Federal contracts: who wins, who buys, and what's open now
In fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 – September 2025) federal agencies obligated $793.30B on contracts, up 4.9% from the year before, across 6,639,603 contract actions. 8,889 federal contract opportunities are taking responses now.
Source: USAspending.gov (contract obligations, data as of 2026-09-30) and SAM.gov (contract opportunities). Money is counted where the work is performed. Free, no sign-in; every number links to its records.
Open federal contract opportunities
- 16--Aux Control Panel S, in Repair/Modification of · Dept of Defense · due 2026-10-05
- Fd2020-22-00016 · Dept of Defense · due 2026-10-05
- 16--Housing,brake Actuator · Dept of Defense · due 2026-10-05 · Small Business Set Aside - Total
- Overhead Powerline Parts · Energy, Department of · due 2026-10-05
- 16--Blade Propeller, Ai, in Repair/Modification of · Dept of Defense · due 2026-10-05
- 66--Gage,differential,dial · Dept of Defense · due 2026-10-05 · Small Business Set Aside - Total
- 43--Pump,rotary · Dept of Defense · due 2026-10-05 · Small Business Set Aside - Total
- 61--Motor,alternating Curr · Dept of Defense · due 2026-10-05 · Small Business Set Aside - Total
Agencies that award the most federal contracts
Fiscal year 2025.
| # | Agency | Contract obligations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Department of Defense | $491.82B |
| 2 | Department of Veterans Affairs | $78.33B |
| 3 | Department of Energy | $50.26B |
| 4 | Department of Homeland Security | $28.45B |
| 5 | Department of Health and Human Services | $26.77B |
| 6 | General Services Administration | $24.31B |
| 7 | National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $21.34B |
| 8 | Department of Transportation | $9.89B |
| 9 | Department of State | $9.88B |
| 10 | Department of Agriculture | $9.64B |
Largest federal contractors
Fiscal year 2025; companies counted with their subsidiaries.
| # | Company | Contract obligations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lockheed Martin Corp | $75.67B |
| 2 | General Dynamics Corp | $35.92B |
| 3 | RTX Corp | $34.20B |
| 4 | Unitedhealth Group Inc | $25.43B |
| 5 | Boeing Co | $22.74B |
| 6 | Northrop Grumman Corp | $13.86B |
| 7 | Triwest Healthcare Alliance Corp | $13.37B |
| 8 | Leidos Holdings, Inc. | $12.44B |
| 9 | Mckesson Corp | $11.94B |
| 10 | Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. | $10.52B |
Industries with the most federal contract dollars
Fiscal year 2025. See typical contract sizes by industry.
| # | Industry (NAICS) | Contract obligations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aircraft Manufacturing | $61.26B |
| 2 | Engineering Services | $52.25B |
| 3 | Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (Except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) | $48.50B |
| 4 | Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers | $47.62B |
| 5 | Facilities Support Services | $38.26B |
| 6 | Ship Building and Repairing | $37.21B |
| 7 | Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing | $33.14B |
| 8 | Computer Systems Design Services | $32.07B |
| 9 | Commercial and Institutional Building Construction | $30.64B |
| 10 | Other Computer Related Services | $25.06B |
Federal contract spending by year
| Fiscal year | Contract obligations | Contract actions |
|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | $760.45B | 6,693,857 |
| FY2024 | $756.12B | 6,692,869 |
| FY2025 | $793.30B | 6,639,603 |
| FY2026 (reports still coming in) | $722.53B | 5,122,572 |
The Department of Defense reports contracts about 90 days late, so the latest year grows for a few months.
Federal contracts by state
- Virginia $120.57B
- Texas $86.40B
- California $62.04B
- Maryland $39.69B
- Connecticut $35.14B
- Florida $32.44B
- District of Columbia $31.43B
- Pennsylvania $26.94B
- Arizona $23.34B
- Massachusetts $19.33B
- Alabama $18.14B
- Colorado $16.10B
- Washington $15.82B
- Missouri $13.97B
- New Mexico $13.49B
- Illinois $12.43B
- New York $12.07B
- Georgia $11.65B
- Tennessee $10.95B
- Kentucky $10.43B
- Ohio $9.84B
- North Carolina $9.34B
- New Jersey $9.33B
- South Carolina $8.33B
- Mississippi $8.00B
- Indiana $7.00B
- Oklahoma $6.80B
- Michigan $6.61B
- Wisconsin $6.26B
- Hawaii $5.51B
- Utah $5.22B
- Louisiana $4.75B
- Nevada $4.03B
- Idaho $3.95B
- Maine $3.93B
- Alaska $3.85B
- Iowa $3.61B
- Kansas $3.58B
- Guam $3.32B
- New Hampshire $2.91B
- Minnesota $2.49B
- Oregon $2.08B
- West Virginia $1.88B
- Nebraska $1.27B
- Arkansas $1.26B
- Montana $1.15B
- Puerto Rico $919.91M
- Rhode Island $905.55M
- Vermont $877.18M
- North Dakota $821.28M
- South Dakota $804.28M
- Wyoming $496.87M
- Delaware $368.12M
- U.S. Virgin Islands $48.78M
- Northern Mariana Islands $34.74M
- American Samoa $12.23M
Find and win federal contracts
- Open opportunities: solicitations taking responses, soonest deadline first, with a brief on each.
- Recompete pipeline: contracts ending soon, the incumbent and the likely follow-on.
- Procurement forecasts: what agencies plan to buy before the solicitation is out.
- Recently awarded: who just won, and for how much.
- Typical contract sizes by industry and state.
- Free tools: bid/no-bid check, capability statement builder, glossary.
- Government contracts: federal, state and local, and where each is posted.
Questions people ask
What is a federal contract?
A federal contract is a legally binding agreement in which a federal agency buys goods or services from a company or other organization: anything from office supplies and IT support to ships, aircraft and construction. Grants and loans are different: they fund a recipient's own project rather than buying something for the government.
How much does the federal government spend on contracts?
In fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 – September 2025) federal agencies obligated $793.30B on contracts, up 4.9% from the year before, across 6,639,603 contract actions, according to USAspending.gov.
Which agencies award the most federal contracts?
In FY2025: Department of Defense ($491.82B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($78.33B), Department of Energy ($50.26B). The Department of Defense alone accounts for most federal contract dollars.
Who are the largest federal contractors?
In FY2025, by contract obligations: Lockheed Martin Corp ($75.67B), General Dynamics Corp ($35.92B), RTX Corp ($34.20B), Unitedhealth Group Inc ($25.43B), Boeing Co ($22.74B). Companies are counted with their subsidiaries.
Where are federal contract opportunities posted?
On SAM.gov (Contract Opportunities). Agencies must publicize proposed contract actions expected to exceed $25,000 there (FAR 5.101), with the solicitation, deadline and any small-business set-aside. SpendQuery lists the ones still taking responses, soonest deadline first, with a brief on each.
How do I start bidding on federal contracts?
Register your business in SAM.gov (free; it gives you a Unique Entity ID), know your NAICS codes and any small-business certifications, then search open opportunities, recompetes of contracts ending soon and agency procurement forecasts for work that fits. Past awards show who buys what you sell and what similar contracts were worth.
What is a small-business set-aside?
A contract reserved for small businesses, or for a group of them such as 8(a), HUBZone, service-disabled veteran-owned (SDVOSB) or women-owned (WOSB) small businesses. Only companies that qualify can win it, which narrows the competition.