Federal department or agency

Department of Education

Department of Education obligated $2.5B on federal contracts in FY2026 across 1,697 contract actions (−0.3% vs FY2025). Its largest recipient was ACCENTURE FEDERAL SERVICES LLC ($371.5M). It also awarded $90.4B in federal grants and other assistance in FY2026.

Obligations · FY2026
$2.5B
Actions
1,697
New awards: 224
Sole-source
8.6%
Small business
22%
Open in the contracts explorerFederal contracts

Spending by fiscal year

Obligations per federal fiscal year (October–September).

  1. 2.5BFY2017
  2. 2.7BFY2018
  3. 2.9BFY2019
  4. 3BFY2020
  5. 2.7BFY2021
  6. 2.4BFY2022
  7. 2.4BFY2023
  8. 2.7BFY2024
  9. 2.5BFY2025
  10. 2.5BFY2026
  11. -23.4KFY2027

Sub-agencies

Obligations in FY2026.

  1. Department of Education$2.5B100%

Top recipients

Obligations in FY2026.

  1. ACCENTURE FEDERAL SERVICES LLC$371.5M15%
  2. NELNET SERVICING LLC$304.8M12%
  3. MAXIMUS EDUCATION LLC$249.5M10.0%
  4. EDFINANCIAL SERVICES LLC$201.3M8.1%
  5. MAXIMUS FEDERAL SERVICES, INC.$143.2M5.7%
  6. MISSOURI HIGHER EDUCATION LOAN AUTHORITY$137.7M5.5%
  7. GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INC.$87.1M3.5%
  8. CENTRAL RESEARCH INC$73.6M3.0%
  9. WESTAT, INC.$63.2M2.5%
  10. PERATON ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS LLC$51.7M2.1%

What was bought · Where the work was performed

Obligations in FY2026.

What was bought

  1. Professional services$1.7B70%
  2. IT & telecom$712.8M29%
  3. Education & social services$22.2M0.9%
  4. Research & development$11M0.4%
  5. Construction & real property$2.2M0.1%
  6. Other equipment & supplies$1.8M0.1%
  7. Transportation & logistics$1.2M0.0%
  8. Equipment maintenance$380.5K0.0%
  9. Facilities & utilities$312.4K0.0%
  10. Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles$85.3K0.0%

Where the work was performed

  1. Virginia$978.2M39%
  2. District of Columbia$786.2M31%
  3. Nebraska$292.9M12%
  4. Tennessee$201.7M8.1%
  5. Utah$43.3M1.7%
  6. Massachusetts$37.6M1.5%
  7. Maryland$34.6M1.4%
  8. North Carolina$32.9M1.3%
  9. Washington$19.7M0.8%
  10. California$11.2M0.4%

Integrity signals

Shares of the year's obligations, next to the country's.

  • Low competition25%
    US 39% · $625.2M
  • Sole-source awards8.6%
    US 30% · $214.9M
  • Single-offer competitions16%
    US 8.7% · $410.3M
  • Urgency justifications0.0%
    US 5.1% · $429.7K
  • Year-end rush12%
    US 6.1% · $306.7M
  • Undefinitized contracts0.0%
    US 5.0% · $451.9K
  • Time-and-materials pricing3.1%
    US 4.2% · $76.2M

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Offices with the most sole-source money

  1. FSA ACQUISITIONS OFFICE$183.7M9.7%
    Department of Education
  2. CONTRACTS AND ACQUISTIONS MANAGEMENT$31.2M5.2%
    Department of Education
  3. NATIONAL ASSESSMENT GOVERNING BOARD$70.1K1.3%
    Department of Education

