Live Data / FY2026

Federal contract data 2026: $275.1B in spending.

Real-time dashboard of federal procurement spending by agency, NAICS industry, and small business set-aside program. Sourced directly from USASpending.gov. Updated hourly.

FY2026 fiscal year·10+ agencies tracked·9+ NAICS categories·Last refreshed May 4, 2026
At a glance

Where FY2026 contract dollars actually flow.

$275.1B
FY2026 contract spending
Ex-grant-heavy agencies (SSA, ED)
10+
Federal agencies
Tracked by spending rank
9+
NAICS categories
IT, engineering, healthcare, more
23%
To small business
Federal law, SBA goal
Methodology. Prime contract awards only, sub-contract spending excluded. Sourced directly from USASpending.gov (U.S. Department of the Treasury) and refreshed hourly via ISR. Typical 30–90 day publication lag from award date. Totals exclude grant-heavy agencies (SSA, ED) to focus on competitive contract opportunities. Last refreshed .
01 / Explore the data

Four ways to slice the spending.

Drill into agency-level spending, NAICS industry codes, small business set-asides, or our market intelligence reports.

02 / Top agencies

Where the money goes.

FY2026 contract spending by federal agency.

Live from USASpending.gov·Last refreshed ·Prime contract awards only
04 / Small business

23% of federal contracts go to small business.

Federal law requires at least 23% of prime contract dollars to be awarded to small businesses each fiscal year. Four set-aside programs reserve specific opportunities.

Explore all set-aside programs
05 / Next step

Found an opportunity. Now respond.

Spotting the opportunity is step one. Responding to a federal RFP with FAR compliance, Section L/M mapping, SF330s, and past performance narratives is where most teams slow down. Bidara automates that work.

01

RFP requirement analysis

Upload any federal RFP and get instant extraction of Section L instructions, Section M evaluation criteria, and FAR clause tracking.

02

AI-native proposal drafting

Generate compliant first drafts in under an hour using your past performance, capability statements, and resumes as RAG context.

03

Automated compliance matrix

Every RFP requirement tracked to a response section with traceability. Pre-submission compliance review before you send.

06 / Questions

Frequently asked.

The most common questions about federal contract data, spending benchmarks, and set-aside programs.

How much does the federal government spend on contracts each year?

The U.S. federal government spent approximately $275.1B on prime contracts in FY2026, sourced from USASpending.gov. The Department of Defense alone accounts for roughly half of all contract dollars. Contract spending is separate from grants, which are tracked by a different pipeline.

Which federal agencies award the most contracts?

The top federal contracting agencies by prime award spending are the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Energy (DOE). Together these five agencies account for the majority of federal contract dollars. See the full ranked list on this page.

What is the 23% small business set-aside requirement?

Federal law (Small Business Act, Section 15(g)) requires at least 23% of prime contract dollars to be awarded to small businesses each fiscal year. The government has exceeded this goal every year since 2013. Sub-goals exist for specific categories: 5% for small disadvantaged businesses (SDB/8a), 3% for HUBZone, 3% for service-disabled veteran-owned (SDVOSB), and 5% for women-owned (WOSB).

What are the 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, and WOSB programs?

These are the four main federal small business set-aside programs. 8(a) is a 9-year business development program for socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses. HUBZone is for small businesses in Historically Underutilized Business Zones. SDVOSB is for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. WOSB is for women-owned small businesses in industries where women are underrepresented. Certification happens through SAM.gov and SBA.

Where does this federal contract data come from?

All spending data on this page is sourced directly from USASpending.gov, the official U.S. government transparency database operated by the Department of the Treasury. Data is updated on our side hourly via ISR. USASpending.gov publishes updates on a rolling basis from agency reporting systems. Data has a typical lag of 30-90 days from award to publication.

How do I actually respond to a federal RFP after finding an opportunity?

Federal RFPs require responses to FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation) clauses, Section L instructions, and Section M evaluation criteria. SF330 forms apply for architect-engineering services; qualification-based submissions are common. AI proposal tools like Bidara automate compliance matrix generation, past performance narratives, and Section L/M analysis. See our ranked guide to the best RFP software for government contractors for tool recommendations.

Apply the data

Three ways to put this to work.

Try Bidara

Pursuing a federal RFP?

Book a 30-minute walkthrough to see Bidara analyze a federal RFP live: Section L extraction, Section M mapping, compliance matrix generation, and a compliant first draft. Trial access starts after the demo.

30-minute walkthrough·Live federal RFP demo·5-day trial after demo
Data sourced from USASpending.gov · FY2026 fiscal year
Last refreshed: May 4, 2026