Industries › NAICS 541712
Industry · NAICS 541712 · sector 54 Professional, scientific and technical services
Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
Federal contract obligations classified under NAICS 541712, the organisations that win them and the agencies that award them.
USAspending caveat. Figures are obligations reported by federal agencies to USAspending.gov, not payments. In USAspending's words: "An outlay occurs when federal money is actually paid out, not just promised to be paid ('obligated')." "Every agency has a Senior Accountable Official who must officially certify that the quarterly financial data submitted by their agency is accurate and complete." "If there are any discrepancies in procurement data, FPDS is the authoritative source." Contract data for the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is published with a 90-day delay. Data loaded 30 Sep 2026.
Federal agencies obligated $6.5B in contracts classified under NAICS 541712, Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology), in FY2026, and $37B over the five fiscal years since FY2023; the industry ranks 20 of 526 on this site.
Obligations were down 29% on FY2025 ($9.1B), with $0 so far in FY2027.
The largest recipient organisations over FY2022–FY2025 were Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($5.3B), Brookhaven Science Associates LLC ($3.4B) and Science Applications International Corporation ($3.1B).
By place of performance, the most money went to MA, AL and VA.
Contract obligations by fiscal year
Compared with the largest industry FY2026
| Measure | This industry | Aircraft Manufacturing | All contracts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract obligations, FY2026 | $6.5B | $45B | $716B |
| Five-year total | $37B | $211B | $3.0T |
| Share of all contract obligations, five years | 1.2% | 7.1% | 100% |
Top contractors obligations, FY2022–FY2025
| # | Organisation | Obligations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $5.3B |
| 2 | Brookhaven Science Associates LLC | $3.4B |
| 3 | Science Applications International Corporation | $3.1B |
| 4 | Torch Technologies Inc | $1.9B |
| 5 | KBR Wyle Services, LLC | $1.5B |
| 6 | Amentum Technology, Inc. | $1.4B |
| 7 | Aerojet Rocketdyne of De, Inc | $1.3B |
| 8 | Odyssey Systems Consulting Group, LTD. | $1.2B |
| 9 | The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC | $905M |
| 10 | Oasis Systems, LLC | $879M |
| 11 | Applied Research Solutions, Inc. | $843M |
| 12 | Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation | $814M |
| 13 | Intrepid LLC | $788M |
| 14 | Raytheon Company | $776M |
| 15 | Booz Allen Hamilton Inc | $753M |
| 16 | General Dynamics Global Force, LLC | $718M |
| 17 | Modern Technology Solutions, Inc. | $689M |
| 18 | Tecolote Research, Inc. | $683M |
| 19 | Applied Research Associates, Inc. | $677M |
| 20 | Amentum Technology, Inc. | $649M |
| 21 | Mag DS Corp | $579M |
| 22 | Carnegie Mellon University | $544M |
| 23 | Radiance Technologies Inc | $529M |
| 24 | University of Texas at Austin | $507M |
| 25 | Colsa Corp | $423M |
Buying agencies $1.0M+ awards
Where the work is performed
Largest awards since FY2023
| Recipient | Awarding agency | Type | Award value | Begun | Place | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $656M | 9 Jun 2023 | MA | USAspending |
| Applied Research Solutions, Inc. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $469M | 11 Apr 2024 | MA | USAspending |
| Odyssey Systems Consulting Group, LTD. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $456M | 17 Jul 2024 | MA | USAspending |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $368M | 18 Sep 2024 | MA | USAspending |
| Applied Research Solutions, Inc. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $315M | 16 Mar 2023 | OH | USAspending |
| Intrepid LLC | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDelivery Order | $307M | 30 Apr 2024 | VA | USAspending |
| P e Systems, Inc. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $279M | 21 Dec 2023 | VA | USAspending |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $255M | 8 Dec 2023 | MA | USAspending |
| Modern Technology Solutions, Inc. | General Services AdministrationFederal Acquisition Service | ContractDelivery Order | $211M | 16 Dec 2024 | AZ | USAspending |
| Torch Technologies Inc | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $210M | 19 Mar 2024 | AL | USAspending |
Other industries in sector 54: Professional, scientific and technical services
- 541330 Engineering Services $197B
- 541715 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) $181B
- 541512 Computer Systems Design Services $127B
- 541519 Other Computer Related Services $99B
- 541990 All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services $52B
- 541611 Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services $50B
- 541511 Custom Computer Programming Services $43B
- 541710 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences $37B
- 541513 Computer Facilities Management Services $13B
- 541714 Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) $13B
- 541614 Process, Physical Distribution, and Logistics Consulting Services $12B
- 541690 Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services $8.6B
- 541810 Advertising Agencies $6.1B
- 541620 Environmental Consulting Services $5.2B
- 541211 Offices of Certified Public Accountants $4.8B
- 541711 Research and Development in Biotechnology $4.6B
- 541310 Architectural Services $4.1B
- 541720 Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities $3.9B
- 541612 Human Resources Consulting Services $3.4B
- 541618 Other Management Consulting Services $3.2B
- 541219 Other Accounting Services $3.1B
- 541380 Testing Laboratories and Services $2.4B
- 541199 All Other Legal Services $2.3B
- 541930 Translation and Interpretation Services $1.6B
Questions and answers
How much does the federal government spend on NAICS 541712?
$6.5B in contract obligations classified under Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology) in FY2026, $37B over the five fiscal years since FY2023. Obligations are commitments, not payments.
Who are the top contractors in Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)?
Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($5.3B), Brookhaven Science Associates LLC ($3.4B), Science Applications International Corporation ($3.1B), Torch Technologies Inc ($1.9B), KBR Wyle Services, LLC ($1.5B), by contract obligations over FY2022–FY2025.
Which agencies buy in this industry?
By the value of $1.0M-plus contracts since FY2023: Department of Defense ($9.8B), General Services Administration ($661M), Department of Health and Human Services ($60M), National Aeronautics and Space Administration ($55M), Department of Transportation ($32M).
What is a NAICS code?
In USAspending's words: "NAICS stands for the North American Industrial Classification System. This 6-digit code tells you what industry the work falls into. Each contract record has a NAICS code." Assistance awards (grants, loans, direct payments) carry no NAICS code and are not counted here.
Provenance
Source: USAspending.gov API v2, spending by category (NAICS) by fiscal year, recipient cross-tabulation for FY2022–FY2025 and award search, loaded 30 Sep 2026. State figures come from each state's top-100 NAICS list, so small amounts in a state may be missing. See methodology.