By Outrider Editorial Team · Updated August 20, 2026
Official definition
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in conducting research and analyses in cognitive development, sociology, psychology, language, behavior, economic, and other social science and humanities research.
FY2025 obligations
$732.3M
Contract actions
1,595
IDVs
191
Top buying agencies
- Department of Defense$264.8M
- Department of Health and Human Services$186.0M
- Department of Education$133.9M
- Department of Commerce$58.3M
- General Services Administration$34.3M
FY2025 federal contract obligations, USAspending.gov
NAICS 541720 obligated $732 million in FY2025 across 1,595 contract actions. DoD leads at $265 million on human performance, personnel, and behavioral research, HHS follows at $186 million, and then Education at $134 million, which is 18 percent of the code. Education appears in almost no other federal NAICS top five, and its presence here is the Institute of Education Sciences buying evaluation and research contracts. Commerce at $58 million and GSA at $34 million round it out.
What belongs here
Research and analysis in cognitive development, sociology, psychology, language, behavior, economics, and other social science and humanities fields.
- Physical, engineering, and life sciences research is 541715.
- Biotechnology research is 541714.
- Program evaluation delivered as management advisory, not as research, is 541611.
Competing in this code
191 IDVs against 1,595 actions at an average near $460,000 describes substantive multi-year studies rather than small task orders. The $28 million size standard, one of the higher revenue standards in the research family, means small business status persists well past the point where a research shop has serious infrastructure. What decides awards is methodological credibility: named principal investigators, publication record, and institutional review board capability. Education's evaluation contracts add a specific requirement for randomized or quasi-experimental design expertise, which is a narrow enough skill that firms holding it face a short competitive field.
Frequently Asked
NAICS 541720 questions, answered.
What is the SBA size standard for NAICS 541720?
SBA sets it at $28 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 541720 solicitation, including the set-asides.
Which agencies buy social science research under NAICS 541720?
FY2025 obligations: DoD ($265 million), HHS ($186 million), Education ($134 million), Commerce ($58 million), GSA ($34 million). The Department of Education at 18 percent is the standout, and that spend is Institute of Education Sciences evaluation and research contracting.
What makes a proposal competitive in NAICS 541720?
Methodological credibility carried by named people. Evaluators weight the principal investigator's publication record, prior study designs, and institutional review board capability far more than corporate infrastructure. The average FY2025 action was near $460,000 across 1,595 awards, which is study-sized work where the research team is the deliverable.
Why does the Department of Education buy under NAICS 541720?
Because the Institute of Education Sciences contracts out program evaluation and education research, at $134 million in FY2025. Those solicitations commonly require randomized controlled trial or quasi-experimental design expertise, which narrows the qualified field considerably compared with general social science research work.
Register Under NAICS 541720
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