Federal Subject Matter Expert Hourly Rates
Specialized domain expertise and advisory.
Across 3,638 GSA-awarded subject matter expert labor rates, the government pays a median of $231/hour, typically ranging from $178 to $323.
Minimum
$42
25th pct
$178
Median
$231
75th pct
$323
Maximum
$500
$4225th–75th percentile$500
By education level
| Education | Rates | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other Tech School or Certification | 8 | $417 | $306–$446 |
| PhD | 136 | $324 | $123–$499 |
| Masters | 850 | $301 | $71–$494 |
| High School Equivalent | 11 | $242 | $149–$424 |
| Bachelors | 2,464 | $227 | $46–$500 |
| Associates | 39 | $182 | $42–$454 |
| None | 9 | $74 | $46–$234 |
| High School | 121 | $72 | $42–$420 |
Vendors with the most awarded subject matter expert rates
| Vendor | Rates | Median |
|---|---|---|
| PERATON INC. | 63 | $43 |
| BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC | 46 | $304 |
| ACCENTURE FEDERAL SERVICES LLC | 45 | $376 |
| K2 GROUP, INC. | 29 | $176 |
| SPECTRA TECH, INC. | 28 | $347 |
| CHENEGA PROFESSIONAL & TECHNICAL SERVICES LLC | 26 | $336 |
| MANTECH ADVANCED SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, INC. | 22 | $241 |
| VAULTES LLC | 22 | $314 |
| JCTM LLC | 20 | $122 |
| GOLDSCHMITT AND ASSOCIATES LLC | 20 | $123 |
Source: GSA CALC+ awarded ceiling rates (buy.gsa.gov), matched on labor-category titles containing “subject matter expert”. These are contract ceiling rates on Multiple Award Schedule vehicles — the not-to-exceed rate a vendor may bill, not necessarily the invoiced rate. Use as a fair-and-reasonable benchmark, not a quote.