01 / NAICS Market Profile
NAICS 541715 Research And Development In The Physical, Engineering, And Life Sciences (Except Nanotechnology And Biotechnology) Federal Contracts
North American Industry Classification System code 541715
Federal contract activity classified under Research And Development In The Physical, Engineering, And Life Sciences (Except Nanotechnology And Biotechnology) across FY 2020–FY 2026. Net obligations include both new obligations and subsequent deobligations.
02 / Market Size
How large is the NAICS 541715 federal market?
03 / Spending Trend
NAICS 541715 contract spending by fiscal year
Annual obligations, activity, and participation across the same FY 2020–FY 2026 profile window.
Latest closed fiscal year$42.73B
FY 2026| Fiscal year | Obligations | Actions | Vendors | Customers | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $23.94B | 27,485 | 4,605 | 72 | — |
| FY 2021 | $29.00B | 33,826 | 4,970 | 73 | +21.1% |
| FY 2022 | $35.00B | 39,256 | 4,932 | 72 | +20.7% |
| FY 2023 | $42.56B | 40,922 | 5,142 | 75 | +21.6% |
| FY 2024 | $43.19B | 44,855 | 5,143 | 80 | +1.5% |
| FY 2025 | $46.38B | 46,615 | 5,140 | 77 | +7.4% |
| FY 2026 | $42.73B | 38,237 | 5,998 | 75 | −7.9% |
04 / Top Federal Customers
Which federal agencies buy most in this industry?
Ranked by net obligations during FY 2020–FY 2026.
| Federal customer | Code | Obligations | Actions | Vendors | Market share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE | 5700 | $74.76B | 80,823 | 4,653 | 28.4% |
| DEPT OF THE NAVY | 1700 | $42.18B | 42,162 | 2,277 | 16.1% |
| NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | 8000 | $38.07B | 37,299 | 1,600 | 14.5% |
| DEPT OF THE ARMY | 2100 | $25.85B | 37,440 | 2,690 | 9.8% |
| MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY (MDA) | 97JC | $24.51B | 13,863 | 2,703 | 9.3% |
| ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF | 8900 | $18.63B | 1,039 | 44 | 7.1% |
| NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | 7529 | $11.06B | 8,054 | 601 | 4.2% |
| DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA) | 97AE | $7.46B | 7,651 | 404 | 2.8% |
| FEDERAL ACQUISITION SERVICE | 4732 | $5.74B | 3,453 | 95 | 2.2% |
| OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE | 7505 | $1.67B | 624 | 92 | 0.6% |
05 / Contracting Offices
Which contracting offices buy in NAICS 541715?
Ranked by net obligations during FY 2020–FY 2026.
| Office | Code | Agency | Obligations | Actions | Vendors | Market share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAVSEA HQ | N00024 | DEPT OF THE NAVY | $17.65B | 7,041 | 100 | 6.7% |
| FA8075 774 ESS | FA8075 | DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE | $17.19B | 19,134 | 43 | 6.5% |
| NASA MANAGEMENT OFFICE -- JPL | 80NM00 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | $16.76B | 10,874 | 1 | 6.4% |
| NNSA NAVAL REACTORS LAB FLD OFFICE | 892330 | ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF | $12.47B | 134 | 1 | 4.7% |
| NASA MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER | 80MSFC | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | $11.91B | 3,604 | 86 | 4.5% |
| FA8810 SPACE SENSING SSC/SNK | FA8810 | DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE | $10.30B | 441 | 26 | 3.9% |
| MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY (MDA) | HQ0856 | MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY (MDA) | $10.30B | 668 | 5 | 3.9% |
| FA8802 SSC ENTERPRISE PKA | FA8802 | DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE | $7.58B | 187 | 8 | 2.9% |
| DEF ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGCY | HR0011 | DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA) | $7.46B | 7,651 | 404 | 2.8% |
| NIH NCI | 75N910 | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | $7.12B | 2,409 | 246 | 2.7% |
06 / Top Vendors
Which contractors lead the NAICS 541715 market?
