Today, more than 139,294 (43%) small businesses registered in the CCR and DSBS databases offer IT services to the federal government. Providing IT services to the federal government is an affordable and feasible low risk approach for emerging and seasoned small IT businesses in the federal arena. This dissertation captures how successful small IT businesses identify, pursue and capture Information Technology (IT) work with the federal government. This dissertation proposes four hypotheses based on the literature review, case studies analysis, preliminary qualitative survey data, interviews, and models. (1) Hypothesis 1: The optimal firm size for a successful small IT services provider in the federal arena is dependent on three variables: number of billable employees, billing rates (gross revenue per employee), and the number of years in business. (2) Hypothesis 2: Small businesses that partner with large businesses are more likely to capture a higher number of contracts (prime contracts and subcontracts) as opposed to small businesses of comparable age that do not partner with large businesses. (3) Hypothesis 3: Small businesses with at least $1,000,000 in annual gross revenue are more likely to pursue a federal contract as a prime and actually win as compared to small businesses of similar age with less than $1,000,000 in annual gross revenue. (4) Hypothesis 4: Small businesses who qualify for SDVOSB, HubZone or 8a certification capture a higher total dollar value of federal business as compared to those small businesses of comparably age who do not qualify. The validation of the hypotheses assists with identification of the best practices of small IT service providers in the federal arena. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]