Top 100 methodology

For Washington Technology's 2009 Top 100, we turned to Eagle Eye Publishers Inc., of Fairfax, Va. They analyzed data from the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation according to a set of 702 product service codes that government agencies assign their expenditures of more than $3,000.

Our goal in picking these codes is to capture the wide range of technology work and mission expertise that contractors provide to the federal government. Many of the codes might not seem directly related to systems integration or information technology, but IT is what gets the work done.

The data analyzed covers the 2008 government fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. We did not count obligations generated since that date.

Because we changed to a new research partner this year, we decided not to include the rankings from last year because differences in research methodology might make direct year-to-year comparisons difficult. Readers who want to track information on companies from previous years can do so by clicking "Rankings/Special Reports."

As with past Top 100 lists, there are several factors to understand.

• The rankings reflect only prime contracts.
• Subcontracts are not included because data is not collected on subcontracts.
• Agencies report contract obligations worth more than $3,000 and are obligated to prime contractors. This represents spending on a contract during the time period analyzed, not the contract's life.
• General Services Administration schedule transactions of more than $3,000 are included, but some agencies are better at reporting their GSA spending than others. Companies should encourage contracting officers to make accurate and timely reports to the Federal Procurement Data System.
• Intelligence agencies, the U.S. Postal Service, the Federal Aviation Administration and congressional agencies are not required to report their spending to the Federal Procurement Data System.