PrimeRFP SCOUT · NAICS Intelligence
5417 — Scientific Research & Development Services
NAICS 541715R&D Services
NAICS 541715 shows $42.1B obligated across 11,671 awards — average award $3.6M. DoD is the leading buyer.
Applied research and development in defense systems, space, energy, biomedical sciences, and national security.
$42.1B
Total Obligated
11,671
Total Awards
$3.6M
Avg Award Value
Oct 2025 – Oct 2026
Data Period
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Year-Over-Year Award Trend
| Year | Awards | Total Obligated |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2,742 | $7.0B |
| 2023 | 14,687 | $44.1B |
| 2024 | 15,272 | $43.8B |
| 2025 | 15,128 | $43.7B |
| 2026 | 9,290 | $35.4B |
Full calendar years CY2023–CY2025. Partial 2026 is omitted. Award counts show when the pull included them. Source: PrimeRFP SCOUT · obligations only · ≥$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 | 133 | $5.7B |
| #2 | Fluor Enterprises Incorporatedfamily | 12 | $4.3B |
| #3 | California Institute Of Technology | 12 | $2.2B |
| #4 | RTX | 116 | $2.1B |
| #5 | Johns Hopkins University | 12 | $1.8B |
| #6 | Saic, INC.family | 70 | $1.4B |
| #7 | Northrop Grumman Corporationfamily | 124 | $1.3B |
| #8 | The Aerospace | 12 | $1.1B |
| #9 | The Mitre | 12 | $923.8M |
| #10 | Booz Allen Hamilton | 18 | $785.0M |
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Score your position in 541715 — FY27 Sprint →SCOUT Market Insights
→NAICS 541715 shows $42.1B obligated across 11,671 awards — average award $3.6M. DoD is the leading buyer.
→Lockheed Martin ($5.7B), Fluor Enterprises ($4.3B), and Caltech ($2.2B) lead the awardee table. The Fluor row is a family rollup that includes Savannah River Nuclear Solutions. RTX ($2.1B) and Johns Hopkins APL ($1.8B) follow.
→This extract does not publish an agency dollar split. The awardee table is the prime-share view.
→Calendar trend (full CYs): $44.1B (CY2023) → $43.8B (CY2024) → $43.7B (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?
Agencies obligated $42.1B under NAICS 541715 across 11,671 awards in the trailing 12 months (Oct 2025–Oct 2026). DoD is the leading buyer. Source: PrimeRFP SCOUT, obligations only, ≥$100K unique-award floor.
Can small businesses compete for NAICS 541715 contracts?
Yes. While the top awards are dominated by FFRDCs and large primes — Lockheed Martin ($5.7B), Fluor Enterprises ($4.3B, a family rollup), and Caltech ($2.2B) on this extract — DoD and NASA still award smaller R&D contracts to mid-tier firms, universities, and SBIR/STTR performers. NASA SEWP and DoD SBIR/STTR programs remain the primary entry points for smaller R&D performers.
What is the average contract value under NAICS 541715?
The average award obligation is $3.6M. That average still masks wide variance — large FFRDC and platform awards sit in the billions, while task orders and research awards are much smaller. 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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