PrimeRFP SCOUT · Industry Intelligence
Research & Development Federal Contracts
Under OMB Category: R&D, federal obligations totaled $43.4B across 31,911 contracts in the trailing 12 months (last 12 months (2025-08-06 – 2026-08-01)), with an average award of $1.4M.
This page uses a Category-led market view as the headline and a NAICS-based companion view for firm-classification analysis — see below.
$43.4B
12-Mo Obligations (Headline)
31,911
Contracts (12-Mo)
$1.4M
Avg Award Size
$58.3B
NAICS Companion (Firm-classification companion.)
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Beyond the historical award data below, PrimeRFP SCOUT surfaces open research & development solicitations — RFPs, RFQs, sources-sought notices, and BPAs — across federal (SAM.gov) and state, local & education (SLED) sources, plus upcoming r&d recompetes with named incumbents before they hit the street.
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How this market is scoped
Headline view — Market
OMB Category: R&D
OMB Category Management definition — PSC-based. The authoritative federal taxonomy for this market.
Obligated: $43.4B · 31,911 contracts
Companion view — Firm classification
NAICS 5417 — Scientific Research & Development Services firms
NAICS describes a seller's industry classification — not what was bought. Use this view for firm-set analysis, not market sizing.
Obligated: $58.3B · 39,137 contracts
NAICS 5417 can exceed the R&D Category total because 5417 firms win non-R&D PSC work.
Scope note: DOE national-lab M&O often appears under Facilities & Construction, not R&D Category.
Data filters — reconstructible in USASpending
Every figure on this page is derived from the following filter set, applied to federal award data. Because SCOUT is a USASpending-derived extract, any number here can be reconstructed in USASpending Advanced Search using the scope label above plus these filters.
- Scope
- OMB Category: R&D
- Time window
- Trailing 12 months (2025-08-06 → 2026-08-01)
- Min award
- ≥ $100,000 per transaction
- Transaction type
- Obligations only (federal_action_obligation). IDIQ/IDV base vehicles excluded.
- Year type
- calendar
- Data source
- PrimeRFP SCOUT (USASpending-derived extract)
- Since date
- 2025-08-06
- Last refreshed
- 2026-08-01
Top Agencies in Research & Development
| Rank | Agency | Obligations |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Department of Defense (DOD) | $32.5B |
| #2 | National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) | $8.4B |
| #3 | General Services Administration (GSA) | $1.4B |
| #4 | Department of Energy (DOE) | $407.8M |
| #5 | Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) | $167.1M |
| #6 | Department of Homeland Security (DHS) | $135.7M |
| #7 | Department of Transportation (DOT) | $110.2M |
| #8 | Department of Commerce (DOC) | $107.5M |
| #9 | Department of the Interior (DOI) | $66.2M |
| #10 | Department of the Treasury (TREAS) | $40.6M |
12-month aggregate · Scope: R&D category market-size lens (MCP category key: research and development). · PrimeRFP SCOUT
Top Research & Development Contractors
| Rank | Contractor | Awards | Total Obligation |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION | 10 | $2.9B |
| #2 | CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | 1,234 | $2.1B |
| #3 | JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY LLC, THE | 1,427 | $1.5B |
| #4 | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | 220 | $1.5B |
| #5 | BELL TEXTRON INC. | 47 | $1.5B |
12-month aggregate, top 5 shown · Scope: R&D category market-size lens (MCP category key: research and development). · PrimeRFP SCOUT
Emerging Competitors (Rank 6–10)
| Rank | Contractor | Awards | Total Obligation |
|---|---|---|---|
| #6 | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | 146 | $1.2B |
| #7 | THE BOEING COMPANY | 129 | $1.2B |
| #8 | BLUE ORIGIN LLC | 26 | $936.1M |
| #9 | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | 17 | $936.1M |
| #10 | BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC. | 703 | $862.2M |
Market Intelligence — Research & Development
OMB R&D category obligations total $43.4B across 31,907 contracts — Department of Defense ($32.5B) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration ($8.4B) dominate.
Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation ($2.9B), California Institute of Technology ($2.1B), and Johns Hopkins APL ($1.5B) lead Category R&D awardees.
DOE's Category R&D contract total understates lab science — most DOE research sits in Facilities & Construction M&O contracts, not the R&D category.
NAICS 5417 companion (~$36.1B, five-buyer) is the firm-classification lens; use Category for R&D market sizing.
Frequently Asked Questions — Research & Development
How much federal R&D contracting is there?
Under OMB R&D Category, federal obligations reached $43.39B across 31,907 contracts in the trailing 12 months (2025-08-16 → 2026-08-04). DoD leads at $32.5B, NASA follows at $8.37B. The NAICS 5417 companion (five-buyer firm lens) totals $36.06B. Source: PrimeRFP SCOUT · obligations only · ≥$100K · calendar-year basis.
Where does DOE research spending show up?
DOE's contract-level obligations in the R&D Category are far below DOE's actual R&D commitment. That's because most DOE research is executed through national-laboratory M&O contracts (classified under Facilities & Construction in OMB Category Management) and via cooperative agreements — neither of which appears in the R&D contract category. For the DOE national-lab facility view, see the Construction & Infrastructure page.
What are the largest R&D awards?
Northrop Grumman ($2.9B), Caltech ($2.1B), Johns Hopkins APL ($1.5B), Lockheed Martin ($1.5B), and Bell Textron ($1.5B) lead the awardee table. Defense R&D concentrates in advanced missile and space systems; NASA R&D is more distributed across university and FFRDC performers.
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