Who wins the most government contracts in Illinois?

Of the federal contract awards on file for Illinois, UCHICAGO ARGONNE, LLC holds the largest total: 1 award worth $17,420,483,635. That is a ranking of this dataset, not of every contractor in the state: the table above is capped at the 20 largest by award dollars.

Which federal agency buys the most in Illinois?

Department of Defense accounts for the largest total in this dataset: 3,787,232 awards worth $79,865,444,887. Knowing your buyer matters — agencies reuse the same contracting offices, the same clause sets, and often the same incumbents.

How big is a typical government contract in Illinois?

The median award on file is $255, while the average is $26,711. The gap between the two is the point: a small number of very large contracts pull the average up, so the median is the better guide to the work a small business actually competes for.

What kind of work does the government buy in Illinois?

In this dataset the largest industry by dollars is RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (NAICS 541710). Your NAICS code is how buyers classify the work and how set-aside size standards are applied, so it decides which of these contracts you are even eligible to bid.

Do I have to be based in Illinois to bid on these contracts?

No. Federal contracts are open to any registered business in the United States, and the state shown here is the place of performance — where the work happens, not where the winner is headquartered. Being local helps on price and on site-visit logistics, and some state and local solicitations do apply residency or local preferences, but the federal ones on this page do not.

How do I find open government bids in Illinois?

Awards tell you who has been buying; open solicitations are what you can still bid. BidGovContracts pulls federal SAM.gov postings and state portals into one feed, filters them to your trade and state, and summarizes each one in plain English — what the job is, when it is due, and what disqualifies bidders. Start with the open bids listed on this page.

Illinois· Federal contract awards

Illinois government contracts

5,268,297 federal contract awards for work performed in Illinois are on file here, worth $140.7B between them. Below: the agencies doing the buying, the contractors doing the winning, the industries the money lands in, and the solicitations still open for bid.

See who wins in Illinois→Open bids in Illinois

Federal contracting in Illinois, by the numbers

Total awarded: $140.7B
Awards on file: 5,268,297
Average award: $26.7K
Median award: $255.5
Largest single award: $17.4B
Period covered: Dec 30, 1983 – May 27, 2027

Who wins government contracts in Illinois

The contractors holding the most federal contract dollars for work performed in Illinois, ranked by total award value. These are the incumbents: the companies you will be bidding against, and the companies worth calling about subcontracting or teaming before you chase a prime award of your own.

Contractor	Awards	Total awarded
1UCHICAGO ARGONNE, LLCJA8EP8EKX8Y9	1	$17,420,483,63512.4% of total
2NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATIONE4X3BLZPPPX3	688	$13,757,928,5899.8% of total
3FERMI RESEARCH ALLIANCE, LLCE1EUJL3KLKX5	1	$8,292,579,5215.9% of total
4W S DARLEY & COTENRPZGMAGJ6	28,077	$6,856,244,3664.9% of total
5BP PRODUCTS NORTH AMERICA INC.RDHYLFA8JAB4	923	$6,550,938,1274.7% of total
6CARDINAL HEALTH 200, LLCZJEUBM5FYLQ2	2,268,457	$4,571,817,6213.2% of total
7SUPPLYCORE LLCHTYJC5P9ZMH5	485,915	$3,942,033,7912.8% of total
8ND DEFENSE LLCNAX6BAMAUNG9	313	$3,048,132,7732.2% of total
9MEDLINE INDUSTRIES, LPDMPAKJ9N9K66	6,596	$2,873,805,3352.0% of total
10DDB CHICAGO INC.ZYCVPMAU6MH8	64	$2,845,687,8812.0% of total
11FERMI FORWARD DISCOVERY GROUP, LLCVLS6K3EVCMW5	1	$2,496,240,5201.8% of total
12CDW GOVERNMENT LLCPHZDZ8SJ5CM1	5,912	$2,030,712,2451.4% of total
13W.W. GRAINGER, INC.DBQGN324ULK3	1,093,339	$1,998,447,5521.4% of total
14GENERAL DYNAMICS ORDNANCE & TACTICAL SYSTEMS, INC.D6BENLPTJ8H6	117	$1,993,986,5631.4% of total
15WALGREEN CO.HRE3UMLEM2P5	13	$1,957,745,7921.4% of total
16WASHINGTON GROUP/ALBERICI JOINT VENTUREMUSXVFYMGC14	1	$1,870,676,9381.3% of total
17DMS PHARMACEUTICAL GROUP INCPX72BSBQTKJ3	287,644	$1,836,093,0171.3% of total
18SONOVA USA INCN5VSMWF4G7K7	187	$1,686,444,2911.2% of total
19CATERPILLAR INCC9C6HPQLL4A8	164,001	$1,477,647,5471.1% of total
20AAR GOVERNMENT SERVICES, INC.GFWVNNYFEVR2	455	$1,473,486,3471.0% of total

