Historical Government Contracts

This particular section of the guide is intended to make it easier for those looking for information about specific government contracts. While some of the sources go back over 50 years, it does include information on more recent contracts that have been awarded as well. We are constantly on the look out for sources for awarded contracts, but currently there are time periods where sources are limited.

There are a few things to note:

Those sources that have information about contracts awarded, do not contain actual copies of contracts. Often it is just dates, contractor, award amount, what is the good/service, agency. Much of the information beyond that, may touch on proprietary information or in some cases, information may be classified. There may be more detailed information in agency records but you will have to contact the National Archives.
The National Archives collection includes many documents but how they are arranged may mean you need the contractor name and the contract number and you will need to look at the records for the specific agencies. For example: Federal Supply Service, General Services Administration, Quartermaster General, etc.
Some contracts may not be available. Records retention schedules allow the agencies to destroy most official contract files six years and three months after final contract payment.
Searching news resources may be a way to find additional information if the sources below are insufficient or when there are no regular sources available. This is particularly true for anyone doing research on contracts prior to World War II particularly when the only accessible source to find any information on contracts were news sources.

For anyone doing research on Civil War era contracts, newspapers specifically those in Washington, D.C. like those found in Chronicling America, may be helpful. Many notices about contracts to be let were posted in papers like the Evening Star, National Republican, and Daily National Republican under the heading of PROPOSALS or ARMY SUPPLIES. You would need to search for what is being contracted and if you are using Chronicling America, limit to dates and publications to narrow down your search results. Finding who was awarded the contract may be more difficult. There are several agencies who were involved in government contracting in some fashion this is from the National Archives finding aid for the records of the Federal Supply Service:

Predecessor Agencies

Board of Awards (1894-1909)
General Supply Committee, Board of Awards (1909-10)

In the Department of the Treasury

General Supply Committee (1910-34) (see Superintendent of Supplies)
Federal Coordinating Service, Bureau of the Budget (1921-33)
Procurement Division (1933-46)
Bureau of Federal Supply (1947-49)

In the General Services Administration

Federal Supply Service (FSS, 1949-82)
Office of Personal Property (1982-83)
Office of Federal Supply and Services (1983-85)

If you are looking for statistics, the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) includes reports, and sources like the Statistical Abstract published by the U.S. Census Bureau until 2012 have very high level data. The sources included here can also be used to get basic numbers and totals. The Government Accountability Office (previously the Government Accounting Office) will often do infographics on their blog (example from 2019) as well as reports like CONTRACTING DATA ANALYSIS Assessment of Government-wide Trends.

Print Sources

Prior to the creation of electronic source the government did occasionally make the effort to capture information in print sources.

World War I through World War II

There are some sources for information related to both World War I and World War II. However, the information is very limited, and in the case of World War I less straightforward to use and find. To date, these are the best sources we have found, but there are other documents that may have looked at particular products and situations

In 1941, an article listed sources for contract awards information that included – though many of these may no longer be available. It also mentioned that the Federal Reserve Banks and branch banks Defense Contract Service has lists of contracts already let and that they could be found in the daily papers like the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.

Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act Bulletin (US Department of Labor, Division of Public Contracts)
Contracts and Expenditures (Office of Government Reports)
Major Defense Contracts Awarded by War and Navy Departments (Office of Production Management, Bureau of Research and Statistics)
Daily Proposal Record and Federal Purchasing Record (Atlas Publishing Company)
National Defense Reports (Congressional Intelligence, Inc.)
U.S. Government Advertiser Government Contracts Guide (Advisory Business Services, Inc.)
National Defense Bulletin (Chamber of Commerce of the United States)
Business Advisor (Standard & Poor’s)

The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to digital versions are provided when available.

