National Endowment for the Humanities — Federal Agency Spending Profile
NEH Spends $12,686 on Single Contract for Management Consulting
Agency Overview
Total Obligated: $12,686 ($12.7K)
Contract Count: 1
Unique Contractors: 1
Top Contractor: boardsource
Agency Profile
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency dedicated to supporting research, education, and public programs in the humanities. Its mission is to foster a strong and vibrant humanistic culture in the United States. NEH achieves this by awarding grants to individuals and institutions, enabling them to explore significant questions about history, literature, philosophy, and other fields that shape our understanding of ourselves and society. In terms of contracting, NEH, like many federal agencies, utilizes contracts to procure necessary goods and services that support its operational and programmatic functions. This can include everything from IT support and administrative services to specialized consulting that aids in program development or evaluation. The agency's contracting activity, while a small fraction of its overall budget which is primarily grant-focused, is crucial for its efficient functioning. Analyzing NEH's contract spending reveals a highly concentrated pattern, with a single contract representing the entirety of its reported contract expenditures. This singular focus on one contractor and one service sector, Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services, suggests a very specific and limited need for external support during the analyzed period. The absence of small business engagement and the complete reliance on a single, non-small business contractor raises questions about the breadth of opportunities offered to diverse vendors. While the total contract value is modest, the lack of competition and small business participation warrants attention. The agency's sole reliance on a single contract for its entire reported contract spending means the sole source rate is effectively 0% as the single contract was not sole-source, and the small business rate is also 0%. This indicates that the limited contracting activity did not involve small businesses. The sector focus is exclusively on Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services, indicating that any contracted support NEH requires falls within this broad category. Overall, NEH's spending practices, based on this limited data, appear highly specialized and concentrated, suggesting a need for broader market engagement if contracting needs expand.
Mission
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency that supports research, education, and public programs in the humanities. It plays a vital role in fostering a strong and vibrant humanistic culture across the United States by awarding grants to individuals and institutions. Through its grantmaking and operational contracting, NEH enables the exploration of significant questions about history, literature, philosophy, and other fields that shape our understanding of ourselves and society.
Spending Analysis
The National Endowment for the Humanities's contract spending is extremely limited, with a total of $12,686 allocated across a single contract. This contract was awarded to BOARDSOURCE for Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services. The data indicates no engagement with small businesses and a complete lack of sole-source awards, suggesting that the single contract procured was competitively awarded. This highly concentrated spending pattern suggests a very specific and narrow set of contracted needs for the agency during this period.
Trends: Given the extremely low total contract spending and the single contract observed, it is not possible to identify meaningful trends in NEH's contracting trajectory. The data represents a snapshot of minimal contract activity rather than a sustained pattern of expenditure. Any analysis of trends would require a much larger dataset over multiple fiscal years.
Concerns: The primary concern arising from this data is the extreme concentration of spending. With all contract dollars going to a single contractor for a single service type, there is a potential risk of contractor dependency and a lack of broader market engagement. Furthermore, the complete absence of small business participation in this limited contracting activity is a missed opportunity for economic inclusion and diversity in federal contracting.
Competition Metrics
Competitive Award Rate: 100%
Sole Source Rate: 0%
The competition metrics for the National Endowment for the Humanities are based on a single contract. With a 100% competitive rate and a 0% sole-source rate, it indicates that the one contract awarded was not a sole-source procurement. This is a positive indicator, suggesting that the agency sought competition for its limited contracting needs. However, the extremely small sample size makes it difficult to draw broad conclusions about the agency's overall contracting strategy or its ability to consistently achieve competitive outcomes across a wider range of procurements.
Top Contractors
Boardsource — $12.7K (1 contracts)
BOARDSOURCE is the sole contractor for the National Endowment for the Humanities in this dataset, receiving the entirety of its reported contract spending. This indicates a singular focus on this entity for the agency's contracted administrative and management consulting needs during the analyzed period.
Sector Breakdown
Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services: $12.7K (100%)
Value Assessment
Rating: fair
Assessing the value for taxpayer money is challenging with such limited data. On one hand, the agency achieved a 100% competitive rate for its single contract, which is positive. However, the extreme concentration of all spending with one contractor and the complete exclusion of small businesses raise concerns about potential inefficiencies and missed opportunities for broader economic engagement. Without more data on the scope, necessity, and performance of this single contract, a definitive judgment on value is difficult, leaning towards fair due to the lack of competition but tempered by the concentration.
Red Flags
- Extreme concentration of spending: All contract dollars ($12,686) were awarded to a single contractor (BOARDSOURCE).
- Lack of small business engagement: 0% of contract spending went to small businesses, representing a missed opportunity for economic inclusion.