Which agencies buy in Illinois

Awarding agencies ranked by total contract dollars in Illinois. Buyers are creatures of habit — the agency at the top of this list runs the same contracting offices, reissues the same requirements, and recompetes the same work on a predictable cycle. Learning one buyer well beats chasing every bid badly.

Awarding agency	Awards	Total awarded
1Department of Defense	3,787,232	$79,865,444,88756.8% of total
2Department of Energy	160	$28,340,416,37020.1% of total
3Department of Veterans Affairs	15,609	$11,796,707,6458.4% of total
4Department of Health and Human Services	7,102	$5,675,550,6294.0% of total
5General Services Administration	1,419,937	$3,769,121,1532.7% of total
6Department of Agriculture	5,725	$3,385,842,4232.4% of total
7Department of the Treasury	1,333	$1,160,841,4900.8% of total
8Department of Justice	13,443	$1,022,004,0530.7% of total
9Environmental Protection Agency	1,095	$920,491,4580.7% of total
10Department of Homeland Security	2,532	$801,342,5570.6% of total

What the government buys in Illinois

Industries ranked by total contract dollars, using the six-digit NAICS code recorded on each award. Your NAICS code is not paperwork trivia: it is how a buyer classifies the requirement, how the SBA decides whether you count as a small business for that contract, and therefore which of these awards you were ever eligible to compete for.

Industry (NAICS)	Awards	Total awarded
1RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES541710	26	$26,158,515,38518.6% of total
2PETROLEUM REFINERIES324110	12,228	$7,151,250,2555.1% of total
3SEARCH, DETECTION, NAVIGATION, GUIDANCE, AERONAUTICAL, AND NAUTICAL SYSTEM AND INSTRUMENT MANUFACTURING334511	652	$5,185,199,0873.7% of total
4MEDICAL, DENTAL, AND HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES MERCHANT WHOLESALERS423450	2,342,069	$5,003,406,7993.6% of total
5OTHER ELECTRONIC COMPONENT MANUFACTURING334419	3,044	$4,769,751,5133.4% of total
6ENGINEERING SERVICES541330	1,265	$4,429,984,1273.1% of total
7ALL OTHER MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURING339999	52,278	$4,366,303,0633.1% of total
8SERVICE ESTABLISHMENT EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES MERCHANT WHOLESALERS423850	4,694	$4,324,062,6923.1% of total
9OTHER HEAVY AND CIVIL ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION237990	395	$3,605,021,7052.6% of total
10RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY)541715	832	$3,394,218,9722.4% of total
11OTHER COMPUTER RELATED SERVICES541519	7,078	$3,083,936,8522.2% of total
12AMMUNITION (EXCEPT SMALL ARMS) MANUFACTURING332993	225	$2,889,339,9182.1% of total

Find your own NAICS code with the free finder →

Recently started contract work in Illinois

The most recent awards on file by period-of-performance start date, the latest beginning May 27, 2027. Every card links to the same award on USAspending.gov so you can check the figures against the government's own record.

