Vendors · federal AI contracts
Federal contracts that name AI reached $449M in fiscal 2026
Contract obligations whose USAspending record says “artificial intelligence”: $55M in fiscal 2018, $449M in fiscal 2026, 8.2× as much. Count machine learning and language models too and fiscal 2026 is $535M.
A keyword count, not a count of AI contracts: a contract that calls its work analytics is missed, and a vendor named for AI is counted whatever it sells. Two readings are drawn so the gap between them is visible. USAspending data to October 2026, retrieved 31 Oct 2026.
$386M in fiscal 2025, $449M in fiscal 2026
$ a fiscal year · October to September · contracts onlyEvery fiscal year as a table
| Fiscal year | Says “artificial intelligence” | AI, machine learning or a language model | On the year before |
|---|---|---|---|
| fiscal 2018 | $54,626,102 | $80,149,155 | — |
| fiscal 2019 | $66,718,168 | $118,058,138 | +22% |
| fiscal 2020 | $162,385,526 | $247,444,257 | +143% |
| fiscal 2021 | $187,072,835 | $314,625,489 | +15% |
| fiscal 2022 | $177,143,388 | $238,789,491 | −5% |
| fiscal 2023 | $209,282,759 | $293,601,689 | +18% |
| fiscal 2024 | $274,191,986 | $385,965,532 | +31% |
| fiscal 2025 | $386,328,246 | $511,583,550 | +41% |
| fiscal 2026 | $448,761,988 | $535,107,276 | +16% |
| fiscal 2027, one month so far | $1,103,653 | $1,103,653 | — |
The newest month, October 2026, is incomplete: agencies report a contract action within 30 days of signing it. fiscal 2026 is the newest complete year.
Each month since October 2017
$ a month · by the month of the contract actionEvery month as a table
| Month | Says “artificial intelligence” | AI, machine learning or a language model |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2026, so far | $1,103,653 | $1,103,653 |
| Sep 2026 | $78,129,119 | $96,667,826 |
| Aug 2026 | $28,987,966 | $32,246,060 |
| Jul 2026 | $32,146,774 | $44,548,675 |
| Jun 2026 | $61,780,924 | $65,955,614 |
| May 2026 | $66,565,313 | $80,095,446 |
| Apr 2026 | $45,221,930 | $58,801,585 |
| Mar 2026 | $43,188,093 | $51,027,119 |
| Feb 2026 | $28,439,169 | $31,768,453 |
| Jan 2026 | $49,649,203 | $52,971,856 |
| Dec 2025 | $12,858,887 | $16,010,506 |
| Nov 2025 | $1,819,671 | $3,039,195 |
| Oct 2025 | −$25,060 | $1,974,939 |
| Sep 2025 | $103,769,423 | $127,789,566 |
| Aug 2025 | $46,445,299 | $69,238,327 |
| Jul 2025 | $34,588,458 | $41,945,860 |
| Jun 2025 | $6,111,189 | $16,056,319 |
| May 2025 | $45,967,124 | $52,000,030 |
| Apr 2025 | $13,656,730 | $16,680,957 |
| Mar 2025 | $21,452,178 | $45,115,338 |
| Feb 2025 | $28,586,989 | $29,658,664 |
| Jan 2025 | $25,465,192 | $33,273,830 |
| Dec 2024 | $44,504,617 | $56,518,102 |
| Nov 2024 | $11,669,753 | $16,062,231 |
| Oct 2024 | $4,111,294 | $7,244,326 |
| Sep 2024 | $79,205,942 | $104,795,821 |
| Aug 2024 | $31,656,302 | $43,435,000 |
| Jul 2024 | $19,257,446 | $28,724,247 |
| Jun 2024 | $30,132,797 | $45,856,914 |
| May 2024 | $12,994,866 | $20,388,330 |
| Apr 2024 | $24,921,736 | $31,729,042 |
| Mar 2024 | $25,473,416 | $38,916,807 |
| Feb 2024 | $24,787,268 | $31,241,046 |
| Jan 2024 | $7,547,552 | $14,948,630 |