Alphabetical Listing of Major War Supply Contracts by War Production Board
Call Number: HD3858 .U595 1943
Published/Created: 1943
Available online from Hathi Trust External
Some related 1944 data available online from Hathi Trust External
This title includes contracts though 1943 for those contracts above $50,000 for the Army, Navy, Maritime Commission, Treasury, and purchasing missions of foreign governments. It is organized by company with the individual contracts for that company listed chronologically.
Alphabetical Listing of Major War Supply Contracts by Civilian Production Administration
Call Number: HD3858 .U594 1945
Published/Created: 1946
This title is cumulative for contracts between June 1940 and September 1945 for major contracts above $50,000. This four volume title included contracts for the Army, Navy, Maritime Commission, Treasury (for lend-lease), and purchasing missions of foreign governments. It is also organized by company.
Alphabetical Listing of Completed War Supply Contracts by War Production Board
Call Number: HD3858 .U5952 1943
Published/Created: 1943
This title covers completed contracts priced above $50,000 through 1943 for the Army, Navy, Maritime Commission, Treasury, and purchasing missions of foreign governments.
Economic Concentration and World War II by Smaller War Plants Corporation
Published/Created: 1946
This is a report to the Senate (Document no. 206) and was done for the Senate Small Business Committee looking at survival of small and independent business in the manufacturing, wholesale, and retailing sectors and look specifically at World War II. Part II is War Industries (ex. metal products, petroleum, rubber, etc.) and Part II is Non-War Industries (ex. tobacco, textiles/apparel, lumber, printing, etc.)
Of note is Table 4 (p.30) which lists the top 100 companies by value of prime contracts awarded.
General Schedule of Supplies by United States. General Supply Committee
Call Number: JK1671.A2
Holdings: FY1910-FY1934
Example from 1922 available online from Hathi Trust External
The subtitle of this says "Containing the awards for material, supplies, and equipment for the use of the Executive departments and other establishments of the government"
This was put out within the Treasury Department. One part of this title is an A-Z list wit city/state and sometimes contact individual. The bulk of the title is information by Class 1-20 and that does include a contractor name. There is an Index at the rear that will identify particular products (ex. types of paper, shoes, soaps, etc.). There is also Form A with instructions to bidders and Circulars 3 "Regulation relating to the making of contracts for miscellaneous supplies," 46 "Regulation relating to the enforcement of contracts for miscellaneous supplies," and 109.
State Listing of Major War Supply Contracts by War Production Board
Call Number: HD3858 .U486
June 1940 through September 1941 with October 1941 supplement available online from Hathi Trust External
This was a monthly supplement published from 1942-1945, though there is also a retrospective volume that covers the years 1940-1942. Obviously it lists contracts by state for each monthly publication.
Related title Summary of War Supply and Facility Contracts by State, Industrial Area and County 1943-45 available online from Hathi Trust External
Major defense contracts awarded by War and Navy Departments between June 1 and November 30, 1940, by United States. Council of National Defense. Advisory Commission. Bureau of Research and Statistics
Call Number: UC267 .U6 1940c
Published/Created: 1941
This is just for the period of June-November 1940 though there is a supplement for December 1940-January 1941. It is listed alphabetical by contractor wit information on city contracted item, gross value, and award/completion date. The supplement lists things by Federal Reserve District.
Official Bulletin by Committee on Public Information
Call Number: D570.A2 A3
Published/Created: 1917-1919
Additional Record
Available online from U.S. World War I Centennial Commission External
This is a good source for WWI related war contracts. Depending on the issue, there can be pages-long, detailed list of purchase orders and contracts. Read Supplying the Great War blog post for a more detailed overview.
Bulletin by United States. Department of Labor. Division of Public Contracts
Call Number: HD3858.U48
Holdings: No.1 (1936) - No. 265 (1941), irregular issues 1951-1953 (published roughly weekly).
The organization of the title changed a bit over time. In some issues it was organized by agency. Beginning in December 1936 It was organized by state. In some cases there was a supplementary listing of contracts at on the last page. Beginning with August 1937 the listing was grouped by industrial groupings like: food and kindred products; paper and allied products; chemicals and allied products; electrical machinery; etc. Each issue started with the number and value of contracts since the previous issues and did keep a running total since the title began (9/1936 as a result of the Walsh-Healty Act). Data included: agency, date of award, contractor name and address, commodity, and amount.
Victory Bulletin (also called Defense) by Office of Emergency Management
Call Number: HC101 .V5
Some issues from the 1940's are available online from Hathi Trust External
This was the Official Bulletin of the National Defense Advisory Commission and was a weekly publication with news but also included a Complication of Contracts.
Decisions of the War Department Board of Contract Adjustment by United States. War Department. Board of Contract Adjustment
Call Number: UC267 .U55
Published/Created: 1920-1921
Available online from from the Hathi Trust External
This set does have situations where there was a contested contract or issue only. However, if there was, this can provide information on the contract. You will need to look up the contractor in the index.

1950 - 1997

These are the limited sources in print prior to the advent of sources like the Federal Procurement Data System and USASpending.

