01The Pentagon is roughly half the contract market

The Department of Defense obligates close to half of all federal contract dollars each fiscal year. In USAspending it sits under the awarding agency “Department of Defense”, with sub-agencies one level down: Army, Navy, Air Force, Defense Logistics Agency, Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Special Operations Command, and dozens of smaller components. Most useful DoD analysis is really sub-agency analysis — the department-wide number hides who is actually buying.

02Two layers: the vehicle and the order

Defense procurement almost always involves an umbrella agreement and then the work itself.

• IDVs (indefinite delivery vehicles) are the umbrellas — that's where the competition for a place on the vehicle happens.
• Task orders (DO) and delivery orders (TO) carry the actual requirements, dollars, and periods of performance.
• Award Search returns both, so choosing Award Type deliberately is what keeps you from counting the same money twice.

03Two tools, two questions

Award Search answers “who won what, for how much.” Agency Profiles answer “how big is this buying office and how fast does it spend.” Use the profile first to size a market, then Award Search to list the specific awards inside it.