- Limited scope of services: All contracted services fall under a single sector, Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services, suggesting a narrow focus.
Green Flags
- 100% competitive contracting: The single contract awarded was not a sole-source procurement, indicating some level of competition.
- Low total contract spending: The overall contract expenditure is very modest, minimizing potential waste on a large scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does National Endowment for the Humanities spend taxpayer money?
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) primarily spends taxpayer money through grants to support research, education, and public programs in the humanities. These grants are awarded to individuals and institutions to foster a deeper understanding of history, literature, philosophy, and other humanistic disciplines. While the majority of its budget is allocated to grants, NEH also utilizes contracts to procure goods and services necessary for its operational functions. This can include IT support, administrative services, and specialized consulting that aids in program development, evaluation, or internal management. The contracting activity, though a smaller portion of its overall budget, is essential for the agency's efficient functioning and the execution of its mission. For instance, the reported contract spending of $12,686 was for Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services, indicating that this type of support was deemed necessary to complement its grantmaking activities and internal operations.
Who are National Endowment for the Humanities's biggest contractors?
Based on the provided data, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has only one reported contractor, BOARDSOURCE, which received the entirety of the agency's contract spending totaling $12,686. This single contract was for Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services. Therefore, BOARDSOURCE is unequivocally the largest and only contractor identified in this specific dataset. This extreme concentration suggests that for the period analyzed, NEH had a very singular need for contracted services, which was met by this one entity. It is important to note that this analysis is based on a very limited snapshot of NEH's contracting activities. A more comprehensive review over multiple fiscal years and across all contract types might reveal a broader range of contractors and spending patterns.
Does National Endowment for the Humanities get good value from its contracts?
Evaluating the value for taxpayer money from the National Endowment for the Humanities's contracts is challenging due to the extremely limited data. The agency's single contract of $12,686 was competitively awarded (100% competitive rate), which is a positive sign suggesting that the agency sought multiple bids or proposals. However, the fact that all contract spending is concentrated with one vendor, BOARDSOURCE, and that no small businesses were engaged (0% small business rate) raises concerns. This concentration could indicate a lack of market research or potential over-reliance on a single provider, which might not always yield the best value. Without details on the specific services rendered, their effectiveness, and comparison to market rates, it's difficult to definitively state whether good value was achieved. The limited scope and scale suggest that the potential for significant waste is low, but the lack of diversity in contracting partners prevents a strong affirmation of excellent value.
How competitive is National Endowment for the Humanities's contracting process?
Based on the provided data, the National Endowment for the Humanities's (NEH) contracting process appears competitive, albeit with a very limited scope. The agency's sole contract of $12,686 was awarded competitively, resulting in a 100% competitive rate and a 0% sole-source rate. This indicates that for this particular procurement, NEH did not resort to sole-source justifications, which is generally a positive indicator of seeking market competition. However, this conclusion is drawn from an extremely small sample size of just one contract. It is impossible to generalize this finding to all of NEH's contracting activities without a broader dataset covering multiple fiscal years and a wider array of procurements. While this single instance shows competition, it doesn't provide insight into whether NEH consistently fosters competition across all its contracting needs or if this was an anomaly due to the specific nature and low value of this particular service.
What oversight exists for National Endowment for the Humanities's spending?
Oversight for the National Endowment for the Humanities's (NEH) spending, including its contracting activities, comes from multiple federal bodies. Internally, NEH has its own management and financial controls designed to ensure compliance with federal regulations and efficient use of funds. Externally, the agency is subject to oversight by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which sets government-wide policies for federal agencies. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) can conduct audits and investigations into federal agency spending, including NEH's, to ensure accountability and identify any mismanagement or waste. Furthermore, Congress exercises oversight through its authorizing and appropriating committees, which review NEH's budget requests, performance reports, and can hold hearings to question agency officials. The public also plays a role through transparency initiatives like USAspending.gov, which makes federal contract and spending data publicly accessible, allowing for scrutiny by citizens, journalists, and watchdog organizations. For contracting specifically, agencies must adhere to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which mandates competitive procedures, fair and equitable treatment of contractors, and proper documentation, all of which are subject to review.
How much does National Endowment for the Humanities spend with small businesses?
Based on the provided data, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) spent $0 with small businesses. The total contract spending reported is $12,686, and this entire amount was allocated to a single contractor, BOARDSOURCE, which is not identified as a small business in this context. This means that the small business participation rate for NEH's contracting activities, as represented by this dataset, is 0%. Federal agencies are generally encouraged and often mandated to award a certain percentage of their contracting dollars to small businesses, including small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses, and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. The complete absence of small business engagement in this specific instance suggests a missed opportunity to support these vital segments of the economy and to potentially leverage the innovation and specialized services that small businesses can offer.