Contracts terminated for default: 1

Largest awards

  1. TIVOD SUPPORTS THE ORIGINATION, DISBURSEMENT, AND REPORTING OF TITLE IV FEDERAL STUDENT AID PROGRAMS, INCLUDING - BUT NOT LIMITED TO - DIRECT LOANS, PELL GRANTS, AND THE TEACHER EDUCATION ASSISTANCE FOR COLLEGE AND HIGHER EDUCATION GRANTS. THE TITLE IV SOLUTION SHALL ALSO PROVIDE ONGOING SUPPORT FOR THE DISCONTINUED TITLE IV FEDERAL STUDENT AID PROGRAMS, INCLUDING - BUT NOT LIMITED TO - ACADEMIC COMPETITIVENESS GRANTS AND NATIONAL SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS ACCESS TO RETAIN TALENT GRANTS.$1.5B
    ACCENTURE FEDERAL SERVICES LLC· District of Columbia, DC· Professional services· Nov 30, 2016 – Jan 15, 2026· EDFSA15C0006
  2. PROVIDE DIRECT LOAN SERVICES SUCH AS CALL CENTER AND FINANCIAL REPORTING - NELNET FROM 12/15/2019 THROUGH 12/14/2020$988.7M
    NELNET SERVICING LLC· District of Columbia, DC· Professional services· Nov 26, 2019 – Sep 29, 2026· 91003120F0312
  3. THIS TASK ORDER IS FOR AN ENTERPRISE-WIDE DIGITAL AND CUSTOMER CARE PLATFORMS AND SERVICES SOLUTION (ENTERPRISE-WIDE DIGITAL AND CUSTOMER CARE SOLUTION, AKA EWDCCPS, AKA DCC) THAT WILL ENABLE AN FSA-BRANDED OMNI-CHANNEL ENGAGEMENT APPROACH LED BY A MOBILE-FIRST, MOBILE-COMPLETE, AND MOBILE-CONTINUOUS DIGITAL PLATFORM SUPPORTING THE COMPLETE LIFECYCLE OF STUDENT FINANCING.$942.6M
    ACCENTURE FEDERAL SERVICES LLC· Arlington County, VA· Professional services· Feb 20, 2019 – Sep 21, 2026· 91003119F0003
  4. DEBT MANAGEMENT AND COLLECTIONS SYSTEM (DMCS)$892.7M
    MAXIMUS FEDERAL SERVICES, INC.· Fairfax County, VA· Professional services· Nov 2, 2016 – Sep 23, 2026· EDFSA13C0021
  5. PROVIDE DIRECT LOAN SERVICES SUCH AS CALL CENTER AND FINANCIAL REPORTING - NAVIENT FROM 12/15/2019 THROUGH 12/14/2020$764.4M
    MAXIMUS EDUCATION LLC· Fairfax County, VA· Professional services· Nov 26, 2019 – Sep 29, 2026· 91003120F0314
  6. THE PURPOSE OF THIS MODIFICATION IS TO CREATE A NEW TASK ORDER FOR CONTRACT ED-FSA-11-D-0012 WITH THE PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:01/01/2020 - 12/31/2020.$639.6M
    MISSOURI HIGHER EDUCATION LOAN AUTHORITY· St. Louis County, MO· Professional services· Dec 30, 2019 – Aug 11, 2026· 91003120F0331
  7. FEDERAL STUDENT AID'S VIRTUAL DATA CENTER, PROVIDING CENTRALIZED HOSTING AND MANAGEMENT OF ELECTRONIC DATA AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS, AND RELATED SERVICES TO SUPPORT FEDERAL STUDENT AID MISSION OF SERVICING STUDENT LOANS.$525M
    PERATON ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS LLC· Fairfax County, VA· IT & telecom· Dec 19, 2016 – Sep 29, 2026· EDFSA15O0090
  8. PROVIDE DIRECT LOAN SERVICES SUCH AS CALL CENTER AND FINANCIAL REPORTING - PHEAA FROM 12/15/2019 THROUGH 12/14/2020$506.5M
    PENNSLYVANIA HIGHER EDUCATION ASSISTANCE AGENCY· Dauphin County, PA· Professional services· Dec 6, 2019 – Aug 4, 2026· 91003120F0313

Federal grants & assistance awarded

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

Department of Education obligated $90.4B in federal assistance in FY2026, on 599,732 actions (28,669 new awards), −3.4% vs FY2025. Its largest program was 84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program ($37.2B).

Assistance · FY2026
$90.4B
New awards
28,669
Actions
599.7K
Since FY2021
$764.7B

Assistance by fiscal year

  1. 310.4BFY2021
  2. 96.5BFY2022
  3. 84.3BFY2023
  4. 89.6BFY2024
  5. 93.5BFY2025
  6. 90.4BFY2026

By type

  1. Grants$51B56%
  2. Direct payments$39.3B44%

Top programs

  1. 84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$37.2B41%
  2. 84.010 · Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies$18.3B20%
  3. 84.027 · Special Education Grants to States$14.3B16%
  4. 84.126 · Rehabilitation Services Vocational Rehabilitation Grants to States$4.2B4.6%
  5. 84.367 · Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (Formerly Improving Teacher Quality State GRANTS)$2.2B2.4%
  6. 84.041 · Impact Aid$1.6B1.8%
  7. 84.424 · Student Support and Academic Enrichment Program$1.3B1.5%
  8. 84.287 · Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers$1.3B1.5%

Top recipients (organizations)

  1. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CALIFORNIA$4.7B5.2%
    SACRAMENTO, CA
  2. TX EDUCATION AGENCY$3.8B4.3%
    AUSTIN, TX
  3. NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT$3.1B3.4%
    ALBANY, NY
  4. FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION$2.4B2.7%
    TALLAHASSEE, FL
  5. ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION$1.6B1.8%
    SPRINGFIELD, IL
  6. PENNSYLVANIA DEPT OF EDUCATION$1.5B1.7%
    HARRISBURG, PA
  7. OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION$1.4B1.6%
    COLUMBUS, OH
  8. GEORGIA DEPT OF EDUCATION$1.3B1.5%
    ATLANTA, GA

Where it went

  1. California$11B12%
  2. Texas$8.5B9.4%
  3. Florida$5.4B6.0%
  4. New York$5.1B5.7%
  5. Illinois$3.3B3.6%
  6. Georgia$3B3.3%
  7. Arizona$3B3.3%
  8. Pennsylvania$2.9B3.2%
  9. North Carolina$2.7B3.0%
  10. Ohio$2.6B2.9%

By state of the place of performance.