FSR CONSULTING LLC
$67,450
Department of Defense · Department of the Air Force
334111 · ELECTRONIC COMPUTER MANUFACTURING
Place of performance
SCOTT AFB, IL
Work started
May 27, 2027
Through
May 27, 2027
Contract
FA440726F0048
Check this award on USAspending.gov
NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
$52,089,509
Department of Defense · Department of the Air Force
334419 · OTHER ELECTRONIC COMPONENT MANUFACTURING
Place of performance
ROLLING MEADOWS, IL
Work started
Apr 30, 2027
Through
Oct 6, 2027
Contract
FA863824F0012
Check this award on USAspending.gov
CLINTON, COUNTY OF
$58,368
Department of Defense · Department of the Army
561612 · SECURITY GUARDS AND PATROL SERVICES
Place of performance
CARLYLE, IL
Work started
Apr 1, 2027
Through
Nov 30, 2027
Contract
W912P926PA008
Check this award on USAspending.gov
NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
$2,622,390
Department of Defense · Department of the Air Force
541330 · ENGINEERING SERVICES
Place of performance
ROLLING MEADOWS, IL
Work started
Mar 31, 2027
Through
Mar 31, 2027
Contract
FA854025FB038
Check this award on USAspending.gov
ATLAS TOYOTA MATERIAL HANDLING, LLC
$52,036
Department of Justice · Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons
333923 · OVERHEAD TRAVELING CRANE, HOIST, AND MONORAIL SYSTEM MANUFACTURING
Place of performance
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL
Work started
Jan 29, 2027
Through
Jan 29, 2027
Contract
15B0AT26F10100002
Check this award on USAspending.gov
DICKSON/UNIGAGE INC
$128,743
Department of Commerce · National Institute of Standards and Technology
334515 · INSTRUMENT MANUFACTURING FOR MEASURING AND TESTING ELECTRICITY AND ELECTRICAL SIGNALS
Place of performance
ADDISON, IL
Work started
Jan 19, 2027
Through
Jan 18, 2028
Contract
1333ND26PNB640296
Check this award on USAspending.gov
NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
$777,979
Department of Defense · Department of the Air Force
541330 · ENGINEERING SERVICES
Place of performance
ROLLING MEADOWS, IL
Work started
Dec 31, 2026
Through
Dec 31, 2026
Contract
FA854025FB033
Check this award on USAspending.gov
HEATHROW SCIENTIFIC LLC
$19,700
Department of Justice · Drug Enforcement Administration
322211 · CORRUGATED AND SOLID FIBER BOX MANUFACTURING
Place of performance
VERNON HILLS, IL
Work started
Oct 25, 2026
Through
Apr 27, 2026
Contract
15DDHQ26P00000406
Check this award on USAspending.gov

Government bids open in Illinois right now

See more Illinoisbids →

Awards are history. These are live: solicitations with a deadline still ahead of them, soonest first, each carrying the agency's own published record — the buyer, the deadline and the documents. Sam's deep workup, the part that names what disqualifies bidders, is published for specialty-trade construction and janitorial and facilities services.

No open bids are posted for Illinois this minute — they come and go daily. Get free alerts below and Sam will email you when a new one lands.

Open federal construction government bids→Open federal janitorial government bids→

How to use Illinois award history to win work

Most contractors start at the wrong end. They find an open solicitation, spend two weeks on a proposal, and lose to an incumbent who has held the work for nine years. Award history runs the other way round: you find the buyer first, learn what they purchase and what they pay, and show up already knowing the job.

Three things on this page do real work for you. The agency list tells you who has the budget in Illinois; those offices post again, and their recompetes are the most winnable contracts in government because the requirement is already written. The contractor list tells you who currently holds it — which is your competition if you bid prime, and your customer if you subcontract. The median award tells you whether this market is your size at all, before you spend a day on a bid you cannot bond or staff.

A contract's period of performance is your calendar. Work with an end date twelve to eighteen months out is work that will be recompeted, and the agency starts market research long before the solicitation appears. That window — after the incumbent's option years are visibly running out, before anything is posted — is when a capability statement and a phone call to the contracting office are worth more than any proposal you could write later.

None of it matters if you are not registered and eligible. A federal award requires an active SAM.gov registration with a UEI, and the set-aside on a solicitation decides whether your bid is even read. Both are free to sort out, and both are the most common reason a ready contractor is disqualified on a technicality.

Where these numbers come from

Source. Federal prime contract awards published by USAspending.gov, the government's official spending record. Public record, free, no data vendor in between. Each award links back to its page there so you can verify any figure yourself.
Scope. Contract awards whose place of performance is Illinois — where the work happens, not where the winner is headquartered. Grants, loans, and direct payments are excluded; they are not work a contractor competes for.
What is not here. This is a portion of federal contracting in Illinois, not all of it, and it does not include Illinois state or municipal purchasing. Treat these figures as a floor: the real market is larger than what is on this page.
Missing values. Where USAspending records no amount, agency, or recipient, we leave it out instead of filling it in. An award with no reported amount is still counted as an award but does not enter any total or average, which is why a row's award count can outrun its dollars.