Federal award data
National Science Foundation: contract awards and competition
What does the National Science Foundation buy, and how many bids do its contracts get?
The National Science Foundation signed 2,393 new contract awards of $25,000 or more in FY2016-FY2026, worth $2.9B. 63% were competed, and competed awards drew a median of 3 offers; 28% got a single offer. Its most common NAICS code was 541519 (Other Computer Related Services), with 800 awards.
USAspending.gov data, FY2016-FY2026. Updated .
- New awards
- 2,393
- Obligated
- $2.9B
- Median award
- $159,634
- Median offers
- 3
- Agencies signed about 223 new awards a year from FY2016 to FY2025, 134 of them in FY2025 (down 38% from FY2016).
- The median award was $159,634; 554 different companies won at least one award.
- 60% of awards that report a set-aside were set aside for small businesses or a socioeconomic program, most often small business set-asides.
- 203 of these awards reach their potential end date (all options exercised) in the next 12 months, so most of that work comes up for re-bid.
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Awards per fiscal year
New National Science Foundation awards of $25,000 or more by the fiscal year they were signed (October to September), with the amount obligated on them to date.
| Fiscal year | Awards | Obligated |
|---|---|---|
| FY2016 | 215 | $171M |
| FY2017 | 212 | $181M |
| FY2018 | 180 | $119M |
| FY2019 | 180 | $413M |
| FY2020 | 208 | $593M |
| FY2021 | 256 | $294M |
| FY2022 | 249 | $237M |
| FY2023 | 299 | $213M |
| FY2024 | 294 | $452M |
| FY2025 | 134 | $155M |
| FY2026* | 166 | $116M |
* FY2026 is still filling in: the Department of Defense reports its awards 90 days late. Full years run to FY2025.
How competitive are these contracts?
63% of awards were competed. Competed awards drew a median of 3 offers, against 3 offers across all federal contracts; 28% got a single offer.
| Offers received | Competed awards |
|---|---|
| 1 (single offer) | 348 (28%) |
| 2 | 174 (14%) |
| 3-4 | 280 (22%) |
| 5-9 | 271 (22%) |
| 10+ | 185 (15%) |
1,258 competed awards with an offer count. Not competed: 886 awards (sole source, follow-on or not available for competition).
Set-asides
60% of the 1,258 awards that report a set-aside were reserved for small businesses or a socioeconomic program.
| Set-aside | Awards |
|---|---|
| No set-aside | 499 (40%) |
| Small business | 357 (28%) |
| 8(a) | 283 (22%) |
| Service-disabled veteran-owned (SDVOSB) | 47 (4%) |
| HUBZone | 40 (3%) |
| Women-owned (WOSB and EDWOSB) | 30 (2%) |
| Indian Economic Enterprises (ISBEE) | 2 (0%) |
Orders placed under an existing contract vehicle often leave the set-aside blank (it is recorded on the vehicle), so they are left out here.
How big are the awards?
The median award was $159,634. 39% were under $100,000, the range where agencies often use simplified acquisition.
| Amount obligated | Awards |
|---|---|
| Under $100K | 941 (39%) |
| $100K-$1M | 1,055 (44%) |
| $1M-$10M | 359 (15%) |
| $10M+ | 38 (2%) |
What does it buy?
The NAICS codes with the most new awards.
| Awards | Obligated | |
|---|---|---|
| 541519 Other Computer Related Services | 800 | $329M |
| 541611 Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services | 444 | $638M |
| 334111 Electronic Computer Manufacturing | 121 | $13.3M |
| 541511 Custom Computer Programming Services | 94 | $456M |
| 541512 Computer Systems Design Services | 90 | $517M |
| 541990 All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 71 | $50.3M |
| 337127 Institutional Furniture Manufacturing | 58 | $51.2M |
| 511210 Software Publishers | 50 | $13.9M |
Where is the work done?
Awards by place of performance.
| Awards | Obligated | |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 1,507 | $2B |
| Maryland | 184 | $162M |
| District of Columbia | 132 | $103M |
| California | 78 | $60.7M |
| Florida | 43 | $17.1M |
| Colorado | 43 | $16.4M |
| New York | 33 | $12.3M |
| New Jersey | 28 | $26.9M |
Largest awards
The five awards with the most obligated, as described by the contracting office. Each links to its record on USAspending.gov.
- Arctic research support and logistics services (arsls)National Science Foundation, FY2020$283M
- It servicesNational Science Foundation, FY2019$255M
- Information technology mission application supportNational Science Foundation, FY2024$155M
- It infrastructure support (itis)National Science Foundation, FY2020$103M
- EdasNational Science Foundation, FY2020$75.3M
Coming up for re-bid
203 of these awards reach their potential end date (every option exercised) in the 12 months after November 5, 2026. Agencies usually post the follow-on solicitation, or a sources-sought notice, months before that.
Falkview US watches SAM.gov for the follow-on notices under your NAICS codes, checks set-aside eligibility against your UEI, and drafts the response for your team to review. For janitorial, landscaping and facilities support, the recompete calendar lists the individual contracts.
See how Falkview handles a re-bidQuestions
How many bids do National Science Foundation contracts get?
Competed awards drew a median of 3 offers (FY2016-FY2026, 1,258 awards with an offer count). 28% got a single offer and 36% got five or more. Across all federal contracts the median is 3 offers.
What does the National Science Foundation buy most?
By number of new awards in FY2016-FY2026: NAICS 541519 Other Computer Related Services (800), NAICS 541611 Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (444), NAICS 334111 Electronic Computer Manufacturing (121), NAICS 541511 Custom Computer Programming Services (94).
How many National Science Foundation contracts are set aside for small business?
60% of the awards that report a set-aside were reserved for small businesses or a socioeconomic program: small business set-asides 28%, 8(a) 22%, Service-disabled veteran-owned (SDVOSB) 4%. Orders under existing contract vehicles often leave the field blank, so those are not counted.
Where the numbers come from
Every new federal contract award of $25,000 or more signed from October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2026 (FY2016 to FY2026), as reported to USAspending.gov from the Federal Procurement Data System: definitive contracts, purchase orders, delivery orders and BPA calls. Amounts are what has been obligated on each award to date, options and modifications included. Place is the place of performance.
Offer counts are FPDS's “number of offers received” on competed awards. Award recipients are counted but not named here. Pages with fewer than 150 awards (500 for one code in one state) are left out of search engines, because a handful of awards can swing the numbers.
Compiled by Falkview US from public data, updated November 5, 2026. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to the page.
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