Federal spend by industry (NAICS)
How much does the federal government spend under NAICS 541712 (Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)), and who wins the contracts?
At a glance
Top contractors — largest recipients of Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology) awards
| Contractor | Award actions | Obligated | Share of obligated $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| BROOKHAVEN SCIENCE ASSOCIATES LLC | 1 | $8,543,630,472 | 63.6% |
| AEROJET ROCKETDYNE OF DE, INC | 1 | $3,272,481,574 | 24.4% |
| NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION | 1 | $1,599,792,955 | 11.9% |
| ACCELOGIC, LLC | 11 | $5,258,187 | 0% |
| ECOHEALTH ALLIANCE INC | 1 | $4,479,678 | 0% |
| DUPONT SPECIALTY PRODUCTS USA LLC | 4 | $2,650,699 | 0% |
| VIEW INC. | 1 | $1,985,583 | 0% |
| SP GLOBAL, INC. | 1 | $1,192,297 | 0% |
| FRACTAL SYSTEMS INC | 6 | $1,123,633 | 0% |
| QUANTADYN CORPORATION | 2 | $719,040 | 0% |
Top 10 of 12 contractors on file, by obligated dollars. A high obligation is an exact fact, not an endorsement. Each named contractor links to its canonical federal contractor record.
Source: USASpending.gov award record. Confirm current status at SAM.gov →
Who buys Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology) — top awarding agencies
| Awarding agency | Award actions | Obligated | Share of obligated $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Energy | 1 | $8,543,630,472 | 63.6% |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | 10 | $4,874,785,710 | 36.3% |
| Department of Defense | 16 | $13,350,270 | 0.1% |
| Department of the Interior | 3 | $1,646,667 | 0% |
| Environmental Protection Agency | 4 | $601,891 | 0% |
Source: USASpending.gov award record. Confirm current status at SAM.gov →
Set-aside reliance
How much of the federal spending under Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology) runs through a small-business or socioeconomic set-aside vehicle — an exact ratio of public dollars, not an eligibility determination.
Source: USASpending.gov award record. Confirm current status at SAM.gov →
Obligations by fiscal year (the YoY trend)
| Federal fiscal year | Award actions | Obligated |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 4 | $3,053,657 |
| FY2016 | 6 | $3,274,981,306 |
| FY2015 | 6 | $10,149,217,475 |
| FY2014 | 1 | $748,421 |
| FY2013 | 1 | $125,000 |
| FY2012 | 1 | $1,985,583 |
| FY2011 | 5 | $1,361,899 |
| FY2010 | 5 | $949,918 |
| FY2009 | 3 | $1,488,116 |
| FY2008 | 2 | $103,635 |
Federal fiscal years run October 1 – September 30. Showing the most recent 10 of 10 years with award actions on file.
Source: USASpending.gov award record. Confirm current status at SAM.gov →
Largest awards on record
| Award ID (PIID) | Awarding agency | Signed | Obligated | Award type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DESC0012704 | Department of Energy | 2014-12-22 | $8,543,630,472 | DEFINITIVE CONTRACT |
| NNM16AA02C | National Aeronautics and Space Administration | 2015-11-19 | $3,272,481,574 | DEFINITIVE CONTRACT |
| NNH15CN76C | National Aeronautics and Space Administration | 2015-09-03 | $1,599,792,955 | DEFINITIVE CONTRACT |
| HDTRA115C0041 | Department of Defense | 2015-04-09 | $4,479,678 | DEFINITIVE CONTRACT |
| W912HQ12C0072 | Department of Defense | 2012-08-15 | $1,985,583 | DEFINITIVE CONTRACT |
Prime-award actions only — sub-award (subcontract) records are not ingested. Confirm the full award history at USASpending.gov →
Source: USASpending.gov award record. Confirm current status at SAM.gov →
What this NAICS code covers
NAICS 541712 is Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology) in the North American Industry Classification System — the standard the federal government uses to classify what it buys. This code was retired in the 2017 NAICS revision; it still appears on awards signed under earlier vintages, which is why historical award records reference it. The U.S. Small Business Administration sets a small-business size standard (a receipts or employee threshold) per NAICS code, used to decide who qualifies for small-business set-asides.
| Reference | Source |
|---|---|
| NAICS 541712 definition | U.S. Census Bureau (NAICS 2022) |
| Small-business size standard for NAICS 541712 | U.S. Small Business Administration |
How to read this profile
This page reports exact public-record facts and assigns no score or label. An obligated-dollar figure is an exact sum over USASpending.gov prime awards on the records Fonteum currently holds; it is a bounded slice of the federal corpus, not a completeness claim, and it is not a budget or forecast. Contractors are named only as the neutral recipients of public awards. The award footprint fills in as the federal award-archive backfill runs.
Related federal-contracting evidence
- Federal spend by industry — all NAICS codes with award activity →
- Federal agencies — debarments & contracting, agency by agency →
- Federal contractor records — exclusions & awards by entity →
- Federal Suspension & Debarment Scorecard — every agency, ranked →
- The Leakage Report — contracts awarded during an active exclusion →
- Federal contracting questions, answered →
Sources: USASpending.gov prime awards (U.S. Government Works, public domain) for the spending figures; U.S. Census Bureau (NAICS 2022) for the industry title; U.S. Small Business Administration for the size standard. Confirm any current figure at usaspending.gov. Canonical record: https://fonteum.com/gov/naics/541712. Industry data as of 2026-07-22.