Editorial guides · USAspending.gov
Federal contracting guides
Learn how federal government contracting works, how to find opportunities, and how to read spending data from USAspending.gov and the Federal Procurement Data System.
- Guides
- 7
- #1 obligations
- $456.0B
- #1 budget auth.
- $4.71T
- Obligations lead
- DOD
The agency money map
According to the USAspending.gov calendar-2024 agency extract, Department of Defense is #1 of 65 by calendar-2024 contract obligations ($456.0B) at budget-authority #3 ≠ Department of the Treasury #1 of 61 by budget authority ($4.71T) at obligations #10 ($9.5B).
- $456.0B
- #1 obligations DOD
- $4.71T
- #1 budget TREAS
- #3
- DOD budget-authority rank
- #10
- TREAS obligations rank
Calendar-2024 contract obligations and total budget authority are two columns on the same agency extract; neither is a bid or award recommendation. See /methodology/#populations/.
How Government Contracts Work
A complete overview of the federal contracting process, from need identification to contract award and performance monitoring.
Understanding Contract Types
Learn the differences between fixed-price, cost-reimbursement, time-and-materials, and other federal contract types.
Small Business Set-Asides
How the SBA helps small businesses compete for federal contracts through set-aside programs and goals.
Finding Contract Opportunities
Where to find active federal contract solicitations using SAM.gov, agency forecast tools, and subcontracting databases.
Reading Federal Spending Data
How to interpret the spending data on PlainFedContract including obligations, budget authority, and award amounts.
Top Defense Contractors Ranked by Federal Award Value
Top U.S. defense contractors ranked by lifetime USAspending award totals, with DoD vs civilian agency context and concentration charts.
NAICS Codes Explained
Understanding the North American Industry Classification System and how it determines which contracts you can bid on.
Methodology
Our guides are based on publicly available data from authoritative government sources. All statistics, ratings, and figures cited in these guides are drawn directly from official datasets and publications, with sources clearly referenced throughout.
We aim to present complex government data in plain language that is accessible to general audiences. When methodologies differ between data sources or change over time, we note these variations inline. Our editorial process includes regular reviews to ensure accuracy and timeliness of the information presented.
Download the federal contract statistics CSV cited on this page: federal-contract-statistics.csv (CC BY 4.0).
Every figure on PlainFedContract is rendered directly from USAspending.gov federal contract data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on USAspending.gov federal contract source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a correction.