500 contractors receiving the largest dollar volume of prime contract awards for research, development, test, and evaluation / issued annually by Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports
Call Number: UC267 .A15
Holdings: 1982-1995 (1996 and 1997 are just the top 100)
There are statistics but is mostly the list with some contract information.
Commerce Business Daily
Call Number: JK1673 .A24
Published/Created: 1962-
Editions are also available via Microfilm
Commerce Business Daily (CBD) listed the notices of proposed government procurement actions, contract awards, sales of government property, and other procurement information but it ceased in January 2002. After CBD ended it became CBDNet and then there was the web-based FedBizOpps though for a while there was overlap between CBDNet and FedBizOpps. Each edition contained approximately 500-1,000 notices. Each notice appeared in the CBD only once. All Federal procurement offices were required to announce proposed procurement actions over $25,000 and contract awards over $25,000, that are likely to result in the award of any subcontracts, in the CBD. This would be a good source for finding the contractor and contract number.
Some editions from 1996-2001 are available for bulk download only via the GPO's GovInfo website. More current contracts to let are available via SAM when the transition began on July 24, 2012 (Phase I). In 2021, SAM.gov merged with beta.SAM.gov
Military prime contract awards by Directorate for Information Operations and Reports
Call Number: UC267 .U598c
Holdings: 1969-97
Volumes beginning with 1962 available online from the Hathi Trust External
Information is presented by object and presents service category and Federal Supply Classification.
Prime contract awards, size distribution by Directorate for Information Operations and Reports
Call Number: UC267 .P783
Holdings:1980, 1982-1987, 1984/87-1997
This title is primarily tables with total numbers and not a list of contracts/contractors. Reports for the Defense Department for Amy, Navy, Air Force, DLA, Civil functions.
Prime contract awards / issued by Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports by United States. Department of Defense
Call Number: UC267 .U598e
Holdings: 1967-1997
Volume for 1951-1981 available online from the Hathi Trust External
Information is presented by equipment or object and is limited to Defense Department contracts only.
Prime contract awards by state by United States. Department of Defense
Call Number: UC267 .U598d
Holdings: 1951-1981, 1985-1997
The information is just for Defense contracts and just presents state totals by branch. Each year is a single chart.

Internet Sources

Much of the information for more current contracts is digital. Currently the Federal Procurement Data System or FPDS (previously the Federal Procurement Data Center) part of the General Services Administration is the biggest aggregator of information on awarded contracts. However, some limited data is available for military contracts has been digitized by the National Archives. If you want to understand the history of government contracts data the GAO published two reports The Federal Procurement Data System -- Making It Work Better, 1980 (PDF, 2.8 MB) and Reliability of Federal Procurement Data, 2003 (PDF, 45.6 KB). CRS published two reports at the end of 2020 Tracking Federal Awards: USAspending.gov and Other Data Sources (PDF, 743 KB) and Tracking Federal Awards in States and Congressional Districts Using USAspending.gov.

The GAO as well as more overview reports often at the request of Congress. For example, there is an annual assessment of weapon systems (example from 2019), the annual overview of NASA projects (example from 2019), etc.. The Congressional Research Service has also produced reports like Defense Acquisitions: How and Where DOD Spends Its Contracting Dollars and Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2019.

