SM&A

What SM&A does

SM&A (legal entity SMA, Inc.) is a privately held U.S. consulting firm headquartered in Irvine, California, that provides on-demand professional services to federal government contractors and aerospace & defense primes across the entire program lifecycle — Campaign, Capture, Bid, Pre-Award, and Delivery. The company's core product is the proprietary Talent on Demand (TOD®) platform, a marketplace that matches clients with 750+ pre-qualified associates, displaying expertise, availability, proximity, and hourly rates, and managing engagement lifecycle from deployment through payroll. Around this platform, SM&A bundles a comprehensive suite of consulting services including Shape™ procurement strategy, Making Winning Choices™ win strategy, Competitive Assessment and Price-to-Win (CAPTW) analysis, capture support, turnkey proposal development, color-team reviews, QuickStart® rapid mobilization, program management, EVMS, and technical engineering services.

The company generates revenue primarily through hourly-billed professional services engagements, with transparent pay-as-you-go pricing and no platform subscription fee; secondary revenue comes from publications, books such as 'The Pursuit of High-Stakes Business', and training. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales with a self-serve PLG motion through TOD and its iOS/Android mobile app, serving 3,500+ clients including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, RTX, Leidos, General Atomics, Anduril, Booz Allen, Honeywell, and Collins Aerospace, with 1,845+ programs supported and $340B+ in cumulative client contract value. The firm has executed ten acquisitions since 1998 to broaden capabilities and has received investment from Caltius Equity Partners.

Name

SM&A

Legal name

SMA, Inc.

Website

https://smawins.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

SM&A provides on-demand consulting and staffing to U.S. federal contractors across the program lifecycle, anchored by its proprietary Talent on Demand (TOD®) platform connecting clients with 750+ pre-qualified associates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Federal Government Contracting Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Supply Chain & Procurement Consulting (BPAHACAC)

Keywords

• Federal contract consulting
• Program lifecycle management
• Talent on demand
• Capture and proposal support
• Defense program consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Hourly Billing: Clients pay hourly rates for engaged associates through TOD platform; rates transparently displayed to clients; free platform access with charges only when work begins
2. Consulting Engagements: On-demand consulting services across program lifecycle from pursuit through performance; services include market assessments, competitive assessment, price-to-win, capture support, proposal management, program management, and technical support
3. Talent Staffing: Temporary professional support providing W-2 employees or independent contractors for project-based assignments; clients avoid full-time employment costs while accessing specialized expertise
4. Publications and Training: Books and materials on expertise and processes, including 'The Pursuit of High-Stakes Business'; training services for professional development

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SM&A provides on-demand consulting and staffing services that support federal contractors across the entire program lifecycle—from market assessment and capture through proposal, pre-award, and contract delivery. Services are delivered through the proprietary Talent on Demand (TOD®) platform, which matches clients with a pool of 750+ pre-qualified associates and is paired with branded methodologies such as Shape™, Making Winning Choices™, QuickStart®, and Milestone Success™.

