NAICS codes / NAICS 541720
Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities: $732M in federal contracts in FY2025
The federal government obligated $732M under NAICS 541720 in FY2025, the 108th most of any code. Here is who bought it and how much of it was reserved for small business, then what GovSmith does with the code for a client.
Sector 54: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services / Industry group 5417: Scientific Research and Development Services
- Federal contract dollars
- $732M
Source: USAspending.gov, FY2025 contract obligations under the code, read 2026-11-05.
- Share of all federal contract dollars
- 0.1%
Source: USAspending.gov, FY2025 the code over all codes with positive obligations, read 2026-11-05.
- Small-business set-asides
- $26.3M
Source: USAspending.gov, FY2025 contract obligations under a small-business set-aside, read 2026-11-05.
- Set-aside share
- 3.6%
Source: USAspending.gov, FY2025 set-aside obligations over the code's obligations, read 2026-11-05.
Who buys under 541720
The five agencies that obligated the most under this code in FY2025. The top one alone put $265M into it.
| Agency | FY2025 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| $265M | 36.2% | |
| $186M | 25.4% | |
| $134M | 18.3% | |
| $58.3M | 8% | |
| $34.3M | 4.7% |
Source: USAspending.gov, FY2025 contract obligations by awarding agency under the code, read 2026-11-05.
Who counts as small under 541720
SBA sets a size standard for every NAICS code: the largest a company can be and still count as small under that code.
The standard for this code is in SBA’s table at sba.gov, in receipts or in employees depending on the industry. GovSmith checks your company against it before it pursues any set-aside under this code.
The codes next to it
The other industries in group 5417, Scientific Research and Development Services. Buyers often file similar work under a neighbor.
What GovSmith does with this
GovSmith finds the opportunities under 541720 for you
Every solicitation, sources-sought notice, forecast row and recompete signal that carries NAICS 541720 lands in GovSmith's Search the night it posts, with the agency, the value and the set-aside on it. GovSmith AI matches it to your profile, your vCM qualifies it, and you see the shortlist. If this code is yours, the money above is your market.