DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program Round 2028 is the next round of CMS's competitive bidding for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies, with contracts and single payment amounts targeted to be in effect no later than January 1, 2028. This page is for DMEPOS suppliers deciding whether to bid and getting accreditation, state licenses, disclosures and the bid file in order before CMS opens the bid window. Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) builds the supplier's bid readiness program and evidence file for your compliance lead and clinicians to review and approve. You submit every bid, bond and document yourself.
Last reviewed: October 2026.
What is DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Round 2028?
Round 2028 is the next round of the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program, in which suppliers bid and CMS awards contracts with single payment amounts. CMS's Round 2028 timeline page, dated August 13, 2026 (CMS timeline, page opened October 4, 2026), targets bidder registration and the bid window for "Late Fall 2026", contract awards for late summer or early fall 2027, and a start "No Later Than January 1, 2028". The page adds: "Dates listed are target dates". Its program phases page (CMS program phases, page opened October 4, 2026) lists six phases, with Phase 1, Bid Preparation, shown as in progress on June 4, 2026 and Phases 2 to 6 not started, with dates to be determined.
CMS's fact sheet on program updates (CMS fact sheet, posted November 28, 2025 and updated December 8, 2025, page opened October 4, 2026) lists these product categories for the next round:
- Class II continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and insulin pumps
- Urological supplies
- Ostomy supplies
- Hydrophilic urinary catheters
- Off the shelf (OTS) back braces
- OTS knee braces
- OTS upper extremity braces
The same fact sheet says bidding systems are consolidated into Connexion, CMS's DMEPOS CBP secure portal, and that single payment amounts are "calculated using the 75th percentile of winning bids instead of the maximum winning bid". The governing rules are 42 CFR 414.412 on submission of bids (42 CFR 414.412) and 42 CFR 414.414 on conditions for awarding contracts (42 CFR 414.414), both opened October 4, 2026. As of the pages we opened that day, we did not find the Request for Bids Instructions, the list of competitive bidding areas, the lead items or CMS's final number of contracts per category. CMS's timeline page lists Summer 2026 for announcing them.
Who needs bid readiness and what triggers it?
A DMEPOS supplier that supplies any Round 2028 category and is considering a bid needs bid readiness. The triggers on the pages we opened are these:
- The target Late Fall 2026 start of bidder registration and the bid window (CMS timeline).
- Accreditation. 42 CFR 414.414(c) says each supplier furnishing items and services directly or as a subcontractor "must meet applicable quality standards developed by CMS ... and be accredited by a CMS-approved organization that meets the requirements of § 424.58 of this subchapter, unless a grace period is specified by CMS." (42 CFR 414.414)
- State licensure. 42 CFR 414.414 says "Each supplier must have all State and local licenses required to perform the services identified in the request for bids." (42 CFR 414.414)
- Annual resurvey. CMS's fact sheet on the CY 2026 home health final rule says "DMEPOS suppliers will now have to be resurveyed and reaccredited annually." (CMS fact sheet CMS-1828-F, page opened October 4, 2026). That page states no effective date for the sentence.
How does IHS help with bid readiness?
IHS builds the program around the bid file and the requirements behind it. IHS drafts the program, policies and evidence file for your compliance lead and clinicians to review and approve. The process runs in these steps:
- Inventory of your accreditation status, state licenses, enrollment and disclosure items against 42 CFR 414.414.
- Bid file checklist keyed to the Request for Bids Instructions once CMS publishes them.
- Policy set and evidence file that your organization holds and keeps current.
- Mock review of the assembled file before you submit.
What you supply: your accreditation documents, state licenses, enrollment records, disclosure history, the credit report and your decision on which categories and areas to bid.
The limit: IHS does not set bid prices, place bonds, or contact CMS or the CBIC. You submit every bid, bond, enrollment and credit document yourself through CMS's portal. IHS gives no legal opinion on whether a rule applies to your organization. That question goes to your counsel.
What to have ready
- Your accreditation certificate and your accreditor's name, checked against the CMS approved list of DMEPOS accreditation organizations (CMS accreditation organizations list, updated January 9, 2026).
- Your resurvey calendar, given the annual reaccreditation sentence in the CMS fact sheet on CMS-1828-F (CMS fact sheet).
- State and local licenses required for the services in a request for bids, per 42 CFR 414.414 (42 CFR 414.414).
- A disclosure inventory of prior or current legal actions, sanctions, Medicare revocations, exclusions and debarments, because 42 CFR 414.414 has them certified in the bid.
- Accreditation status for any subcontractor, since 42 CFR 414.414(c) covers items furnished directly or as a subcontractor.
- A business credit report with a numerical credit score or rating, or the alternative for entities too new to have one (CMS fact sheet).
- A surety quote for each competitive bidding area you plan to bid in, against the bond requirement in 42 CFR 414.412(g) (42 CFR 414.412).
- A map of the Round 2028 categories you supply, including the Nationwide Remote Item Delivery Program coverage in the fact sheet.
- Portal access for your bidding entity in Connexion once CMS opens registration.
- An owner and calendar time for registration and the bid window, to be set once CMS announces the dates.
