The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recorded 8.51 billion in obligated awards across 8,564 actions over the last 5 years, with an average action value of 993,481.35. Spending is concentrated in research and development services, led by NAICS 541715 and vendors including Lockheed Martin Corporation and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC.
Federal Agency
DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA) Federal Contract Obligations (Last 5 Years)
FPDS procurement profile for DARPA (97AE) covering the last 5 years of obligated spending, award activity, top vendors, and NAICS concentration.
Annual obligations ranged from 1.52 billion in 2021 to 1.87 billion in 2023, with recent activity remaining above 1.67 billion in both 2024 and 2025.
Agency ID
97AE
Total Obligated
8.51 billion
8,508,174,334.76
Award Actions
8,564
Average Action Value
993,481.35
About DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA) federal contract activity
Over the last 5 years, DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA) recorded 8.51 billion in obligations across 8,564 awards, with an average award value of 993,481.35. The profile is consistent with a research-intensive agency that places frequent, relatively high-value awards in support of advanced technology development.
Vendor concentration and leading contractors
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION led all vendors with 1.08 billion obligated across 345 awards, followed by JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY LLC, THE with 715.30 million across 886 awards. Other major recipients include SECURIGENCE LLC, RAYTHEON COMPANY, and NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION, indicating a vendor base concentrated among large defense contractors and specialized research performers.
Industry profile based on NAICS activity
DARPA obligations are dominated by NAICS 541715, Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences, which accounts for 5.95 billion and 6,213 awards. Secondary activity is concentrated in professional and technical services and adjacent R&D and software categories, including NAICS 541990, 541511, 541714, and 541712, reflecting a portfolio centered on research execution, prototype development, and technical integration.
Annual contract trend over the analysis window
Annual obligations remained near the 1.5 billion to 1.9 billion range throughout the period, peaking in 2023 at 1.87 billion and then moderating to 1.68 billion in 2024. Award volume was highest in 2024 at 1,893 awards, while 2025 has already reached 1.72 billion across 1,734 awards, suggesting continued high activity with year-to-year variation in award mix and timing.
How to interpret this page
This summary uses FPDS obligations and award counts for agency ID 97AE over the last 5 years. Vendor and NAICS rankings are based on total obligated dollars within the selected period, and annual trend values are aggregated by fiscal year.
Top Vendors
SELECT
vendor_name,
total_obligated,
award_count,
formatReadableQuantity(total_obligated) AS total_obligated_readable
FROM
(
SELECT
content__award__vendor__vendorHeader__vendorName AS vendor_name,
sum(content__award__dollarValues__obligatedAmount) AS total_obligated,
count() AS award_count
FROM fpds.data
WHERE
contract_type = 1
AND content__award__purchaserInformation__contractingOfficeAgencyID = '97AE'
AND content__award__vendor__vendorHeader__vendorName IS NOT NULL
AND content__award__vendor__vendorHeader__vendorName != ''
AND parseDateTimeBestEffortOrNull(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate) >= toStartOfYear(now()) - INTERVAL 5 YEAR
AND parseDateTimeBestEffortOrNull(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate) < toStartOfYear(now())
GROUP BY vendor_name
)
ORDER BY total_obligated DESC
LIMIT 10| Vendor | Total Obligated | Readable | Award Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | 1,080,772,408.34 | 1.08 billion | 345 |
| JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY LLC, THE | 715,304,006.56 | 715.30 million | 886 |
| SECURIGENCE LLC | 592,368,940.04 | 592.37 million | 73 |
| RAYTHEON COMPANY | 441,337,418.46 | 441.34 million | 354 |
| NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION | 380,878,654.53 | 380.88 million | 409 |
| BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC. | 294,490,381.84 | 294.49 million | 219 |
| SYSTEMS & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH LLC | 226,830,842.39 | 226.83 million | 230 |
| STRATEGIC ANALYSIS, INC. | 220,053,396.04 | 220.05 million | 114 |
| AURORA FLIGHT SCIENCES CORPORATION | 192,611,754.66 | 192.61 million | 63 |
| APPLIED PHYSICAL SCIENCES CORP. | 182,178,632.15 | 182.18 million | 76 |
Insight
Over the last 5 years, DARPA obligated $8.51 billion across 8,564 awards, with an average award value of $993,481. The top 10 vendors account for a meaningful share of obligations but are not dominated by a single contractor, with LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION leading at $1.08 billion and 345 awards. Funding is spread across a mix of large defense contractors and research/technical firms, including JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY LLC, THE, which received 886 awards totaling $715.30 million, and SECURIGENCE LLC, which received $592.37 million across 73 awards. This pattern indicates both high-value awards and substantial award frequency among key vendors, reflecting a distributed but concentrated vendor base.
