The Buildout · Week of April 27 – May 3, 2026
Published April 27, 2026. Auto-generated from The Buildout's pipeline; not edited.
U.S. federal spending, week ending 2026-05-03.
The Department of Energy obligated $177.8 billion across five management-and-operations contracts for its nuclear weapons complex this week, with Sandia, Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, Y-12, and Idaho National Laboratory each securing five-year renewals totaling roughly 82 percent of all federal spending tracked. The cluster represents the routine but massive cycle of DOE's triennial recompetes for its national laboratories — contracts that dwarf any single defense or civilian agency award and operate on a schedule largely decoupled from the rest of the federal procurement calendar. Ten grant opportunities closed this week, including the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative fellowship and Tax Counseling for the Elderly program, both without stated funding ceilings.
Context. $416,713,002,461 is the #2 largest weekly total in the trailing 11 weeks — versus an average of $129,387,381,919.
This week's biggest contracts
$42,111,665,692 · Department of Energy → NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS OF SANDIA, LLC · defense
Management and operation of Sandia National Laboratories for the National Nuclear Security Administration.
Why it matters: Sandia is critical to U.S. nuclear weapons stewardship, stockpile maintenance, and national security infrastructure.
$40,927,152,397 · Department of Energy → LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC · defense
Management and operation of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a DOE multi-program defense research facility.
Why it matters: LLNL is critical to U.S. nuclear deterrence, stockpile stewardship, and advanced defense technologies under DOE oversight.
$35,035,280,267 · Department of Energy → TRIAD NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC · defense
Management and operation competition for Los Alamos National Laboratory, a premier U.S. nuclear weapons research facility.
Why it matters: Los Alamos is critical to U.S. nuclear deterrent maintenance, stockpile stewardship, and advanced weapons research capabilities.
Also this week:
| Date | Recipient | Agency | Amount | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-27 | CONSOLIDATED NUCLEAR SECURITY, LLC | Department of Energy | $34,009,652,495 | defense |
| 2026-04-29 | BATTELLE ENERGY ALLIANCE, LLC | Department of Energy | $25,680,438,713 | energy |
| 2026-04-29 | THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA | Department of Energy | $19,558,423,796 | energy |
| 2026-04-30 | HONEYWELL FEDERAL MANUFACTURING & TECHNOLOGIES, | Department of Energy | $17,385,377,663 | defense |
| 2026-04-27 | UCHICAGO ARGONNE, LLC | Department of Energy | $17,264,919,334 | energy |
| 2026-04-29 | FLUOR MARINE PROPULSION, LLC | Department of Energy | $14,774,555,215 | defense |
| 2026-04-27 | NEW YORK STATE DIVISION OF HOMELAND SECURITY & E | Department of Homeland Security | $13,287,398,179 | — |
Where the money went, by sector
- defense — $215,459,345,539 across 95 awards (58%)
- energy — $102,643,618,041 across 37 awards (28%)
- aerospace — $28,719,545,479 across 48 awards (8%)
- other — $17,215,547,150 across 129 awards (5%)
- biotech — $3,211,505,225 across 18 awards (1%)
From the Federal Register
Final rules
- Modification of Class E Airspace; Nenana Municipal Airport, Nenana, AK — Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration, 2026-05-01
- Reimagining and Improving Student Education-Federal Student Loan Program Final Regulations — Education Department, 2026-05-01
Proposed rules
- Licensing Requirements for Microreactors and Other Reactors With Comparable Risk Profiles — Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2026-05-01
Notices and other
- Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or Suspended Investigation; Advance Notification of Sunset Review — Commerce Department, International Trade Administration, 2026-05-01
- Initiation of Five-Year (Sunset) Reviews — Commerce Department, International Trade Administration, 2026-05-01
- Sunshine Act Meetings — Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2026-05-01
- Scaling Critical Suppliers in Domestic Supply Chains — Small Business Administration, 2026-05-01
- Supply Chain Gaps and Entrepreneur Assistance — Small Business Administration, 2026-05-01
On the record
Verbatim from agencies' own Federal Register filings this week.
This action modifies the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Nenana Municipal Airport, Nenana, AK, to accommodate revisions to the airport's instrument approach procedures (IAP).
— Transportation Department, rule, 2026-05-01
In accordance with the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), the U.S.
— Commerce Department, notice, 2026-05-01
The Secretary amends the regulations for the Federal student loan programs authorized under title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended (the title IV, HEA programs) to implement the statutory changes to the title IV, HEA
— Education Department, rule, 2026-05-01
Grants closing soon
Funding windows that close in the next 30 days. Quick-glance view — open Grants.gov for the SF-424 packet.
| Closes | Opportunity | Agency | Ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-29 | FY 2026 Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellows Program | Bureau Of Educational and Cultural Aff | — |
| 2026-05-31 | Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) | Tax Counseling for the Elderly | — |
| 2026-05-29 | American Center Kampala Management and Programming | U.S. Mission to Uganda | — |
| 2026-05-31 | Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Matching Grant | Volunteer Income Tax Assistance | — |
| 2026-05-30 | Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Stu | Geological Survey | — |
| 2026-05-30 | Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosyst | Geological Survey | — |
| 2026-06-02 | NIJ FY25 Research and Evaluation on Forensic Science Systems | National Institute of Justice | — |
| 2026-06-01 | Housing Policy Research Grant Notice of Funding Opportunity | Department of Housing and Urban Develo | — |
| 2026-05-30 | Dworshak Natural Resource Training and Education | Walla Walla District | — |
| 2026-05-20 | Immersive Employment Readiness Training for People under Correctional Authority | National Institute of Corrections | — |
Out of the agencies
- FTC Urges Tennessee Supreme Court to Oppose the ABA’s Law School Accreditation Monopoly — Ftc News, 2026-05-01
- FTC Takes Action to Protect Consumers from Anticompetitive Effects of Micromarket Kiosks Deal — Ftc News, 2026-05-01
What to watch
Concrete things to look for in the next two weeks — re-bids opening up, rules taking effect, and funding windows closing.
Coming up for re-bid
- $4,425,784,857 · National Aeronautics and Space Administration → NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION — ends 2026-06-30
- $3,282,976,341 · Department of Energy → JEFFERSON SCIENCE ASSOCIATES, LLC — ends 2026-05-31
- $2,511,478,245 · National Aeronautics and Space Administration → ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY, INC. — ends 2026-06-30
- $2,075,724,899 · Department of Homeland Security → BOLLINGER SHIPYARDS LOCKPORT, L.L.C. — ends 2026-06-02
Rules taking effect
- Treatment of Income From Indian Fishing Rights-Related Activity as Compensation — effective 2026-05-04
- Specific Listing for Hexahydrocannabinol, A Currently Controlled Schedule I Substance — effective 2026-05-04
- Amending the Department of Commerce's Regulations Implementing the HAVANA Act — effective 2026-05-04
- Designation of P2P Methyl Glycidic Acid as a List I Chemical — effective 2026-05-04
The Buildout · Issue covering 2026-04-27 – 2026-05-03. Generated 2026-05-14. Data: USAspending.gov, Federal Register, Grants.gov, agency RSS. Subscribe · Archive · Methodology.