Defense Security Cooperation Agency
This is the part of the Department of Defense that coordinates foreign arms sales. See their Resources for information on how the process works and includes publications like "Foreign Customer Guide" and "Arms Sales: Congressional Review Process." The "DSCA Historical Facts book and Fiscal Year Series" are important sources for numbers related to foreign military sales.
Department of Defense Contracts
Contracts valued at $7 million or more are announced each business day at 5 p.m. Data back to 2014. The FOIA reading room does have information. Under Contracts and Selected Acquistion Reports (SARs) there is a list of documents as a result part of a FOIA request and it just by a number.
Electronic Records Pertaining to Federal Expenditures, Contracts, Grants, and Awards
This reference report provides an overview of the electronic data records in the custody of the National Archives that contain data on specific Federal expenditures, domestic contracts, grants, and awards or contain compilations of derived data based on awards by geographic areas. Full descriptions of the series and data files listed in this report are in the National Archives Catalog.
Federal Expenditures by State
This source Consolidated Federal Funds Report (CFFR), is limited. First, it only published for a few years (1981-1997) and what contracts data is limited to aggregate totals by state "Federal Government Procurement Contracts-Value of Awards by State and Territory" (sometimes Table 5). Prior to the CFFR data could be found in the Federal Outlays System Files from 1968.
Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation (FPDS-NG)
This is run by the GSA and was an outgrowth of the Federal Procurement Data Center (FPDC) that ran reports. As specified on the website, "Contracts whose estimated value is $10,000 or more. Every modification to that contract, regardless of dollar value must be reported to FPDS-NG." The Reports area includes information for Fiscal Years 1981 - 1999, as well as Top 100 Contractors Report (2006-), and Small Business Goaling Reports (FY 2005-2018). The Archives area contain raw data and are really intended for use by users who have a great deal of experience with procurement data. If you are a member of the public, a member of the Congress, or a government official who does not require access to submit data, you will need to establish an account that allows you to create reports and retrieve data.
Find RFP External
Find RFP can be helpful for state/local RFPs but does include federal. Users can search or browse by U.S. state. Searching is free and open but need subscription to view information.
GAO Bid Protests - Search Decisions & Docket
This site is only for published decision. This is from the GAO and says it "does not publish most decisions dismissing a protest, including instances where an agency takes some form of corrective action."
Government Spending Files - National Archives (Access to Archival Databases)
Defense/Military:
Military Goods and Services Provided to Foreign Countries, documenting the period ca. 10/1/1950 - 9/30/2004
Defense Spending and Receipts in Foreign Countries, documenting the period 7/1/1959 - 9/30/1985
Prime Contracts Awarded by the Military Services and Agencies, documenting 7/1/1965 - 6/30/1975
Prime Contracts Awarded by the Military Services and Agencies, documenting the period 7/1/1975 - 9/30/2006
Other Federal Agencies/Programs:
Contracts Awarded by Federal Agencies, documenting the period 10/1/1978 - 9/30/1997 - (Federal Procurement Data System)
Funded Projects in Appalachia, documenting the period 1965 - 2001
Grants, Insurance, Loans, Subsidies and Other Economic Assistance Awarded by Federal Agencies, documenting the period 10/1/1980 - 9/30/1981
Grants, Insurance, Loans, Subsidies and Other Economic Assistance Awarded by Federal Agencies, documenting the period 10/1/1981 - 9/30/2010 Federal Assistance Award Data System
Relating to Projects to Assist the Homeless, documenting the period 1987 - 1994
Community Action Program Grants and Grantees, documenting the period 7/1/1964 - 9/30/1981
History Associates External
They maintain a proprietary DoD Prime Contracts Database.
National Archives
There are a number of record sets that may be of interests. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Records of the office of the Quartermaster General [OQMG] (Record Group 92)
Federal Supply Service (Record Group 137, 1909-79)
Records of the General Services Administration (Record Group 269, 1922-89, 1994)
Office of Contract Settlement (OCS, 1944)
OCS, Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion (1944-46)
Department of the Treasury (successor in function to OCS, 1946-49)
Bureau of Federal Supply, Department of the Treasury (1947-49)
Federal Works Agency (FWA, 1939-49)
National Archives Establishment (1934-49)
War Assets Administration, Office for Emergency Management (1946-49)
You may also need to go to particular agency records or other sources for particular time periods or situations. For example, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives Chapter 22 for Contracts and Expenditures by the War Department (1910-1946).
Online Books by United States War Production Board External
This is a list of items with links to the digital version, from the War Production Board. Most are related to industrial capacity and war.
Statistical Abstract
The Statistical Abstract was published by the Census Bureau. What is included is just total number and is usually listed under "Expenditures of U.S. Government." Broken down on what it was spent on (i.e. military, roads, farms, construction projects, etc.) but organization, headings, and what was included changed over time. This title cease being published by the United States government with the 2012 edition, but has been continued by a private publisher.
USASpending.gov
This is run by the GSA. This page is predominantly government contracts but also includes grants. It was created by the "Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) of 2006" which required that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) establish a single searchable website, accessible to the public at no cost, which includes details for each Federal award (prime and sub contractors). It is also a good source for determining this type of government spending by agency, prime awardee and location (state, congressional district). In 2008, FFATA was amended by the Government Funding Transparency Act, which required prime recipients to report details on their first-tier sub-recipients for awards made as of October 1, 2010.It is a more user friendly public facing system related to the Federal Procurement Data System. It doesn't include contracts before this system was established.
USA Spending does include some subcontracts (to the first tier only) as they are reported via the FFATA Subaward Reporting System (FSRS).
Washington Technology External
This publication is good for looking for news about government contracts and government contractors and has been published since 1986. They publish an annual Top 100 Contractors and have their own contracts awarded database. The Rankings tab has lists back to 2003 for the Top 100, the Fast 50, and the top 50 25 (8)a Contractors.

Federal Government Contracting: A Resource Guide

Historical Government Contracts

Print Sources

World War I through World War II

1950 - 1997

Internet Sources