| Dec 2023 | $4,907,314 | $8,976,057 |
| Nov 2023 | $9,708,902 | $11,186,693 |
| Oct 2023 | $3,598,445 | $5,766,943 |
| Sep 2023 | $39,448,544 | $80,788,095 |
| Aug 2023 | $33,259,259 | $37,780,211 |
| Jul 2023 | $19,536,797 | $30,467,658 |
| Jun 2023 | $19,870,600 | $25,447,658 |
| May 2023 | $13,620,618 | $18,246,469 |
| Apr 2023 | $20,083,378 | $25,130,575 |
| Mar 2023 | $14,310,908 | $17,505,856 |
| Feb 2023 | $8,236,105 | $11,497,755 |
| Jan 2023 | $27,984,611 | $29,121,716 |
| Dec 2022 | $6,916,603 | $9,391,969 |
| Nov 2022 | $3,064,135 | $4,472,544 |
| Oct 2022 | $2,951,201 | $3,751,184 |
| Sep 2022 | $35,500,425 | $53,656,047 |
| Aug 2022 | $13,200,345 | $16,909,878 |
| Jul 2022 | $23,382,557 | $27,078,969 |
| Jun 2022 | $9,867,298 | $14,053,444 |
| May 2022 | $15,952,429 | $20,106,480 |
| Apr 2022 | $5,487,033 | $6,637,544 |
| Mar 2022 | $21,977,512 | $28,451,401 |
| Feb 2022 | $18,529,851 | $23,228,039 |
| Jan 2022 | $16,940,180 | $21,819,593 |
| Dec 2021 | $8,766,289 | $18,313,314 |
| Nov 2021 | $4,685,336 | $5,247,991 |
| Oct 2021 | $2,854,133 | $3,286,792 |
| Sep 2021 | $35,253,395 | $54,160,502 |
| Aug 2021 | $4,377,712 | $28,892,035 |
| Jul 2021 | $11,320,642 | $21,967,094 |
| Jun 2021 | $15,245,277 | $23,303,902 |
| May 2021 | $14,841,262 | $15,877,413 |
| Apr 2021 | $23,535,314 | $28,468,071 |
| Mar 2021 | $21,427,439 | $53,965,717 |
| Feb 2021 | $2,328,025 | $15,367,663 |
| Jan 2021 | $36,591,375 | $39,728,994 |
| Dec 2020 | $5,769,008 | $8,460,530 |
| Nov 2020 | $2,115,016 | $9,487,970 |
| Oct 2020 | $14,268,370 | $14,945,598 |
| Sep 2020 | $76,856,563 | $102,936,590 |
| Aug 2020 | $11,598,240 | $26,706,919 |
| Jul 2020 | $4,276,493 | $7,094,843 |
| Jun 2020 | $14,799,974 | $17,969,219 |
| May 2020 | $3,056,415 | $9,932,424 |
| Apr 2020 | $21,246,615 | $28,927,426 |
| Mar 2020 | $14,835,266 | $20,784,643 |
| Feb 2020 | $7,550,629 | $11,433,475 |
| Jan 2020 | $1,764,285 | $10,339,365 |
| Dec 2019 | $1,150,255 | $4,127,943 |
| Nov 2019 | $1,724,414 | $1,824,414 |
| Oct 2019 | $3,526,378 | $5,366,998 |
| Sep 2019 | $23,775,797 | $28,564,909 |
| Aug 2019 | $5,518,475 | $7,387,402 |
| Jul 2019 | $719,434 | $29,203,324 |
| Jun 2019 | $1,592,311 | $6,772,285 |
| May 2019 | $1,600,262 | $2,289,100 |
| Apr 2019 | $1,940,595 | $3,112,422 |
| Mar 2019 | $13,183,556 | $15,155,945 |
| Feb 2019 | $295,556 | $2,645,547 |
| Jan 2019 | $15,903,158 | $17,522,965 |
| Dec 2018 | $315,000 | $1,965,018 |
| Nov 2018 | $1,874,025 | $2,437,116 |
| Oct 2018 | $0 | $1,002,104 |
| Sep 2018 | $17,524,698 | $24,263,546 |
| Aug 2018 | $309,103 | $836,230 |
| Jul 2018 | $1,004,422 | $3,279,041 |
| Jun 2018 | $361,777 | $4,750,890 |
| May 2018 | $14,000,000 | $18,039,614 |
| Apr 2018 | $0 | $3,238,359 |
| Mar 2018 | $20,000,000 | $22,388,051 |
| Feb 2018 | $0 | $749,857 |
| Jan 2018 | $326,296 | $915,973 |
| Dec 2017 | $149,810 | $333,441 |
| Nov 2017 | $200,000 | $537,034 |
| Oct 2017 | $749,996 | $817,120 |
A month below zero is one in which agencies took back more than they committed. Obligations: dollars the government committed to pay on contract actions, by the month of the action. A negative month is a net de-obligation.
