Federal Research & Development Contracts
5.15% of total federal contract spending
Scientific research, technology development, laboratory operations, testing, and evaluation for federal agencies and military programs.
Top Research & Development Contractors
| Rank | Contractor | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Triad National Security, LLC | $5.2B |
| #2 | Fluor Marine Propulsion, LLC | $3.5B |
| #3 | Ut-battelle LLC | $2.5B |
| #4 | The Regents of the University of California | $1.4B |
| #5 | Alliance for Energy Innovation, LLC | $1.2B |
| #6 | Uchicago Argonne, LLC | $1.2B |
| #7 | Battelle Memorial Institute | $897.7M |
| #8 | Leidos, Inc. | $857.6M |
| #9 | Fermi Research Alliance, LLC | $766.2M |
| #10 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $608.4M |
| #11 | Accenture Federal Services LLC | $518.6M |
| #12 | The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC | $390.6M |
| #13 | Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Incorporated | $382.9M |
| #14 | Qtc Medical Services Inc. | $374.8M |
| #15 | Battelle Savannah River Alliance, LLC | $363.4M |
Industry Outlook
Growing investment in AI, quantum computing, and advanced materials. The research & development sector accounts for 5.15% of all federal contract spending, distributed across 503 active contractors.
Federal Research & Development Contracts FAQ
The federal government obligated $27,251,057,879 on research & development contracts in FY2024, representing 5.15% of total federal contract spending across 503 contractors.
The largest federal research & development contractors include Triad National Security, LLC, Fluor Marine Propulsion, LLC, Ut-battelle LLC. These companies receive the bulk of federal research & development spending.
Multiple federal agencies contract for research & development services.
Industry categorization is based on Product and Service Code (PSC) classifications from the Federal Procurement Data System. Spending figures represent total federal obligations for FY2024.
Source: USAspending.gov, 2026.