SBA size standard
$19 million
Measured by average annual receipts over the last 5 fiscal years
SBA table effective March 2023
Official definition
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing advice and assistance to businesses and other organizations on environmental issues, such as the control of environmental contamination from pollutants, toxic substances, and hazardous materials. These establishments identify problems (e.g., inspect buildings for hazardous materials), measure and evaluate risks, and recommend solutions. They employ a multidisciplined staff of scientists, engineers, and other technicians with expertise in areas, such as air and water quality, asbestos contamination, remediation, ecological restoration, and environmental law. Establishments providing sanitation or site remediation consulting services are included in this industry.
FY2025 federal spending
The Environmental Protection Agency bought 29% of the $1.2B obligated under 541620 in FY2025.
- Contract awards
- 6,280
- Contract vehicles (IDVs)
- 995
Top buying agencies
- Environmental Protection Agency$349.2M
- Department of Defense$275.2M
- Department of Commerce$107.4M
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration$95.2M
- Department of the Interior$93.8M
FY2025 federal contract obligations, USAspending.gov
NAICS 541620 obligated $1.2 billion in FY2025 across 6,280 contract awards, and the buyer mix is among the flattest we track. EPA leads at $349 million, DoD follows at $275 million, Commerce at $107 million, NASA at $95 million, and Interior at $94 million. No agency holds 30 percent. For a consulting firm that means genuine portfolio diversification is achievable inside a single code, which is rare.
What belongs here
Advising organizations on environmental issues: identifying contamination, inspecting for hazardous materials, measuring and evaluating risk, and recommending solutions. The work product is analysis and recommendation.
- Executing the cleanup is 562910, which obligated $7 billion in FY2025, six times this code.
- Design engineering for environmental infrastructure is 541330.
- Sample analysis performed in a laboratory is 541380.
Competing in this code
The code had 995 IDVs alongside 6,280 awards in FY2025, a large number of vehicles for a code this size, and the average award is under $200,000. That combination describes a task-order market: firms hold positions on agency environmental services multiple-award contracts and compete repeatedly at small dollar values. The $19 million size standard keeps the small business lane meaningful, and NEPA documentation, environmental compliance audits, and permitting support are the three scopes where a specialist firm with credentialed staff beats a large generalist on technical evaluation.
NAICS 541620 FAQ
What is the SBA size standard for NAICS 541620?
SBA sets it at $19 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 541620 solicitation, including the set-asides.
Which agencies buy environmental consulting under NAICS 541620?
FY2025 obligations: EPA ($349 million), DoD ($275 million), Commerce ($107 million), NASA ($95 million), Interior ($94 million). EPA leading, with no agency above 30 percent, makes this the most diversified environmental market we track.
What is the difference between NAICS 541620 and 562910?
541620 delivers analysis and recommendations. 562910 delivers the physical cleanup. The federal dollar gap is wide, at $1.2 billion against $7 billion in FY2025, and evaluators treat them as separate capabilities. Consulting past performance rarely satisfies a remediation solicitation's technical requirements, and the reverse is also true.
Where does a specialist firm out-compete a large generalist in NAICS 541620?
In NEPA documentation, environmental compliance auditing, and permitting support. These scopes are evaluated on the credentials and subject-matter depth of named staff rather than on corporate capacity, and the code's average award is under $200,000, which is too small for a large firm's key personnel to be genuinely dedicated to it.