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.
$43.5B
Total Obligated
7,236
Total Awards
$6.0M
Avg Award Value
Aug 2025 – Aug 2026
Data Period
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Year-Over-Year Award Trend
| Year | Awards | Total Obligated |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2,748 | $12.1B |
| 2023 | 9,282 | $45.6B |
| 2024 | 9,747 | $45.4B |
| 2025 | 8,903 | $45.5B |
| 2026 | 3,608 | $24.5B |
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 | Lockheed Martin Corporationfamily | 108 | $5.7B |
| #2 | Fluor Enterprises Incorporatedfamily | 11 | $4.1B |
| #3 | California Institute Of Technology | 13 | $2.2B |
| #4 | Johns Hopkins University | 12 | $1.6B |
| #5 | Saic, INC.family | 58 | $1.4B |
| #6 | Northrop Grumman Corporationfamily | 91 | $1.3B |
| #7 | United Cleanup OAK Ridge LLCfamily | 55 | $1.1B |
| #8 | The Aerospace | 12 | $1.0B |
| #9 | RTX | 92 | $975.5M |
| #10 | Fermi Forward Discovery Group | 12 | $878.3M |
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→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
August 2026
One VA health contract was 35% of civilian federal obligations in July.
Meanwhile VA's service-disabled veteran-owned contract actions fell 41.8%. The same agency, the same month, the large-vendor lane expanding while the small-business lane contracted. Figures are civilian-agency obligations through 2026-07-31; DoD FPDS for this window is labeled incomplete.
This issue is the whole civilian market. Your capture plan isn't.
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