Federal sub-agency · Department of Transportation

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration obligated $290.8M on federal contracts in FY2026 across 366 contract actions (+8.3% vs FY2025). Its largest recipient was STRATACOMM, LLC ($76.7M). It also awarded $1B in federal grants and other assistance in FY2026.

Obligations · FY2026
$290.8M
Actions
366
New awards: 91
Sole-source
16%
Small business
35%
Open in the contracts explorerRelationship graphFederal contracts

Spending by fiscal year

Obligations per federal fiscal year (October–September).

  1. 185.5MFY2017
  2. 200.8MFY2018
  3. 221.9MFY2019
  4. 239.7MFY2020
  5. 226.9MFY2021
  6. 286.7MFY2022
  7. 319MFY2023
  8. 335.8MFY2024
  9. 268.4MFY2025
  10. 290.8MFY2026
  11. 50KFY2027

Top recipients

Obligations in FY2026.

  1. STRATACOMM, LLC$76.7M26%
  2. KLD ASSOCIATES INC$35.4M12%
  3. TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH CENTER INC$25.2M8.7%
  4. SPATIAL FRONT INC$15.5M5.3%
  5. STRONGBRIDGE LLC$14.3M4.9%
  6. HALVIK LLC$13.6M4.7%
  7. SIKICH FEDERAL INC.$8.9M3.1%
  8. THE ADVERTISING COUNCIL INC$7.2M2.5%
  9. VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE & STATE UNIVERSITY$5.9M2.0%
  10. WESTAT, INC.$5.7M2.0%

What was bought · Where the work was performed

Obligations in FY2026.

What was bought

  1. Professional services$207.2M71%
  2. IT & telecom$42.4M15%
  3. Research & development$38.8M13%
  4. Education & social services$2.1M0.7%
  5. Other equipment & supplies$630.3K0.2%
  6. Health & medical$35K0.0%
  7. Equipment maintenance$6,6720.0%

Where the work was performed

  1. District of Columbia$204.9M70%
  2. Virginia$32.6M11%
  3. Ohio$18.9M6.5%
  4. New York$8.8M3.0%
  5. Maryland$7M2.4%
  6. Utah$4.3M1.5%
  7. Michigan$3.2M1.1%
  8. Illinois$2.9M1.0%
  9. California$2.1M0.7%
  10. North Carolina$1.6M0.6%

Integrity signals

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

  • Low competition25%
    US 39% · $72.2M
  • Sole-source awards16%
    US 30% · $46.6M
  • Single-offer competitions8.8%
    US 8.7% · $25.6M
  • Urgency justifications0.0%
    US 5.1% · $0
  • Year-end rush40%
    US 6.0% · $116.7M
  • Undefinitized contracts1.1%
    US 5.0% · $3.2M
  • Time-and-materials pricing51%
    US 4.2% · $149.7M

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. 693JJ9 NHTSA OFFICE OF ACQUISTION$46.6M16%

Largest awards

  1. NEW CONTRACT TO PROVIDE FOR CRASH INVESTIGATION, PAR COLLECTION, AND DATA CODING AT 32 CRASH INVESTIGATION SAMPLING SYSTEM (CISS) SITES.$145.3M
    KLD ASSOCIATES INC· District of Columbia, DC· Professional services· Sep 15, 2021 – Sep 24, 2026· 693JJ921C000011
  2. OBTAIN NATIONAL AND REGIONAL MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION SERVICES AS A TASK ORDER UNDER 693JJ924R000013.$131.7M
    STRATACOMM, LLC· District of Columbia, DC· Professional services· Sep 30, 2024 – Mar 12, 2026· 693JJ924F00181N
  3. ARTEMIS-INVESTIGATIONS, RECALLS, O&M, AND CLOSEOUT (IROC)$47.4M
    SPATIAL FRONT INC· Fairfax County, VA· IT & telecom· Sep 15, 2022 – Sep 23, 2026· 693JJ922F00008N
  4. ISSUE A NEW BASE PLUS FOUR (04) YEARS CALL ORDER UTILIZING THE OST SWES BPA FOR THE CRASH DATA ACQUISITION NETWORK (CDAN) OPERATION AND INFORMATION MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY CONTRACT TO MAINTAIN OPERATIONS.$34.9M
    STRONGBRIDGE LLC· District of Columbia, DC· IT & telecom· Sep 26, 2023 – Sep 29, 2026· 693JJ923F000030
  5. TITLE: OBTAIN NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS, MARKETING, AND MEDIA SUPPORT$28.6M
    STRATACOMM, LLC· District of Columbia, DC· Professional services· Jul 29, 2026 – Jul 29, 2026· 693JJ926F00041N
  6. EDMAS PROFESSIONAL & BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT SERVICES$22.9M
    HALVIK LLC· District of Columbia, DC· Professional services· Jul 31, 2024 – Jul 31, 2026· 693JJ924F00015N
  7. CRASH INVESTIGATION SAMPLING SYSTEM (CISS) QUALITY CONTROL CENTER OPERATIONS$20.8M
    AUTOMOTIVE SAFETY RESEARCH CENTER, LLC· District of Columbia, DC· Professional services· Aug 2, 2021 – Sep 28, 2026· 693JJ921C000007
  8. ISSUE A NEW FIVE (05) YEAR CONTRACT FOR ENGINEERING, ANALYTICAL, STATISTICAL, AND OTHER SUPPORT SERVICES TO SUPPORT FIVE (05) NHTSA OFFICES. TITLE: ENGINEERING, ANALYTICAL, STATISTICAL, AND OTHER SUPPORT SERVICES FOR FIVE NHTSA OFFICES.$19.7M
    BOWHEAD MISSION SOLUTIONS, LLC· Fairfax County, VA· Professional services· Sep 27, 2022 – Aug 28, 2026· 693JJ922F00186N

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.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration obligated $1B in federal assistance in FY2026, on 1,410 actions (1,326 new awards), −10% vs FY2025. Its largest program was 20.600 · State and Community Highway Safety ($406.7M).

