About
Method and definitions
Backlog Defense reads the US Department of War's daily contract announcements, maps each award to a listed company where one can be identified, and explains what the figure does and does not mean.
How the tracker is built
- The department publishes contract awards valued at $7.5 million or more on business days, normally at 5 p.m. US Eastern.
- We read each list by hand and record one row per firm and contract. We do not claim the tracker is complete. If a row is missing or wrong, the official list is the authority.
- Every row links to the official list it came from. The government's own paragraph is shown word for word under each row.
- Amounts are shown one award at a time. We never add them up: a ceiling, a modification and money obligated today are different things, and a total would mix them.
- Ticker mapping is our own judgment. A subsidiary, joint venture or acquired business may not belong to the company we show. Verify before relying on it.
- Dates in the tracker are the date of the list, not always the date the contract was signed. The paragraph often states an earlier award date.
Caution labels
Labels sit next to an amount when the figure needs care.
- Ceiling
- The figure is a maximum under an indefinite-delivery or requirements contract, not money committed.
- Ceiling increase
- The announcement raises a contract ceiling. The increase is a maximum, not new money.
- Shared
- One announcement covers several firms. Check each firm's own amount in the source text.
- Update
- A firm was added to an existing multiple-award contract. This is not a new award.
- No value
- The award sentence states no contract value. Dollar figures further down are usually obligated funds.
Definitions
- Award
- A new contract, order or agreement the government has signed with a firm. The stated value is what the announcement gives; it is not always money paid or committed today.
- Modification
- A change to a contract that already exists: more work, more time, a higher ceiling, an exercised option or a price adjustment. A modification is not a new program, and its value is not the value of the whole contract.
- Indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract
- A contract that sets the terms and a maximum value but leaves the exact quantity and timing open. The government places orders under it as needs arise, sometimes over five or ten years.
- Ceiling or maximum
- The most the government may spend under a contract. It is a limit, not a commitment. Many contracts finish well below their ceiling.
- Minimum guarantee
- The smallest amount the government promises to order under an IDIQ contract. It can be tiny: $2,500 or $50,000 against a ceiling of tens of millions.
- Obligated funds
- Money the government has legally committed at the time of the announcement. This is the closest figure to real, funded work. Announcements often state it near the end of the paragraph.
- Option
- A pre-agreed extension written into a contract: an extra year, more units or extra work. The government chooses whether to exercise it. An option that has not been exercised is not money.
- Task order
- A specific order placed under an IDIQ contract or ordering agreement. Task orders are where work and funding actually arrive.
- Basic ordering agreement
- A standing agreement of terms and prices between the government and a firm. It is not a contract by itself; the government places separate orders against it.
- One announcement that covers several firms. Some list a separate amount per firm; others give one combined ceiling that all firms compete for. Read the paragraph to see which.
- "Added awardee" update
- A firm added to a multiple-award contract that already exists. It is not a new award, and the amount stated is usually that firm's own maximum.
Corrections
When the department publishes a correction to a list, we apply it to the tracker. If you think we have recorded something wrong, a missing row, a wrong amount, a wrong label or a wrong ticker, tell us and we will check it against the official list and correct it.
Report an error or contact us
Reply to any newsletter email, or message us through our Substack page. Please include the list date, the firm and the contract number.
Placeholder: confirm the contact route (Substack message, reply email or a dedicated address).