Top NAICS
SELECT
naics_code,
naics_name,
total_obligated,
award_count,
formatReadableQuantity(total_obligated) AS total_obligated_readable
FROM
(
SELECT
content__award__productOrServiceInformation__principalNAICSCode AS naics_code,
anyHeavy(content__award__productOrServiceInformation__principalNAICSCode__description) AS naics_name,
sum(content__award__dollarValues__obligatedAmount) AS total_obligated,
count() AS award_count
FROM fpds.data
WHERE
contract_type = 1
AND content__award__purchaserInformation__contractingOfficeAgencyID = '97AE'
AND content__award__productOrServiceInformation__principalNAICSCode IS NOT NULL
AND content__award__productOrServiceInformation__principalNAICSCode != ''
AND parseDateTimeBestEffortOrNull(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate) >= toStartOfYear(now()) - INTERVAL 5 YEAR
AND parseDateTimeBestEffortOrNull(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate) < toStartOfYear(now())
GROUP BY naics_code
)
ORDER BY total_obligated DESC
LIMIT 10| NAICS Code | Description | Total Obligated | Readable | Award Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 541715 | RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY) | 5,950,579,370.20 | 5.95 billion | 6,213 |
| 541990 | ALL OTHER PROFESSIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, AND TECHNICAL SERVICES | 866,982,692.06 | 866.98 million | 620 |
| 541511 | CUSTOM COMPUTER PROGRAMMING SERVICES | 592,678,940.04 | 592.68 million | 74 |
| 541714 | RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN BIOTECHNOLOGY (EXCEPT NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY) | 282,654,732.86 | 282.65 million | 475 |
| 541712 | RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT BIOTECHNOLOGY) | 231,805,600.63 | 231.81 million | 387 |
| 541519 | OTHER COMPUTER RELATED SERVICES | 159,260,159.55 | 159.26 million | 161 |
| 541690 | OTHER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL CONSULTING SERVICES | 131,357,833.87 | 131.36 million | 68 |
| 541611 | ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT AND GENERAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTING SERVICES | 54,363,509.40 | 54.36 million | 185 |
| 561612 | SECURITY GUARDS AND PATROL SERVICES | 53,470,965.72 | 53.47 million | 23 |
| 611310 | COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES, AND PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS | 38,353,463.96 | 38.35 million | 121 |
Insight
Over the last 5 years, DARPA obligated $8.51 billion across 8,564 awards, with spending heavily concentrated in NAICS 541715, which accounted for $5.95 billion and 6,213 awards. The top 10 NAICS codes are dominated by research and development and related scientific/technical services, indicating a procurement mix centered on R&D, engineering, and technical support activities. Outside 541715, obligations drop sharply, with the next largest NAICS at $866.98 million, suggesting a narrow but highly specialized spending profile.
Annual Trend
SELECT
year,
total_obligated,
award_count,
formatReadableQuantity(total_obligated) AS total_obligated_readable
FROM
(
SELECT
toYear(parseDateTimeBestEffortOrNull(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate)) AS year,
sum(content__award__dollarValues__obligatedAmount) AS total_obligated,
count() AS award_count
FROM fpds.data
WHERE
contract_type = 1
AND content__award__purchaserInformation__contractingOfficeAgencyID = '97AE'
AND parseDateTimeBestEffortOrNull(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate) >= toStartOfYear(now()) - INTERVAL 5 YEAR
AND parseDateTimeBestEffortOrNull(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate) < toStartOfYear(now())
GROUP BY year
)
ORDER BY year DESC| Year | Total Obligated | Readable | Award Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,720,834,187.40 | 1.72 billion | 1,734 |
| 2024 | 1,679,167,688.59 | 1.68 billion | 1,893 |
| 2023 | 1,874,877,510.76 | 1.87 billion | 1,653 |
| 2022 | 1,712,288,643.73 | 1.71 billion | 1,793 |
| 2021 | 1,521,006,304.28 | 1.52 billion | 1,491 |
Insight
Over the last 5 years, DARPA obligated $8.51 billion across 8,564 awards, averaging about $0.99 million per award. Annual obligations were relatively stable, ranging from $1.52 billion in 2021 to a peak of $1.87 billion in 2023, with 2024 and 2025 remaining near the $1.7 billion level. Award counts also varied modestly, from 1,491 in 2021 to 1,893 in 2024, indicating a broadly distributed procurement profile without a pronounced long-term concentration in a single year.
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