The U.S. government prides itself on spreading the wealth when it comes to outsourcing contracts to private companies. In Fiscal Year 2010, it awarded contracts to 163,500 different contractors. It sounds impressive. But a closer look at the numbers reveals that a mere 10 companies raked in more than 25% of all contracting deals last year, collectively earning $138.4 billion.

 

The top 10 for Fiscal Year 2010 were all military contractors. Here is the list with links to their FY 2011 prime awards information:

 

1. Lockheed Martin ($35.8 billion)

2. Boeing ($19.4 billion)

3. Northrop Grumman ($16.7 billion)

4. General Dynamics ($15.2 billion)

5. Raytheon ($15.2 billion)

6. United Technologies ($7.7 billion)

7. L-3 Communications ($7.4 billion)

8. Oshkosh Corporation ($7.2 billion)

9. SAIC ($6.7 billion)

10. BAE Systems ($6.5 billion)

 

For the record, Oshkosh Corporation is not OshKosh B’Gosh, the maker of children’s clothes, but a completely different company that makes all-terrain and other vehicles for the military.

-David Wallechinsky

 

Know Your Enemy Better: the Top 10 Federal Contractors, All Working for the Military (by Jim Cook, Irregular Times)

Top 100 Contractors FY 2010 (Federal Procurement Data System) (xls)

Big 5 Defense Contractors Not Hurt by Their Multiple Cases of Misconduct (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)