Product overview

SM&A is a full program lifecycle consulting firm that operates as a platform-plus-services model. The core offering is the proprietary Talent on Demand (TOD®) platform, which serves as an exclusive marketplace connecting clients with skilled associates for project-based work. Around this platform, SM&A offers a comprehensive suite of consulting services organized across five program lifecycle phases: Campaign (market assessment, competitive positioning), Capture (pursuit strategy, proposal development), Proposal (turnkey bids, color teams, QuickStart®), Pre-Award (solution baselines, lessons learned), and Delivery (program management, EVMS, milestone tracking). Key branded methodologies include Shape™ Procurement Strategy, Making Winning Choices™ win strategy, and Milestone Success™. The company also publishes research through the SMA Competitive Index platform and offers thought leadership via publications like The Pursuit. Services span management consulting, technical engineering, graphics/publishing, and program planning and controls, all accessed through the TOD® talent matching platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Talent on Demand (TOD®) Platform SM&A's proprietary technology platform aggregating 750+ pre-qualified associates (W-2 employees or independent contractors) whose profiles, skills, clearances, availability, proximity, and hourly rates are visible to clients for direct engagement or guided matching by Business Development leads. Available via web and iOS/Android mobile apps.
• Campaign Phase Consulting Services Pre-capture consulting services covering market arena assessment, market franchise mapping, competitive position analysis, and pipeline analysis and management, helping federal contractor clients identify and qualify pursuit opportunities.
• Capture & Proposal Phase Consulting Services End-to-end capture and proposal consulting including capture managers, proposal managers, volume leads and proposal writers, Shape™ procurement strategy, competitive assessment and price-to-win (CAPTW), win strategy Making Winning Choices™, stakeholder influence, turnkey proposal development, color teams (Pink/Red/Gold), rapid mobilization QuickStart®, and lessons learned processes.
• Program Management & Delivery Services Post-award program delivery consulting including program and project managers, PMO specialists, program planning and controls, Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS) design and implementation, scheduling and cost analysis, Milestone Success™ tracking, and Keep Sold Strategy customer retention and growth.
• Technical Management & Engineering Services Deployment of engineering and technical specialists (aeronautical, electrical, mechanical engineers and materials scientists) to federal contractor clients for program execution and technical support across the program lifecycle.
• Management Consulting Services Strategic management consulting including competitive analysis, market analysis, cost analysis, strategic pricing, and corporate strategy advisory services for federal contractor clients.
• Graphics & Desktop Publishing Services Data visualization, technical graphics, document design, desktop publishing, and video production services to support proposal development and program execution deliverables for federal contractor clients.
• SMA Competitive Index Interactive research platform that analyzes competitive performance across federal markets, measuring how companies perform relative to peers and surfacing insights on competitive gain and federal contracting competitiveness.
• Publications and Training (The Pursuit) Books, training materials, and professional development programs on program lifecycle expertise and high-stakes business pursuits, including 'The Pursuit of High-Stakes Business' and supporting training services.

Quantifiable outcome

• $340B+ in contract value supported across 1,845+ programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers38 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SAIC: Large federal services integrator delivering systems integration, engineering, IT and program management to DoD, intel and civilian customers. Competes for the same program management, EVMS and systems engineering engagements SM&A supports.
• ICF International: Public-sector-focused advisory and digital services firm serving federal civilian, defense, energy, health and infrastructure clients. Closely comparable in scale, services mix (capture, proposal, program management) and customer profile to SM&A.
• Guidehouse: PwC's former public sector practice, now an independent consultancy serving defense, civilian and intelligence agencies with management consulting, program management and technology services directly comparable to SM&A's federal services portfolio.
• CGI Federal: US subsidiary of CGI Group providing IT, engineering, and program management services to federal civilian and defense agencies. Similar mid-sized positioning to SM&A and overlapping program lifecycle and technical services work.

Emerging players

• Govini: Data and analytics platform for the federal market providing competitive intelligence, pipeline analysis and price-to-win insights. Direct overlap with SM&A's Competitive Index and CAPTW services, with a more software-centric, automation-forward model.
• Public Consulting Group: Mid-sized US consulting firm providing program management, technology, and advisory services to state, federal and education clients. Comparable in size and services mix, with stronger public-sector footprint outside DoD.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Government & Public Services: One of the Big Four federal practices, providing strategy, operations, technology and human capital services to DoD, intel and civilian agencies. Overlaps with SM&A's management consulting and program management offerings as part of a much broader portfolio.
• McKinsey & Company Public Sector Practice: Top-tier strategy firm serving federal and defense clients on procurement, organizational and operating-model strategy. Competes at the high-end of the strategy and competitive assessment work SM&A performs in its Campaign phase.
• Booz Allen Hamilton: Largest US federal services and consulting firm, providing capture, proposal, program management and technology support to the same defense and civilian customers SM&A serves. Larger and more diversified, but competes head-to-head for lifecycle services work.
• Accenture Federal Services: Accenture's federal arm, providing digital, cloud, cybersecurity, and program management services to US government clients. Competes with SM&A for program support work and on the systems engineering / program planning & controls side.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/smawins
• Facebookfacebook.com/smawins
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/19246
• Instagraminstagram.com/smawins

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A10 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SM&A