Federal Agency Explorer

VA runs the largest integrated health care system in the country, plus benefits administration and the national cemetery system. Almost everything it buys traces back to keeping about 170 medical centers and 1,200 outpatient sites running and caring for veterans.

DoD equips, trains, sustains, and deploys the armed forces. It is not one buyer. It is thousands of buying offices across the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and dozens of defense agencies, each with its own priorities and habits.

GSA is the government's landlord and purchasing agent. It runs federal buildings, the federal vehicle fleet, and the contract vehicles other agencies buy through, including the Multiple Award Schedule and the major IT GWACs.

DHS protects borders, transportation, cyberspace, and responds to disasters. It is a federation of large components (CBP, TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard, ICE, Secret Service, CISA) that each buy for their own mission.

HHS covers public health, biomedical research, health insurance programs, and food and drug safety. Its major components (NIH, CDC, CMS, FDA, HRSA, IHS) buy very differently from each other.

The Corps builds and maintains civil works (dams, levees, navigation, flood control) and military construction, and performs environmental remediation. It buys through district offices spread across the country, which makes it unusually accessible to regional firms.

USDA supports farming and rural communities, manages national forests, inspects food safety, and runs nutrition programs. Its buying is heavily field based and spread across the country.

DOE runs the national laboratories, manages the nuclear weapons stockpile through NNSA, and cleans up Cold War era nuclear sites. Most of its money goes to large management and operating contractors who then subcontract heavily.

DOT oversees aviation, highways, rail, transit, and pipeline safety. Note that most highway construction money goes to states as grants, not federal contracts. Direct DOT contracting is heavily aviation and IT.

State conducts diplomacy and runs embassies and consulates worldwide. Its buying is unusually international: securing, building, staffing, and supplying facilities in nearly every country.

DOJ enforces federal law and runs the federal prison system. Its buying spans law enforcement technology, litigation support, and the substantial operational needs of the Bureau of Prisons.

NASA conducts space exploration, aeronautics research, and Earth science. It buys through 10 field centers, each with distinct missions and their own contracting shops.

Treasury manages federal finances, collects taxes through the IRS, and produces currency. IRS modernization drives a large share of its contract spending.

EPA writes and enforces environmental regulation, runs Superfund cleanup, and conducts environmental research. Its contract spending is modest but highly specialized.

DLA is the supply chain for the military. It buys the parts, fuel, food, clothing, medical supplies, and construction materials that the services consume, at extremely high transaction volume.

SSA administers retirement, survivor, and disability benefits for tens of millions of Americans, through a large national network of field offices and processing centers.

Interior manages federal lands, national parks, wildlife refuges, tribal programs, and natural resource science. Buying is highly decentralized across bureaus and field locations.

DOL enforces labor law, administers workforce training programs, and produces employment statistics. It also issues the wage determinations that govern service and construction contract pay.

HUD supports affordable housing, community development, and fair housing enforcement. Most program money flows as grants to states and local housing authorities; direct contracting is smaller and services focused.

Education administers federal student aid and K-12 and higher education programs. Its largest contracts support the student loan servicing and financial aid systems.

Commerce promotes economic growth and includes NOAA (weather and oceans), Census, NIST (standards), USPTO (patents), and the International Trade Administration.

SBA supports small businesses through lending guarantees, counseling, disaster loans, and the federal contracting certification programs. It is a small buyer itself but a critical relationship for every contractor.

USAID administers international development and humanitarian assistance. It buys implementation services for programs in health, education, governance, agriculture, and disaster relief around the world.

The Air Force operates air and space power, from aircraft and satellites to the installations that support them. Buying splits between major weapon system programs and installation-level operations.