Department of Defense signed 61% of it in fiscal 2026
27 agencies · says “artificial intelligence” · fiscal 2026The awarding agency, as USAspending files it. An order placed by one agency against another’s contract vehicle is filed under the agency that placed it.
ECS FEDERAL, LLC received the most in fiscal 2026
top 15 · says “artificial intelligence” · fiscal 2026Names as the register prints them. One recipient in USAspending’s top 100 is a person, not a company, and is not named here. The top 15 hold 55% of the year.
Since fiscal 2018, and the broader reading
| Recipient, says “artificial intelligence”, since fiscal 2018 | Obligations |
|---|---|
| ECS FEDERAL, LLC | $226,320,732 |
| PALANTIR USG INC | $79,093,297 |
| ACCENTURE FEDERAL SERVICES LLC | $78,072,727 |
| MORSECORP, INC | $64,529,715 |
| TWO SIX LABS, LLC | $60,130,452 |
| SWISH DATA CORPORATION | $49,196,265 |
| SCALE AI, INC. | $46,122,963 |
| TUKNIK GOVERNMENT SERVICES LLC | $45,806,859 |
| ENLIGHTEN, LLC | $42,570,240 |
| THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY LLC | $26,280,974 |
| INDEX ANALYTICS LLC | $22,937,727 |
| MODERN TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, INC. | $21,219,314 |
| CARAHSOFT TECHNOLOGY CORP | $21,042,676 |
| BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC | $20,575,059 |
| LEISNOI PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, LLC | $19,918,649 |
| Recipient, AI, machine learning or a language model, fiscal 2026 | Obligations |
|---|---|
| ECS FEDERAL, LLC | $48,339,073 |
| ENLIGHTEN, LLC | $42,570,240 |
| BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC | $22,824,449 |
| CARAHSOFT TECHNOLOGY CORP | $19,397,373 |
| FOUR POINTS TECHNOLOGY, L.L.C. | $15,666,509 |
| ACCENTURE FEDERAL SERVICES LLC | $13,615,527 |
| MODERN TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, INC. | $13,422,585 |
| INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING ASSOCIATES, INC. | $12,086,702 |
| WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY LLC | $12,079,243 |
| HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE CO | $11,716,059 |
| DELOITTE CONSULTING LLP | $11,343,866 |
| LEISNOI PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, LLC | $11,190,417 |
| EXPEDITION TECHNOLOGY, LLC | $10,678,215 |
| BUTT CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INCORPORATED | $9,320,800 |
| MORSECORP, INC | $9,022,866 |
Every recipient in USAspending’s top 100 is a company or an institution. Every recipient in USAspending’s top 100 is a company or an institution.
Method
- What is counted
- Obligations: dollars the government committed to pay on contract actions, by the month of the action. A negative month is a net de-obligation. Contracts only. USAspending's codes: A = BPA call, B = purchase order, C = delivery order, D = definitive contract. Indefinite-delivery vehicles are not counted; the orders placed under them are. Grants and loans are not counted.
- The two readings
- Says “artificial intelligence”: “artificial intelligence”. Says AI, machine learning or a language model: “artificial intelligence”, “machine learning”, “large language model”, “generative AI”. USAspending matches each keyword against the award's description, the recipient's name and the award's identifiers, so a record counts when any of them holds the phrase. The broad reading holds every record of the strict one. Neither is a count of AI contracts: a contract that calls its work analytics is missed, and a vendor named for AI is counted whatever it sells.
- Fiscal years
- A US fiscal year runs from 1 October to 30 September and is named for the year it ends in. fiscal 2026 ran from 1 Oct 2025 to 30 Sep 2026.
- What changes after a read
- Agencies correct and add reports for months already shown, so a figure here can move at the next read. Each read is kept, so the record of what the register said on each day stays.
- Who is named
- Agencies and companies. A recipient whose register name is a person’s name is counted and not named.
- USAspending.gov, U.S. Department of the Treasury: award search API, contracts (award types A to D), keyword filters as the method states, October 2017 to October 2026, retrieved 31 Oct 2026. Public domain: A work of the United States Government, so not protected by copyright in the United States (17 U.S.C. § 105). USAspending.gov publishes the data under the DATA Act of 2014 for public use. Every page and file names the source.