Printable version of this checklist (PDF)
If you want help turning this list into a dated plan for your organization, the free introductory call is the place to start.
How does bidding compare with staying a non-contract supplier?
The first two rows below come from CMS's own pages, and which path fits depends on your product mix, margins and customers. IHS does not tell you which to choose.
| Path | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Bid for a Round 2028 contract | Includes accreditation unless CMS sets a grace period, state licenses, disclosures, a credit report and a bid surety bond, per 42 CFR 414.414, 42 CFR 414.412 and the CMS fact sheet. |
| Stay a non-contract supplier | The CMS fact sheet says "Only contract suppliers can furnish items included under the nationwide RID CBP that are covered under Medicare Part B." The fact sheet also says that when a non-contract supplier does not transfer a beneficiary's medical necessity documentation during the first three months of the contract period, the contract supplier has six months to obtain new orders, and that this period does not apply to off the shelf braces (CMS fact sheet, page opened October 4, 2026). |
| Choosing an accreditor | CMS's list names ACHC, ABC, CHAP, HQAA, Joint Commission, NABP, The Compliance Team and BOC (CMS list). For two of them, see our ACHC DMEPOS page and our NABP DMEPOS pharmacy page. |
For the broader supplier compliance program behind a bid, see our DMEPOS supplier page.
What does Round 2028 bid readiness cost?
The one dollar figure on the CMS pages we opened is the bid surety bond. CMS's fact sheet says "bidders are required to obtain a bid surety bond in the amount of $50,000 for each competitive bidding area (CBA) for which they submit a bid", citing 42 CFR 414.412(g) (CMS fact sheet, page opened October 4, 2026). The rule also sets conditions for forfeiting the bond, so read 42 CFR 414.412(g) in full before you commit. Verify current requirements with CMS. We did not find a bid submission fee on the pages we opened. We did not read any accreditor's fee pages, so check each accreditor directly. IHS scopes each engagement after a free introductory call.
What this is not
- This is not legal advice. IHS is a consulting firm, not a law firm, and gives no opinion on whether a rule applies to your organization.
- IHS is not CMS, the CBIC or an accreditor, and does not guarantee a contract award or an accreditation decision.
- IHS does not submit your bid, place your bond, set your prices or contact CMS or the CBIC.
Frequently asked questions
When does the DMEPOS Round 2028 bid window open?
CMS's Round 2028 timeline page, dated August 13, 2026 and opened October 4, 2026, lists "Late Fall 2026" for the start of bidder registration and the opening of the bid window. The page says the dates listed are target dates. As of the pages we opened that day, we did not find specific registration or bid window dates.
Which product categories are in Round 2028?
CMS's fact sheet, opened October 4, 2026, names class II continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps, urological supplies, ostomy supplies, hydrophilic urinary catheters, and off the shelf back, knee and upper extremity braces. It says all categories for the next round are included in the Nationwide Remote Item Delivery Program.
Do I have to be accredited to bid, and by whom?
42 CFR 414.414(c), which sets conditions for awarding contracts, requires each supplier to be accredited by a CMS approved organization unless CMS specifies a grace period. CMS's list of approved DMEPOS accreditation organizations, updated January 9, 2026, names eight: ACHC, ABC, CHAP, HQAA, Joint Commission, NABP, The Compliance Team and BOC.
What is the bid surety bond and how much is it?
It is a bond a bidder obtains before bidding. CMS's fact sheet says it is $50,000 for each competitive bidding area where the bidder submits a bid, citing 42 CFR 414.412(g). Verify current requirements with CMS.
What financial documents do bidders submit?
CMS's fact sheet says each bidding entity now has to submit a business credit report with a numerical credit score or rating, with an alternative for entities too new to have one. The detail is to be in the Request for Bids Instructions, which we did not find as of October 4, 2026.
What does a bidder need besides accreditation?
42 CFR 414.414 requires all State and local licenses needed for the services in the request for bids. It also requires certified disclosure of prior or current legal actions, sanctions, revocations from the Medicare program, exclusions or debarments.
What happens to a supplier that wins or loses?
CMS's timeline page targets contract awards and single payment amounts in late summer or early fall 2027, with contracts in effect no later than January 1, 2028. CMS's fact sheet says that when a non-contract supplier does not transfer a beneficiary's medical necessity documentation during the first three months of the contract period, the contract supplier has six months to obtain new orders, and that this period does not apply to off the shelf braces.
What is the Remote Item Delivery program and who can serve it?
The fact sheet says all next round product categories are in the Nationwide Remote Item Delivery Program. It also says only contract suppliers can furnish items included under the nationwide program that are covered under Medicare Part B.
How does annual reaccreditation change planning?
A CMS fact sheet on the CY 2026 home health final rule says DMEPOS suppliers will now have to be resurveyed and reaccredited annually. That page gives no effective date for the sentence, so confirm the timing with your accreditor.
How should a small supplier think about the 30 percent small supplier goal?
CMS's fact sheet says that if less than 30% of winning suppliers are small suppliers, additional contracts may be offered. We did not find a definition of small supplier on the pages we opened, so check the Request for Bids Instructions when CMS publishes them.