By Outrider Editorial Team · Updated August 20, 2026
Official definition
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing operating advice and assistance to businesses and other organizations in: (1) manufacturing operations improvement; (2) productivity improvement; (3) production planning and control; (4) quality assurance and quality control; (5) inventory management; (6) distribution networks; (7) warehouse use, operations, and utilization; (8) transportation and shipment of goods and materials; and (9) materials management and handling.
FY2025 obligations
$2.0B
Contract actions
2,281
IDVs
447
Top buying agencies
- Department of Defense$1.2B
- Department of Homeland Security$429.0M
- Department of State$221.0M
- Department of Health and Human Services$36.8M
- Department of Veterans Affairs$19.9M
FY2025 federal contract obligations, USAspending.gov
NAICS 541614 obligated $2 billion in FY2025 across 2,281 contract actions. DoD leads at $1.2 billion, and then the civilian mix gets specific: DHS at $429 million covers CBP and FEMA supply chain and distribution work, State at $221 million covers global logistics for overseas posts, HHS at $37 million covers medical countermeasure distribution. Together those three are more than a third of the code, which is unusual for anything with the word logistics in the title.
What belongs here
Advice and assistance on manufacturing operations improvement, productivity, production planning and control, quality assurance, inventory management, distribution networks, and warehouse operations.
- General strategy, organizational design, and financial planning advisory is 541611.
- Actually operating the warehouse or moving the freight is a facilities or transportation code, not consulting; base-level operations often land in 561210.
- Engineering-led supportability and reliability analysis is 541330.
Competing in this code
447 IDVs against 2,281 actions and R706 as the dominant PSC tells you most of this money is bought as logistics support services on task orders, not as standalone consulting studies. That matters for positioning: the winning proposal describes staff who can sit inside a distribution operation and change it, with named personnel and measurable throughput outcomes, not a methodology deck. The $20 million size standard keeps a real small business lane open, and the strongest differentiator is demonstrated results against a specific commodity or class of supply rather than generic supply chain credentials.
Frequently Asked
NAICS 541614 questions, answered.
What is the SBA size standard for NAICS 541614?
SBA sets it at $20 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 541614 solicitation, including the set-asides.
Which agencies buy logistics consulting under NAICS 541614?
FY2025 obligations: DoD ($1.2 billion), DHS ($429 million), State ($221 million), HHS ($37 million), VA ($20 million). DHS and State together are more than 30 percent of the code, which gives a consulting firm a genuine civilian alternative to defense logistics work.
What separates NAICS 541614 from 541611?
Subject matter. 541614 is operations: production planning, quality control, inventory, distribution networks, warehouse utilization. 541611 is administrative and general management: strategy, org design, financial planning, HR policy. 541611 is roughly five times larger in federal spending, so firms sometimes register there by default and then lose logistics evaluations to specialists.
Do logistics consulting awards look like studies or like staffing?
Mostly like embedded support. R706, logistics support services, is the dominant PSC crosswalked to the code, and 447 IDVs carry 2,281 actions. Proposals win on named personnel who can work inside a distribution operation and on measurable throughput outcomes, not on methodology.
Register Under NAICS 541614
Classify your business correctly to maximize visibility to federal buyers and access small business set-asides.
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