By Outrider Editorial Team · Updated August 20, 2026
Official definition
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in planning and designing residential, institutional, leisure, commercial, and industrial buildings and structures by applying knowledge of design, construction procedures, zoning regulations, building codes, and building materials.
FY2025 obligations
$739.8M
Contract actions
3,974
IDVs
547
Top buying agencies
- Department of Defense$231.6M
- General Services Administration$153.6M
- Department of Veterans Affairs$83.0M
- Department of State$80.6M
- Agency for International Development$49.0M
FY2025 federal contract obligations, USAspending.gov
NAICS 541310 obligated $740 million in FY2025 across 3,974 contract actions, and no agency holds a third of it. DoD is $232 million, GSA $154 million for federal buildings and courthouses, VA $83 million for medical facility design, State $81 million through the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, and USAID $49 million. That flatness is real diversification for an architecture practice, and each buyer brings a different design standard.
What belongs here
Planning and designing buildings and structures by applying knowledge of design, construction procedures, zoning, building codes, and materials.
- Civil, structural, and mechanical engineering design is 541330, which is more than seventy times larger in federal spending.
- Site survey and mapping that precedes design is 541370.
- Building the design is construction, typically 236220.
Competing in this code
547 IDVs and a $12.5 million size standard make this a small business friendly code, and Brooks Act qualifications-based selection is the governing mechanic. Firms are ranked on qualifications through the Standard Form 330 before price enters the conversation, which means the SF 330 is the product. Agencies also run indefinite delivery A/E contracts with regional geographic scope, and those are where a firm without a federal portfolio can win a first position. State's overseas work carries security design requirements and cleared personnel obligations that most domestic practices are not set up for, which is exactly why that lane stays less crowded.
Frequently Asked
NAICS 541310 questions, answered.
What is the SBA size standard for NAICS 541310?
SBA sets it at $12.5 million in average annual receipts, averaged over your last five completed fiscal years. Come in at or under that and you are small on every NAICS 541310 solicitation, including the set-asides.
Which agencies buy architectural services under NAICS 541310?
FY2025 obligations: DoD ($232 million), GSA ($154 million), VA ($83 million), State ($81 million), USAID ($49 million). No agency holds a third of the code, which makes it one of the few professional services markets where a firm can diversify without changing NAICS.
How are architectural contracts awarded in NAICS 541310?
Under Brooks Act qualifications-based selection. Agencies rank firms on qualifications submitted through the Standard Form 330, then negotiate price with the top-ranked firm only. Price is not an evaluation factor in the selection, so the SF 330 and the relevance of named project experience determine outcomes.
Where can a firm without federal experience win first in NAICS 541310?
On regional indefinite delivery A/E contracts, which agencies use to cover recurring small design tasks in a geographic area. 547 IDVs support the code, the $12.5 million size standard keeps the small business pool genuinely small, and geographic proximity plus licensure in the state carries real weight in the ranking.
Register Under NAICS 541310
Classify your business correctly to maximize visibility to federal buyers and access small business set-asides.
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