What is NAICS code 541720?

NAICS 541720 is the industry "Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities" in the North American Industry Classification System, part of the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services sector (54).

What is the size standard for NAICS 541720?

The SBA sets a small business size standard for each NAICS code, either average annual receipts or number of employees. Check the current value for 541720 in the SBA table of size standards on sba.gov; it changes from time to time.

NAICS Code 541720: Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities

NAICS code 541720 is the industry for research and development in the social sciences and humanities in the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services sector. Agencies tag every federal contract with a NAICS code, so this is the code to list in your SAM.gov registration and to search for bids.

Government contracts under NAICS 541720

Federal agencies obligated $2.8B on contracts under NAICS 541720 from FY2024 to FY2026, including $783M in FY2026. The biggest buyers were the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Defense, the Department of Education. The largest contractors were Mathematica Inc., The Rand Corporation, Westat, Inc..

See the full breakdown: government research and development in the social sciences and humanities contracts, who wins and who buys.

Open government bids for NAICS 541720

The newest open notices from SAM.gov. Bidding needs a free SAM.gov registration.

Countermeasures That Work (CMTW) UpdatesClosing soon
Transportation, Department of · Solicitation · NAICS 541720 · DC · No Set aside used
Posted Oct 30, 2026 · Responses due Nov 5, 2026

See all 1 open bids under NAICS 541720

Small business size standard for NAICS 541720

To bid on small business set-aside contracts under NAICS 541720, your business must be small under the SBA size standard for this code, measured either by average annual receipts or by number of employees. The values are updated periodically, so check the current SBA table of size standards before you bid.

Other NAICS codes in 5417

How to choose the right NAICS code

Pick the 6-digit code that best describes what you sell. List it as your primary code in SAM.gov, and add other codes for related work. Agencies choose one NAICS code for each contract, so check the codes on past awards for the kind of work you do. Search all codes in the NAICS code lookup.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

What is NAICS code 541720?: NAICS 541720 is the industry "Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities" in the North American Industry Classification System, part of the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services sector (54).
What is the size standard for NAICS 541720?: The SBA sets a small business size standard for each NAICS code, either average annual receipts or number of employees. Check the current value for 541720 in the SBA table of size standards on sba.gov; it changes from time to time.
Are there government contracts for NAICS 541720?: Yes. Federal agencies obligated $2.8B on contracts under NAICS 541720 from FY2024 to FY2026, and 1 notices are open right now.