and guidance on the HACS program and IT security.
- HACS ordering guide: Step-by-step guidance for ordering HACS services.
- HACS overview and use case video: A short video describing HACS, sample use cases, and available resources.
- GSA eLibrary: HACS contractor listings, service offerings, socioeconomic designations, terms and conditions, and other contract details.
- Acquisition Gateway: Statement of work templates and other resources to help agencies scope requirements.
- GSA IT Security Interact Community: An online community for conversations about government IT and cybersecurity.
- GSA eBuy: A system agencies can use to post requests for information and requests for quotations and connect with HACS contractors.
To the HACS team, our industry partners, and our customer agencies — thank you. Your collaboration has made this program what it is today, and we look forward to continuing this work to strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity posture in the decade ahead.
Learn more on the HACS homepage.