| Vendor | Obligations | Actions | Customers | Market share | Latest activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FLUOR MARINE PROPULSION, LLC | $24.63B | 273 | 2 | 9.4% | Sep 29, 2026 |
| CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | $16.77B | 10,879 | 1 | 6.4% | Sep 30, 2026 |
| THE AEROSPACE CORPORATION | $8.54B | 2,945 | 9 | 3.3% | Sep 29, 2026 |
| JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY LLC, THE | $8.22B | 7,703 | 22 | 3.1% | Sep 30, 2026 |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | $7.63B | 390 | 5 | 2.9% | Jul 13, 2026 |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | $6.90B | 612 | 8 | 2.6% | Jul 22, 2026 |
| LEIDOS BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH, INC. | $6.29B | 1,162 | 1 | 2.4% | Sep 30, 2026 |
| THE MITRE CORPORATION | $6.12B | 2,501 | 28 | 2.3% | Sep 30, 2026 |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | $5.58B | 231 | 4 | 2.1% | Jun 29, 2026 |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | $4.93B | 549 | 4 | 1.9% | Jul 13, 2026 |
07 / Product and Service Mix
What products and services are purchased under NAICS 541715?
| PSC | Description | Obligations | Actions | Vendors | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC13 | NATIONAL DEFENSE R&D SERVICES; DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - MILITARY; EXPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT | $26.58B | 23,555 | 3,330 | 10.1% |
| AC32 | NATIONAL DEFENSE R&D SERVICES; DEFENSE-RELATED ACTIVITIES; APPLIED RESEARCH | $26.04B | 32,651 | 2,804 | 9.9% |
| R425 | SUPPORT- PROFESSIONAL: ENGINEERING/TECHNICAL | $24.37B | 13,758 | 491 | 9.3% |
| M1HA | OPERATION OF GOVERNMENT-OWNED CONTRACTOR-OPERATED (GOCO) R&D FACILITIES | $17.32B | 416 | 5 | 6.6% |
| AC12 | NATIONAL DEFENSE R&D SERVICES; DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - MILITARY; APPLIED RESEARCH | $13.88B | 26,168 | 2,182 | 5.3% |
| AR22 | R&D- SPACE: SCIENCE/APPLICATIONS (APPLIED RESEARCH/EXPLORATORY DEVELOPMENT) | $12.58B | 8,660 | 5 | 4.8% |
| 4470 | NUCLEAR REACTORS | $12.15B | 139 | 1 | 4.6% |
| AC24 | NATIONAL DEFENSE R&D SERVICES; ATOMIC ENERGY DEFENSE ACTIVITIES; R&D ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES | $9.56B | 986 | 27 | 3.6% |
| AC22 | NATIONAL DEFENSE R&D SERVICES; ATOMIC ENERGY DEFENSE ACTIVITIES; APPLIED RESEARCH | $8.60B | 5,267 | 397 | 3.3% |
| AN12 | HEALTH R&D SERVICES; HEALTH CARE SERVICES; APPLIED RESEARCH | $7.81B | 6,233 | 544 | 3.0% |
08 / Buying Pattern
How does the government buy in NAICS 541715?
| Common action type | Obligations | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| DEFINITIVE CONTRACT | $152.46B | 127,237 |
| DELIVERY ORDER | $105.71B | 117,559 |
| PURCHASE ORDER | $4.31B | 25,335 |
| BPA CALL | $326.18M | 1,065 |
09 / Recent Contract Awards
What was awarded most recently in NAICS 541715?
10 / Market Interpretation
How should contractors evaluate this market?
Start with the spending direction
Compare annual obligations with actions and vendor participation. Growth driven by only a few large actions represents a different opportunity from broad, recurring demand.
Follow the actual buyers
Move from federal customers to contracting offices. Offices reveal where acquisition responsibility and recurring purchasing activity are concentrated.
Measure accessible demand
Use competition, small-business participation, incumbent vendors, and PSC mix before treating the full $262.81B market as addressable.