Sub-agencies

  1. Department of Education$90.4B100%

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Subawards under this agency's awards

First-tier subawards that recipients of this agency's contracts and financial assistance reported, by the fiscal year of the subaward.

FY2026

  • Sub-contracts: $100.3M (119 subawards)
  • Sub-grants: $26.5B (60,533 subawards)

14,095 sub-recipients

Largest sub-recipients

  1. LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT$691.7M2.6%
    LOS ANGELES, CA · 25 subawards
  2. CITY OF NEW YORK BOARD OF EDUCATION$685.8M2.6%
    BROOKLYN, NY · 29 subawards
  3. BOARD OF EDUCATION CITY OF CHICAGO$380.4M1.4%
    CHICAGO, IL · 21 subawards
  4. SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA$244.9M0.9%
    PHILADELPHIA, PA · 13 subawards
  5. WAYNE COUNTY REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL SERVICE AGENCY$205.4M0.8%
    WAYNE, MI · 15 subawards
  6. CLARK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT$202.7M0.8%
    LAS VEGAS, NV · 11 subawards
  7. HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT$177.1M0.7%
    HOUSTON, TX · 10 subawards
  8. DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS COMMUNITY DISTRICT$165.7M0.6%
    DETROIT, MI · 7 subawards
  9. MILWAUKEE BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS$137.4M0.5%
    MILWAUKEE, WI · 18 subawards
  10. FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS$126.5M0.5%
    FALLS CHURCH, VA · 24 subawards

Primes report first-tier subawards of $30,000 or more themselves, and many go unreported (GAO-24-106214). Reporting moved from FSRS to SAM.gov in March 2025 and fewer sub-contracts have been reported since. Amounts are what primes reported; they are never added to prime award totals.

Source: Subawards (first-tier sub-contracts and sub-grants reported under FFATA) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov (reports filed in SAM.gov, formerly FSRS)), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · Subawards loaded from FY2021.

Who lobbies this agency

Organizations whose quarterly lobbying reports list this agency as contacted, ranked by the reports' spending. A report's amount covers all its issues and every agency it lists; reports do not split it.

Lobbying in 2026
$184.2M
Clients
463
Reports
841

The whole amount of every report that lists this agency.

Organizations lobbying it, 2026

  1. Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A.$36.7M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Education, Budget and appropriations, Health issues
  2. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS$15.5M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Budget and appropriations, Labor issues, antitrust and workplace, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code
  3. American Medical AssociationAI match · 99%$13.1M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Education, Budget and appropriations, Health issues
  4. META PLATFORMS, INC.$13.1M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code, Immigration, Civil rights and civil liberties
  5. AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATIONAI match · 99%$10.6M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Budget and appropriations, Health issues, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code
  6. Amazon.com Services LLCAI match · 100%$8.7M
    8.8% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Education, Budget and appropriations, Health issues
  7. GENERAL DYNAMICS CORPORATIONAI match · 100%$6.8M
    0.3% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Education, Budget and appropriations, Labor issues, antitrust and workplace
  8. MICROSOFT CORPORATIONAI match · 99%$5.1M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Education, Labor issues, antitrust and workplace, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code
  9. AICPA Association of International Certified Professional Accountants$3.1M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Education, Labor issues, antitrust and workplace, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code
  10. Software & Information Industry Association$2.8M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Education, Science and technology, Consumer issues, safety and products
  11. FOX CORPORATION$2.5M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Telecommunications, Banking, Copyright, patent and trademark
  12. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS$2.4M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Budget and appropriations, Labor issues, antitrust and workplace, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code
  13. Oracle CorporationAI match · 100%$2.1M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Education, Budget and appropriations, Health issues
  14. University of California$2M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Education, Budget and appropriations, Health issues
  15. THE HOME DEPOT INC.$1.8M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Education, Labor issues, antitrust and workplace, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code

24 more clients ($1.1M) are counted but not named: their names may be a person's.

Lobbying amounts are the filers' own good-faith estimates on quarterly LD-2 reports (the law asks for amounts rounded to $10,000; under $5,000 need not be itemized), latest amendment only. When an organization files its own report, it replaces what outside firms report for it that quarter. Matches are by name. Lobbying and political giving are legal and public: they show engagement with government, not influence over any award. Correlation is not influence: these organizations' lobbying and their contracts are shown side by side, and nothing here implies either affected the other.

Source: Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · 2023–2026.

Source: Committees, candidates and committee contributions to candidates (Federal Election Commission), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · 2026, 2024, 2022.

Matches: Analisa AI name judgments (entity-match@1), updated Oct 5, 2026.

Committees that oversee and fund it

Congressional committees whose jurisdiction includes this agency, and the appropriations subcommittees that write its spending bill (Analisa's reading of the House and Senate rules; committees share jurisdiction). Leaders as currently published.

…

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026.