Skip to main content

A Snapshot of Government-Wide Contracting for FY 2023 (interactive dashboard)

Posted on June 25, 2024

While the federal workforce performs a wide range of duties, federal agencies also enter into contracts with outside companies and organizations. These contracts are used to provide products and services ranging from aircraft and software to health care and engineering support. In Fiscal Year 2023, the federal government committed about $759 billion on contracts, an increase of about $33 billion from Fiscal Year 2022 after adjusting for inflation.

We have an interactive dashboard to share details about how the federal government spends contracting dollars, including features that allow the public to filter spending by agency. For example, the dashboard can show users the top five products purchased by a single civilian agency and compare this information to top product purchases from all civilian agencies. Drugs and biologicals (medical treatments that can include vaccines, tissue, and other products) were once again the top product purchased by civilian agencies while fixed wing aircraft were the top product purchased by DOD.

Find out more by checking out our updated dashboard here.

Image

Pie chart showing how much of contracting dollars went to different agencies (for example DOD with $456 billion) in FY 2023

  • GAO’s fact-based, nonpartisan information helps Congress and federal agencies improve government. The WatchBlog lets us contextualize GAO’s work a little more for the public. Check out more of our posts at GAO.gov/blog
About Watchblog

GAO's mission is to provide Congress with fact-based, nonpartisan information that can help improve federal government performance and ensure accountability for the benefit of the American people. GAO launched its WatchBlog in January, 2014, as part of its continuing effort to reach its audiences—Congress and the American people—where they are currently looking for information.

The blog format allows GAO to provide a little more context about its work than it can offer on its other social media platforms. Posts will tie GAO work to current events and the news; show how GAO’s work is affecting agencies or legislation; highlight reports, testimonies, and issue areas where GAO does work; and provide information about GAO itself, among other things.

Please send any feedback on GAO's WatchBlog to blog@gao.gov.