Follow the Money | Federal Contracts
This week in federal contracts: $18.4 billion obligated
From September 26 to October 2, federal agencies obligated about $18.4 billion in new contracts. Homeland Security led at $4.46 billion, and the single biggest award was $482 million for one ship.
Key takeaways
- Federal agencies obligated about $18.4 billion in new contracts from September 26 to October 2, 2026, across 61 departments (USAspending.gov).
- Homeland Security led the week at $4.46 billion, followed by Veterans Affairs ($2.81B), Energy ($2.48B), and Health and Human Services ($2.28B).
- The single biggest award: $482 million to Tote Services to deliver the NSMV VI, a National Security Multi-Mission Vessel, for the Maritime Administration.
- September 30 was the last day of fiscal year 2026, and agencies rushed to obligate expiring budget dollars before the deadline.
The week in one chart
Eight departments accounted for the large majority of the week's contract obligations. Homeland Security alone was nearly a quarter of the total, driven by border construction and detention services awards.
Drilling into Homeland Security's $4.46 billion week shows where the dollars actually landed: five contractors, five projects, all in border operations.
Department leaderboard
Total contract obligations by department for the week of September 26 to October 2, 2026. Figures are net federal action obligations per transaction as reported to USAspending.
| Department | Obligated | Transactions |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Homeland Security | $4.46B | 1,707 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $2.81B | 5,531 |
| Department of Energy | $2.48B | 255 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $2.28B | 1,137 |
| General Services Administration | $1.25B | 33,897 |
| Department of State | $1.17B | 1,294 |
| Department of Transportation | $0.73B | 396 |
| Social Security Administration | $0.63B | 109 |
| Department of Agriculture | $0.51B | 1,347 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $0.49B | 426 |
| Department of Education | $0.42B | 109 |
| Department of the Treasury | $0.29B | 417 |
| Department of Justice | $0.28B | not reported |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $0.11B | not reported |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $0.10B | not reported |
The biggest single awards
The ten largest individual contract actions of the week, ranked by obligated amount. Each row links to the full award record on USAspending.
| Company | Amount | Department | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tote Services, LLC | $482.0M | Transportation | Deliver the NSMV VI, a National Security Multi-Mission Vessel, for the Maritime Administration |
| PCL Construction Inc | $445.9M | State | Construction packages for the International Boundary and Water Commission, U.S.-Mexico |
| Maximus Federal Services, Inc. | $401.6M | Health and Human Services | Contact center operations |
| Leidos Biomedical Research Inc | $342.2M | Health and Human Services | NCI operational task order, FY26-FY27 |
| Clark Construction Group LLC | $332.0M | Homeland Security | Design-build project in Laredo, TX, for Customs and Border Protection |
| Alliance for Energy Innovation, LLC | $246.2M | Energy | Funding modification on a Department of Energy laboratory contract |
| National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC | $232.4M | Energy | Management and operation of Sandia National Laboratories |
| CACI, Inc. - Federal | $215.8M | Homeland Security | Twelve-month extension of existing Customs and Border Protection services work |
| Amentum Services, Inc. | $204.7M | Homeland Security | Detention, transportation and medical services at Camp East Montana, El Paso, for Immigration and Customs Enforcement |
| Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure, LLC | $192.5M | Energy | Incremental funding for Hanford tank waste cleanup, Task Order 2 |
Why this week was so busy
September 30 was the last day of fiscal year 2026. Congress gives agencies their money with an expiration date: for most annual appropriations, unspent funds expire at midnight on September 30 and go back to the Treasury.
That creates the well-known "use it or lose it" rush. Contracting offices work overtime in the final days of September to get awards signed before the money disappears, which is why a single week can see $18.4 billion in obligations. The surge is a feature of how appropriations law works, not a sign of anything unusual.
What is missing from this picture
Two caveats. First, as noted above, Department of Defense contract data had not been reported for this period when we pulled the numbers. The Pentagon is normally the largest federal contract obligor by far, so the true week total is higher than $18.4 billion and the department ranking would look different with Defense included.
Second, these are obligations, not cash out the door. An obligation is the government's binding promise to pay: the contract is signed and the money is reserved. Actual payment happens later, as the contractor performs the work and submits invoices. A $482 million ship award this week does not mean $482 million left the Treasury this week.
Methodology
We queried the USAspending.gov API for contract award transactions (award types A, B, C, D) with action dates from September 26 to October 2, 2026, and summed net federal action obligations by awarding department. Award descriptions are quoted or closely paraphrased from the official USAspending award records. All dollar figures are nominal and rounded as shown.
Sources
1. https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_693JF726F00030N_6938_693JF719D000002_6938/
2. https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_191BWC24C0008_19BM_-NONE-_-NONE-/
3. https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_70B01C26F00000874_7014_70B01C26D00000021_7014/
4. https://www.usaspending.gov
5. https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov
Source: USAspending.gov, contract award transactions with action dates September 26 to October 2, 2026.
Sources
- USAspending.gov — contract award transactions, action dates September 26 to October 2, 2026 (usaspending.gov)
- USAspending.gov — award records linked in the table above (usaspending.gov)
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