Key takeaways
- The Department of Energy spent $52 billion in fiscal 2026, compared with $52 billion in fiscal 2025, according to the Monthly Treasury Statement.
- Its biggest programs: Nuclear weapons, national laboratories, environmental cleanup.
- The Department of Energy buys through four main components and offices, each with its own contracting staff.
- DOE publishes a procurement forecast of upcoming contracts.
DOE at a glance
| Fact | DOE |
|---|---|
| FY 2026 outlays | $52 billion (13th of the 20 largest agencies) |
| FY 2025 outlays | $52 billion |
| Biggest programs | Nuclear weapons, national laboratories, environmental cleanup |
| Main buying components | 4 |
| Procurement forecast | DOE forecast |
Sources: U.S. Treasury, Monthly Treasury Statement for September 2026 (outlays); Acquisition.gov procurement forecast directory; SBA FY 2025 Small Business Procurement Scorecard as reported in June 2026.
Who buys at DOE
Most DOE spending runs through management and operating contracts for national laboratories and nuclear sites. Those contractors, in turn, are major buyers and subcontract heavily.
- National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- Office of Science and the national laboratories
- Office of Environmental Management
- Power marketing administrations, such as the Bonneville Power Administration
How to start selling to DOE
- Register in SAM.gov. Every federal contractor needs an active SAM registration and Unique Entity ID; see our SAM registration guide.
- Check your NAICS codes and size. Each solicitation is assigned one NAICS code, and its size standard decides whether you can compete as a small business; see SBA size standards and the top NAICS codes for government contracts.
- Read the forecast. DOE's procurement forecast lists contracts planned for the coming year, often before they reach SAM.gov.
- Meet the small business office. DOE's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (or its equivalent) can explain how the agency buys and connect you with program offices.
- Consider contract vehicles. Many agency buys go through GSA's Multiple Award Schedule and other governmentwide or agency contracts rather than open competition.
- Find the program owner. Contracting officers run the process, but program offices decide what they need; reaching them before a solicitation is released is where deals are shaped.
Large contractors at DOE
These companies from our largest federal contractors list do much of their federal business with the Department of Energy. Many subcontract to smaller firms.
| Company | All federal obligations, FY 2025 | Main federal business |
|---|---|---|
| Honeywell International | $9.4B | Aerospace systems and nuclear security site management |
| Fluor | $6.5B | Engineering, construction and Energy Department site work |
| Triad National Security | $5.1B | Manages Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Battelle Memorial Institute | $4.0B | National laboratory management and research |
| Bechtel | $3.7B | Nuclear security sites, laboratories and engineering |
Obligations are each company's total with all federal agencies, not DOE alone. Source: GovTribe FY 2025 parent-company rankings.
Budget and funding timing
- Fiscal year. The federal fiscal year runs Oct. 1 to Sept. 30; see our government fiscal year calendar.
- Fiscal 2027 funding. DOE is operating under a continuing resolution through Dec. 11, 2026, which generally bars new starts; follow it in our FY 2027 appropriations tracker.
- Year-end buying. Agencies obligate a large share of contract dollars in the final quarter of the fiscal year, July through September.
How KSG helps
Kensington Sales Group's SDRs book meetings with public agencies across Federal, SLED, K-12 & Higher Ed, Healthcare, Tribal, Special Districts and Utilities. We map DOE's program offices, track its forecast and get you in front of the people who shape requirements before solicitations drop. See how our federal sales development works.