Federal Contracting Guide · Professional, Scientific & Technical Services
541715R&D in Physical/Engineering/Life Sciences
What NAICS 541715 covers, the SBA size standard, typical federal customers, related codes, and the tools you need to actually bid under this code.
What NAICS 541715 covers
R&D except nanotech and biotech. Heavily used for DoD, NASA, and DOE research contracts.
Major federal procurement category. Expect hundreds of millions to billions in annual federal obligations.
Size standard & small business eligibility
The SBA size standard is employee-count-based. To qualify as a small business under this NAICS code, your average headcount (including part-time and temporary workers) across the 24 months preceding a bid must stay under the threshold below.
Threshold: Employees: 1,000 (1,500 aircraft/missiles).
If you're under this threshold, you qualify as a small business for federal procurement under this NAICS — which unlocks set-aside opportunities (8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, and others). Not sure which set-asides you qualify for?
Check your set-aside eligibility
10 questions, takes under 3 minutes. Returns the exact SBA programs you qualify for — 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, EDWOSB.
Run the eligibility check →Typical federal customers
Federal buyers for NAICS 541715 depend on your specific capability, but for this category (very high federal spend) look closely at agencies whose missions align with your keywords. Check live opportunities on SAM.gov before making your NAICS registration final.
See live opportunities for NAICS 541715
SAM.gov lists every active federal opportunity filtered by NAICS. Use this to validate that real agencies actually buy your capability under this code.
Open SAM.gov search →Related work this NAICS covers
Use these terms in your capability statement and past-performance writeups to signal fit to contracting officers who filter by NAICS.
Next step: your capability statement
Once your NAICS code is registered in SAM.gov, your capability statement is the single most-requested document from federal contracting officers and large primes. It's how buyers decide whether to put you on a short list or send you a sources-sought notice.
Build a capability statement (NAICS 541715 pre-filled)
Free interactive builder. Enter your company info, past performance, and certifications — export a clean one-page PDF formatted the way contracting officers actually want to read it.
Start your capability statement →Related NAICS codes
Firms that win work under NAICS 541715 often also register under these codes.
Not sure NAICS 541715 is the right fit?
Many new federal contractors register under the wrong NAICS the first time — which means their set-aside eligibility, size standard, and match to opportunities are all miscalibrated. Our finder matches your capability description to the top federal-relevant codes in 60 seconds.
Find your best-fit NAICS codes
Paste your capability description. Returns the top 5 matching NAICS codes with size standards and federal spend level for each.
Open the NAICS finder →Get The Contract Wire in your inbox
Daily briefing on federal contracting — new SAM.gov postings, set-aside alerts, agency spending shifts. Every weekday morning, 5-min read, free.