The federal government obligated $203.4 billion across 36,155 IT and professional-services contract awards in the first half of fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 through March 2026), according to Propivix's analysis of USAspending.gov award records. Below, the agencies, vendors, work categories, and contract vehicles that defined the half.
The December surge
Monthly award activity climbed steadily through the first quarter and peaked in December at $48.0 billion across 9,131 awards — the largest single month of the half by both count and dollars. The first quarter (October–December) closed at $114.6 billion; the second quarter (January–March) followed at $88.8 billion, front-loaded into January and February before the usual spring slowdown.
| Month | Awards | Obligated |
|---|---|---|
| October 2025 | 5,166 | $26.1B |
| November 2025 | 6,628 | $40.4B |
| December 2025 | 9,131 | $48.0B |
| January 2026 | 6,249 | $38.6B |
| February 2026 | 5,979 | $40.4B |
| March 2026 | 3,002 | $9.8B |
For bidders, the takeaway is timing: the December obligation surge rewards pipelines built in September and October, well ahead of the money moving.
GSA nearly ties DoD for the top agency
The Department of Defense led first-half IT obligations at $35.8 billion — but the General Services Administration essentially matched it at $35.6 billion while issuing 68% more awards (9,941 versus 5,909), a reflection of GSA's role as the government's shared acquisition channel. Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security round out a top five that together account for roughly 63% of tracked dollars.
| Agency | Obligated | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | $35.79B | 5,909 |
| General Services Administration | $35.55B | 9,941 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $25.70B | 2,904 |
| Health and Human Services | $18.13B | 3,170 |
| Homeland Security | $17.40B | 2,612 |
| Department of State | $9.99B | 1,915 |
| Department of Transportation | $8.90B | 2,029 |
| NASA | $8.30B | 1,527 |
| Department of Justice | $7.04B | 2,958 |
| Department of the Interior | $6.91B | 1,900 |
Where the money goes: systems design dominates
Computer Systems Design Services (NAICS 541512) captured half the tracked dollars — $105.4 billion — on just 7,739 awards, an average north of $13 million each. The volume story is the reverse: Other Computer Related Services (541519) produced the most awards, 19,226, at a fraction of the average size, making it the most accessible entry point for small and mid-size firms.
| NAICS | Description | Obligated | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 541512 | Computer Systems Design Services | $105.43B | 7,739 |
| 541519 | Other Computer Related Services | $43.95B | 19,226 |
| 541511 | Custom Computer Programming | $22.58B | 5,276 |
| 541611 | Administrative & General Management Consulting | $21.53B | 9,244 |
| 541513 | Computer Facilities Management | $9.68B | 882 |
| 518210 | Computing Infrastructure & Data Processing | $7.07B | 1,829 |
The vendor leaderboard
Leidos leads the year at $16.6 billion — and unusually, it pairs top-dollar rank with top volume (1,053 awards). At the other extreme, Oracle Health's $6.5 billion across just 22 awards (the VA electronic health record modernization) is the half's most concentrated book of business.
| Vendor | Obligated | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| Leidos, Inc. | $16.55B | 1,053 |
| Booz Allen Hamilton | $12.35B | 282 |
| Accenture Federal Services | $11.40B | 275 |
| General Dynamics IT | $11.35B | 459 |
| SAIC | $7.78B | 193 |
| CACI Federal | $6.98B | 55 |
| Oracle Health Government Services | $6.48B | 22 |
| Deloitte Consulting | $5.33B | 341 |
| CGI Federal | $4.38B | 191 |
| Salient CRGT | $3.73B | 35 |
Two-thirds of the money lands in Virginia
Measured by vendor registered location, Virginia companies received $141.3 billion — 67% of all tracked first-half dollars — with Maryland a distant second at $19.9 billion. The Beltway concentration of federal IT prime contractors remains overwhelming. Kansas's surprise third place ($6.6 billion on 173 awards) reflects a handful of very large awards rather than broad activity.
Contract vehicles: SEWP V is the workhorse
Among awards traceable to a parent governmentwide acquisition contract or IDIQ, NASA SEWP V leads on both count (2,549 task orders) and dollars ($1.49 billion), while GSA Alliant 2 posts the largest average order size — $0.92 billion across just 46 orders, roughly $20 million each. GSA's Multiple Award Schedule, current and legacy schedules combined, moved about $2.05 billion across 924 orders.
| Vehicle | Obligated | Task orders |
|---|---|---|
| NASA SEWP V | $1.49B | 2,549 |
| GSA MAS (current + legacy) | $2.05B | 924 |
| GSA Alliant 2 | $0.92B | 46 |
| DISA ENCORE III | $0.54B | 42 |
| NITAAC CIO-SP3 | $0.24B | 395 |
| GSA 8(a) STARS III | $0.20B | 134 |
What this means for bidders: the December obligation surge rewards pipelines built the prior fall; GSA's near-parity with DoD means schedule and GWAC positioning now matters as much as agency relationships; and the high-volume 541519 market remains the most realistic entry point for firms building past performance.
Methodology & sources
Source: USAspending.gov prime contract award records (award types A–D), ingested and analyzed by Propivix. Data as of August 11, 2026.
Scope: Six NAICS codes — 541511, 541512, 541513, and 541519 (computer services), 541611 (management consulting), and 518210 (computing infrastructure and data processing). Federal IT spending outside these codes is not captured here.
Attribution: Dollar figures are award-level obligations attributed to each award's base signing date, not to individual transaction dates. Multi-year vehicles therefore appear in the month their base award was signed. Vendor location reflects the recipient's registered business address, not place of performance.
Period: Headline figures cover the first half of FY2026 (October 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026), where ingestion coverage is complete. Leaderboard totals reflect FY2026 through July 31, 2026; the April–July tail adds roughly 3% of dollars and changes none of the rankings shown.