Top Education research and development in the social sciences and humanities contractors
In the 12 months ending Oct 5, 2026, the Department of Education obligated $163.2M in net prime contract dollars under NAICS 541720, up 21.9% from $133.9M in the preceding 12 months. 90 prime contractors received positive obligations, and 5 of them accounted for 80% of that spend.
Prime contracts funded by the Department of Education. Latest 12 months: Oct 6, 2025 to Oct 5, 2026. Source: USAspending.gov.
Obligations by fiscal year
Net prime contract obligations by federal fiscal year (October to September).
Top Education contractors for NAICS 541720
Ranked by positive obligations in the latest 12 months. Share is of all positive obligations in this market.
| # | Contractor | Latest 12 mo | Prior 12 mo | Share | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westat, Inc. | $62.7M | $42.4M | 37.8% | ▲ 1 |
| 2 | Educational Testing Service | $49.3M | $59.1M | 29.7% | ▼ 1 |
| 3 | American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences | $12.1M | $3.8M | 7.3% | ▲ 1 |
| 4 | NCS Pearson Inc | $7.9M | $3.0M | 4.7% | ▲ 1 |
| 5 | SRI International | $3.0M | $2.2M | 1.8% | ▲ 2 |
| 6 | Wested | $3.0M | $2.4M | 1.8% | — |
| 7 | Sanametrix Inc | $2.1M | $693K | 1.3% | ▲ 17 |
| 8 | T-VAR Edtech, Inc | $1.0M | $250K | 0.6% | ▲ 20 |
| 9 | Future Engineers LLC | $1.0M | $250K | 0.6% | ▲ 22 |
| 10 | Curiosity AI LLC | $1.0M | $250K | 0.6% | ▲ 22 |
| 11 | Abacus Mind Math Tutors, Inc. | $1.0M | $250K | 0.6% | ▲ 23 |
| 12 | Truemark Systems Corp. | $1.0M | $250K | 0.6% | ▲ 23 |
| 13 | Altitut LLC | $1.0M | $0 | 0.6% | New |
| 14 | Objective ED, Inc. | $1.0M | $250K | 0.6% | ▲ 22 |
| 15 | Algae Research and Supply, Inc | $1.0M | $250K | 0.6% | ▲ 22 |
What changed in the last 12 months
Contractors with the largest change in reported obligations versus the preceding 12 months.
Largest gains
- Westat, Inc.$42.4M → $62.7M (+$20.4M) · now #1
- American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences$3.8M → $12.1M (+$8.3M) · now #3
- Mathematica Inc.−$4.5M → $765K (+$5.3M) · now #18
Largest declines
- Educational Testing Service$59.1M → $49.3M (−$9.9M) · now #2
- Decision Information Resources, Inc$4.5M → $0 (−$4.5M) · no latest-period obligations
- Optimal Solutions Group, L.L.C$1.2M → −$1.1M (−$2.3M) · no latest-period obligations
New to this market
13 contractors received their first obligations in this market (since FY2022) during the latest 12 months. The largest:
| Contractor | First obligation | Latest 12 mo |
|---|---|---|
| Altitut LLC | Sep 28, 2026 | $1.0M |
| Gaiaxus, Inc. | Sep 28, 2026 | $1.0M |
| Coursemojo Inc | Sep 28, 2026 | $250K |
| Swiftscore LLC | Sep 28, 2026 | $250K |
| Youlead Academy LLC | Sep 28, 2026 | $250K |
| Baro Behavior, Inc. | Sep 28, 2026 | $250K |
| Wisemind Educational Services LLC | Sep 28, 2026 | $250K |
| Teachley, LLC | Sep 28, 2026 | $250K |
Where the money comes from
Funding sub-agencies within the Department of Education, latest 12 months. The funding organization can differ from the office that runs the requirement.
| Funding sub-agency | Latest 12 mo | Prior 12 mo | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Education | $163.2M | $133.9M | Up $29.4M (21.9%) |
Potential recompetes
Large awards in this market whose current period of performance ends in the next 18 months. Treat these as research leads: options, extensions, and follow-on vehicles often change the timing.
| Award | Incumbent | Obligated | Current end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 91990025C0003 | Educational Testing Service NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATION PROGRESS DAR DESIGNS ALL PILOT AND FIELD TESTS, OPERATIONAL ASSESSMENTS, AND SPECIAL STUDIES ANALYZES DATA ENSURING REPORTING OF VALID RESULTS. | $33.2M | Oct 31, 2026 |
| 91990025C0008 | Westat, Inc. THIS AWARD IS FOR NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS DATA COLLECTION. | $82.8M | Dec 5, 2026 |
| 91990025C0006 | Educational Testing Service THIS AWARD IS FOR THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS PLATFORM DEVELOPMENT. | $45.8M | Dec 19, 2026 |
| 91990025C0004 | Educational Testing Service THIS AWARD IS FOR THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS ASSESSMENT CONTENT DEVELOPMENT. | $24.8M | Dec 19, 2026 |
| 91990025C0005 | NCS Pearson Inc THIS AWARD IS FOR THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS SCORING. | $10.0M | Dec 19, 2026 |
| 91990022C0009 | Wested THE PURPOSE OF THIS ACTION IS TO AWARD THE REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL LABORATORY PROGRAM 2022-2027 CYCLE FOR THE NORTHWEST REL | $20.0M | Jan 2, 2027 |
| 91990022C0008 | SRI International THE PURPOSE OF THIS ACTION IS TO AWARD THE REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL LABORATORY PROGRAM REL, 2022-2027 CYCLE FOR THE APPALACHIA REL | $19.8M | Jan 2, 2027 |
| 91990022C0017 | Research Triangle Institute 2023-24 NATIONAL POSTSECONDARY STUDENT AID STUDY (NPSAS: 2024) & POSTSECONDARY LONGITUDINAL STUDIES. NPSAS IS A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY THAT PROVIDES INFO ABOUT THE COSTS OF… | $24.4M | Feb 3, 2027 |
| 91990019C0002 | Westat, Inc. THE DESIGN AND CONDUCT OF THE EARLY CHILDHOOD LONGITUDINAL STUDY, KINDERGARTEN CLASS OF 2022 THROUGH 2023 PROVIDES IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON EARLY LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT,… | $34.4M | Feb 6, 2027 |
| 91990023C0003 | American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences THE PURPOSE OF THIS ACTION IS TO AWARD THE REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL LABORATORY PROGRAM REL, 2022-2027 CYCLE FOR THE SOUTHWEST REL | $17.2M | Nov 29, 2027 |
Common questions
Who are the top Education contractors for NAICS 541720?
In the latest 12 months, Westat, Inc. ($62.7M), Educational Testing Service ($49.3M), American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences ($12.1M) received the most Education obligations for research and development in the social sciences and humanities.
How concentrated is this market?
The eight largest primes held 85.0% of positive obligations, and Westat, Inc. alone held 37.8%. 13 contractors won their first obligations in this market during the latest 12 months.
Are any large Education NAICS 541720 contracts ending soon?
10 of the largest awards in this market reach their current end date in the next 18 months. The first is 91990025C0003 (Educational Testing Service, $33.2M obligated), ending Oct 31, 2026. An end date is a research lead, not a confirmed recompete: options and extensions often move it.
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$14.3MFigures are net obligations on prime contracts (award types A–D) from USAspending.gov, grouped by funding agency and the NAICS code on each award. Net obligations include deobligations and corrections, so they can differ from positive-obligation totals. See methodology.
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