Assistance · FY2026
$1B
New awards
1,326
Actions
1,410
Since FY2021
$5.3B

Assistance by fiscal year

  1. 687.2MFY2021
  2. 874.8MFY2022
  3. 915.5MFY2023
  4. 708.6MFY2024
  5. 1.1BFY2025
  6. 1BFY2026

By type

  1. Grants$1B99.9%
  2. Other assistance$1.4M0.1%

Top programs

  1. 20.600 · State and Community Highway Safety$406.7M40%
  2. 20.616 · National Priority Safety Programs$382.2M38%
  3. 20.608 · Minimum Penalties for Repeat Offenders for Driving While Intoxicated$84.8M8.3%
  4. 20.614 · National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Discretionary Safety Grants and Cooperative Agreements$70.9M7.0%
  5. 20.607 · Alcohol Open Container Requirements$65.9M6.5%
  6. 20.611 · Incentive Grant Program to Prohibit Racial Profiling$7.6M0.7%

Top recipients (organizations)

  1. CALIFORNIA OFFICE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY$121.8M12%
    ELK GROVE, CA
  2. STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$69.4M6.8%
    TALLAHASSEE, FL
  3. TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$57M5.6%
    AUSTIN, TX
  4. VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT MOTOR VEHICLES$43.8M4.3%
    RICHMOND, VA
  5. DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES NEW YORK STATE$40.1M3.9%
    ALBANY, NY
  6. ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$30M2.9%
    SPRINGFIELD, IL
  7. PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$28.2M2.8%
    HARRISBURG, PA
  8. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION CONNECTICUT$26.8M2.6%
    NEWINGTON, CT

Where it went

  1. California$125.3M12%
  2. Texas$57M5.6%
  3. Virginia$44.7M4.4%
  4. New York$40.1M3.9%
  5. Florida$39.3M3.9%
  6. Minnesota$38.8M3.8%
  7. Pennsylvania$32.6M3.2%
  8. Illinois$31M3.0%
  9. Tennessee$30.9M3.0%
  10. Ohio$29.3M2.9%

By state of the place of performance.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 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: $8.5M (41 subawards)
  • Sub-grants: $227.8M (2,301 subawards)

1,138 sub-recipients

Largest sub-recipients

  1. NEW YORK STATE POLICE$12.9M5.5%
    ALBANY, NY · 11 subawards
  2. MOTOR VEHICLES, NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF$8M3.4%
    ALBANY, NY · 7 subawards
  3. IPG DXTRA, INC.$3.7M1.6%
    NEW YORK, NY · 14 subawards
  4. OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, THE$3.4M1.4%
    COLUMBUS, OH · 12 subawards
  5. NEW YORK STATE DIVISION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES$3.2M1.3%
    ALBANY, NY · 5 subawards
  6. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA$3.1M1.3%
    JACKSONVILLE, FL · 18 subawards
  7. NEW YORK STATE SHERIFFS INSTITUE$3.1M1.3%
    ALBANY, NY · 4 subawards
  8. HEALTH RESEARCH, INC.$2.9M1.2%
    MENANDS, NY · 4 subawards
  9. JUDICIARY COURTS OF STATE OF MINNESOTA$2.9M1.2%
    SAINT PAUL, MN · 14 subawards
  10. NEW YORK STATE STOP-DWI FOUNDATION$2.7M1.2%
    FORT EDWARD, NY · 2 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 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 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
$121.6M
Clients
77
Reports
139

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 · Transportation, Trade (domestic and foreign), Automotive industry
  2. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS$15.5M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code, Budget and appropriations, Labor issues, antitrust and workplace
  3. GENERAL MOTORS COMPANYAI match · 100%$14.8M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Trade (domestic and foreign), Automotive industry, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code
  4. American Medical AssociationAI match · 99%$8M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code, Budget and appropriations, Labor issues, antitrust and workplace
  5. AARP$7.9M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Transportation, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code, Budget and appropriations
  6. HONEYWELL INTERNATIONALAI match · 100%$3.5M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Transportation, Trade (domestic and foreign), Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code
  7. Chevron U.S.A. Inc.AI match · 100%$3.3M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Transportation, Trade (domestic and foreign), Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code
  8. NATIONAL AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION$2.6M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Trade (domestic and foreign), Automotive industry, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code
  9. American Honda Motor Co., Inc.$2.4M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Transportation, Trade (domestic and foreign), Automotive industry
  10. CONSUMER TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION$2.2M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Transportation, Trade (domestic and foreign), Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code
  11. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS$2.1M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Transportation, Trade (domestic and foreign), Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code
  12. Waymo LLC$2M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Transportation
  13. FORD MOTOR COMPANYAI match · 100%$2M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Transportation, Trade (domestic and foreign), Automotive industry
  14. 3M COMPANYAI match · 100%$1.5M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Transportation, Trade (domestic and foreign), Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code
  15. Tesla Inc.$1.4M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Trade (domestic and foreign), Automotive industry, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code

2 more clients ($120K) 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 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026 · 2023–2026.

Source: Committees, candidates and committee contributions to candidates (Federal Election Commission), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 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.

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Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.