PrimeRFP SCOUT · NAICS Intelligence
5417 — Scientific Research & Development Services
NAICS 541715R&D Services
NAICS 541715 shows $28.5B obligated across 22,885 awards (five-buyer lens) — average award $1.24M (~63 ≥$100K awards per day in scope).
Applied research and development in defense systems, space, energy, biomedical sciences, and national security.
$45.1B
Total Obligated
18,349
Total Awards
$2.5M
Avg Award Value
Sep 2025 – Sep 2026
Data Period
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Year-Over-Year Award Trend
| Year | Awards | Total Obligated |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3,391 | $7.2B |
| 2023 | 16,987 | $45.9B |
| 2024 | 17,895 | $45.7B |
| 2025 | 21,006 | $45.8B |
| 2026 | 11,429 | $30.4B |
2026 data through March 2026 only. Source: PrimeRFP SCOUT · ≥$100K floor
Top Agencies by Obligation — NAICS 541715
| Agency | Awards | Total Obligated |
|---|
Top Awardees — NAICS 541715
Trailing 12 months · ≥$100K floor · Source: PrimeRFP SCOUT
| Rank | Awardee | Awards | Total Obligated |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | FLUOR MARINE PROPULSION, LLC | 12 | $4.3B |
| #2 | CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | 13 | $2.2B |
| #3 | THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY LLC | 13 | $1.8B |
| #4 | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | 13 | $1.7B |
| #5 | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | 10 | $1.2B |
| #6 | AEROSPACE CORPORATION, THE | 13 | $1.2B |
| #7 | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | 9 | $1.2B |
| #8 | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | 10 | $960.6M |
| #9 | THE MITRE CORPORATION | 13 | $873.0M |
| #10 | RAYTHEON COMPANY | 10 | $836.4M |
See all awardees and filter by agency, set-aside, and date in SCOUT.
Score your position in 541715 — FY27 Sprint →SCOUT Market Insights
→NAICS 541715 shows $28.5B obligated across 22,885 awards (five-buyer lens) — average award $1.24M (~63 ≥$100K awards per day in scope).
→Department of Defense leads at $26.1B (20,781 awards); VA ($30.2M), HHS ($926M), GSA ($1.3B) are the next largest buyers.
→Whole-of-government awardee ranking timed out on refresh — use Category/PSC market views for prime-share context; five-buyer totals above are authoritative for the scoped buyer set.
→Calendar trend (full CYs): $33.6B (CY2023) → $33.9B (CY2024) → $33.0B (CY2025).
Frequently Asked Questions — NAICS 541715
What does NAICS 541715 cover?
NAICS 541715 (Research and Development in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences) covers federal contracts for applied R&D in defense systems, aerospace, nuclear energy, biomedical research, oceanography, and national security technologies. It includes both FFRDC performers and commercial applied R&D firms.
How much does the federal government spend on NAICS 541715?
Across DoD, VA, HHS, GSA, and DHS (five-buyer lens), agencies obligated approximately $28.5B under NAICS 541715 across 22,885 awards in the trailing 12 months (Aug 2025–Aug 2026). Source: PrimeRFP SCOUT, obligations_only, ≥$100K floor.
Can small businesses compete for NAICS 541715 contracts?
Yes. While the top awards are dominated by FFRDCs and large primes, DoD and NASA actively award smaller R&D contracts to mid-tier firms, universities, and SBIR/STTR performers. HHS (NIH) awards 798 contracts — among the most accessible to research firms. NASA SEWP and DoD SBIR/STTR programs are the primary entry points for smaller R&D performers.
What is the average contract value under NAICS 541715?
The average award obligation is $1.18M, but this masks wide variance — nuclear-propulsion and FFRDC contracts run into the billions, while DoD task orders and NASA research awards average much less. For mid-tier firms targeting DoD and NASA applied R&D, typical task order values range from $500K to $50M.
SCOUT Signal
September 2026
Service-disabled veteran-owned contract actions fell 15% at the VA in a single month.
Meanwhile VA's service-disabled veteran-owned contract actions fell 15.3%. The same agency, the same month, the large-vendor lane expanding while the small-business lane contracted. Figures are civilian-agency obligations through 2026-08-31; DoD FPDS for this window is labeled incomplete.
This issue is the whole civilian market. Your capture plan isn't.
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About NAICS 541715
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