01 / NAICS Market Profile
NAICS 541710 Research And Development In The Physical, Engineering, And Life Sciences Federal Contracts
North American Industry Classification System code 541710
Federal contract activity classified under Research And Development In The Physical, Engineering, And Life Sciences across FY 2020–FY 2026. Net obligations include both new obligations and subsequent deobligations.
02 / Market Size
How large is the NAICS 541710 federal market?
03 / Spending Trend
NAICS 541710 contract spending by fiscal year
Annual obligations, activity, and participation across the same FY 2020–FY 2026 profile window.
Latest closed fiscal year$9.05B
FY 2026| Fiscal year | Obligations | Actions | Vendors | Customers | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $8.41B | 1,369 | 198 | 22 | — |
| FY 2021 | $8.47B | 1,261 | 139 | 16 | +0.7% |
| FY 2022 | $9.40B | 920 | 153 | 18 | +11.0% |
| FY 2023 | $9.44B | 754 | 117 | 15 | +0.4% |
| FY 2024 | $9.73B | 887 | 135 | 14 | +3.1% |
| FY 2025 | $8.57B | 652 | 113 | 16 | −11.9% |
| FY 2026 | $9.05B | 487 | 51 | 10 | +5.6% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF | 8900 | $57.48B | 2,011 | 13 | 91.1% |
| NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | 8000 | $5.58B | 1,713 | 44 | 8.8% |
| MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY (MDA) | 97JC | $40.48M | 126 | 10 | 0.1% |
| DEPT OF THE ARMY | 2100 | $39.17M | 597 | 65 | 0.1% |
| BUREAU OF THE FISCAL SERVICE | 2036 | $12.17M | 29 | 1 | 0.0% |
| DEFENSE HUMAN RESOURCES ACTIVITY | 9748 | $255.0K | 1 | 1 | 0.0% |
| DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA) | 97AE | $221.5K | 1 | 1 | 0.0% |
| OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR ADMINISTRATION (ASA) | 7570 | $169.4K | 1 | 1 | 0.0% |
| U.S. COAST GUARD | 7008 | $0 | 9 | 8 | 0.0% |
| DEFENSE MICROELECTRONICS ACTIVITY (DMEA) | 9771 | $0 | 2 | 1 | 0.0% |
05 / Contracting Offices
Which contracting offices buy in NAICS 541710?
Ranked by net obligations during FY 2020–FY 2026.
| Office | Code | Agency | Obligations | Actions | Vendors | Market share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NNSA MO CONTRACTING | 892332 | ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF | $21.62B | 235 | 2 | 34.3% |
| SC CHICAGO SERVICE CENTER | 892430 | ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF | $19.95B | 878 | 5 | 31.6% |
| SC OAK RIDGE OFFICE | 892431 | ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF | $15.96B | 886 | 3 | 25.3% |
| NASA JOHNSON SPACE CENTER | 80JSC0 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | $3.47B | 279 | 7 | 5.5% |
| NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER | 80GSFC | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | $1.08B | 420 | 24 | 1.7% |
| NASA MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER | 80MSFC | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | $1.03B | 615 | 8 | 1.6% |
| W6QK ACC-RSA | W31P4Q | DEPT OF THE ARMY | $56.49M | 480 | 36 | 0.1% |
| MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY (MDA) | HQ0857 | MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY (MDA) | $44.48M | 44 | 3 | 0.1% |
| FISCAL SERVICE | 2033H6 | BUREAU OF THE FISCAL SERVICE | $11.10M | 26 | 1 | 0.0% |
| FA8808 MIL SATELLITE COM SYS PKT LA | FA8808 | DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE | $7.58M | 9 | 1 | 0.0% |
06 / Top Vendors
Which contractors lead the NAICS 541710 market?
| Vendor | Obligations | Actions | Customers | Market share | Latest activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY | $21.41B | 221 | 1 | 33.9% | Sep 28, 2026 |
| BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE | $10.40B | 445 | 1 | 16.5% | Sep 30, 2026 |
| UCHICAGO ARGONNE, LLC | $7.91B | 260 | 1 | 12.5% | Sep 30, 2026 |
| THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA | $4.89B | 150 | 1 | 7.8% | Sep 29, 2026 |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | $4.42B | 392 | 3 | 7.0% | Sep 30, 2026 |
| THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (1741) | $3.93B | 119 | 1 | 6.2% | Feb 27, 2023 |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | $3.47B | 340 | 4 | 5.5% | Sep 29, 2026 |
| FERMI RESEARCH ALLIANCE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY | $2.69B | 147 | 1 | 4.3% | Jan 31, 2025 |
| JEFFERSON SCIENCE ASSOCIATES LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY A SURA/CSC COMPANY | $1.18B | 124 | 1 | 1.9% | Jun 23, 2026 |
| ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY INCORPORATED | $906.96M | 87 | 1 | 1.4% | Sep 23, 2026 |
07 / Product and Service Mix
What products and services are purchased under NAICS 541710?
| PSC | Description | Obligations | Actions | Vendors | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M181 | OPER OF GOVT R&D GOCO FACILITIES | $36.13B | 1,782 | 11 | 57.3% |
| AZ11 | R&D- OTHER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (BASIC RESEARCH) | $21.41B | 322 | 59 | 33.9% |
| AR33 | R&D- SPACE: FLIGHT (ADVANCED DEVELOPMENT) | $3.47B | 268 | 1 | 5.5% |
| AR45 | R&D- SPACE: OPERATIONS, TRACKING AND DATA ACQUISITION (OPERATIONAL SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT) | $907.74M | 94 | 4 | 1.4% |
| AR21 | R&D- SPACE: SCIENCE/APPLICATIONS (BASIC RESEARCH) | $549.15M | 592 | 7 | 0.9% |
| AR91 | R&D- SPACE: OTHER (BASIC RESEARCH) | $441.74M | 60 | 1 | 0.7% |
| AR22 | R&D- SPACE: SCIENCE/APPLICATIONS (APPLIED RESEARCH/EXPLORATORY DEVELOPMENT) | $145.10M | 535 | 8 | 0.2% |
| AR23 | R&D- SPACE: SCIENCE/APPLICATIONS (ADVANCED DEVELOPMENT) | $55.86M | 26 | 1 | 0.1% |
| AC22 | NATIONAL DEFENSE R&D SERVICES; ATOMIC ENERGY DEFENSE ACTIVITIES; APPLIED RESEARCH | $43.77M | 59 | 8 | 0.1% |
| R425 | SUPPORT- PROFESSIONAL: ENGINEERING/TECHNICAL | $28.86M | 569 | 30 | 0.0% |
08 / Buying Pattern
How does the government buy in NAICS 541710?
| Common action type | Obligations | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| DEFINITIVE CONTRACT | $62.63B | 3,830 |
| DELIVERY ORDER | $445.11M | 2,493 |
| PURCHASE ORDER | -$187 | 5 |
| BPA CALL | -$89.1K | 2 |
09 / Recent Contract Awards
What was awarded most recently in NAICS 541710?
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 $63.08B market as addressable.