About our numbers
For the 2008 Top 100, we have refined the product
service codes (PSCs) used to analyze data from the
Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation.
Our goal is to capture the wide range of technology
work and mission expertise that contractors provide
to the federal government.
The data analyzed for this year's rankings covers
fiscal 2007, which ended Sept. 30. Revenue generated
since then is not counted.
The adjustments we and our research partner,
FedSources, made this year reflect lessons learned
last year when we overhauled how the Top 100 is
compiled. At that time, we greatly expanded the
number of codes used to analyze the procurement
data. Many of the codes might not seem related to
systems integration or information technology, but IT
is what gets the work done.
We refined the list this year to eliminate codes
that did not reflect technology-intensive work, such
as construction and security guard services. They
were included last year because they were part of
families of PSCs that include high-tech work.
Some PSCs were eliminated in this refinement
process, but others were added as FedSources'
research discovered new areas where IT is having an
important impact. We are using 702 codes this
year, up from 625.
We are not including company rankings from
last year's Top 100 because the changes make a
fair, year-to-year comparison impossible. Some
companies dropped significantly from last year as
a result of the changes, and others fell off the list
completely. Readers who want to track information
on companies from previous years can find those
rankings online at http://www.washingtontechnology.com.
As with past Top 100s, there are several caveats
to keep in mind:
- Agencies report contract actions worth more than
$3,000 and obligated to prime contractors. This
represents spending on a contract during the time
period analyzed, not the contract's life.
- The reports are for prime contracting only and do
not include subcontracting revenue.
- General Services Administration schedule transactions
of more than $3,000 are included, but
some agencies are better at reporting their GSA
spending than others. FedSources analysts said
companies should encourage contracting officers to
make accurate and timely reports to the Federal
Procurement Data Center.
