Federal Exposure measures how much public companies depend on money from the U.S. government, and reports what happens when that money moves. The site is written and edited by C. Zakarian, who holds a PhD in data science, and is based in Virginia. C. Zakarian compiles the data, checks every figure against its source and edits every article before it is published.

You can reach us at contact@federalexposure.com.

What we do

We put two independent records side by side for each company we cover.

When the two agree, readers can rely on the number with more confidence. When they differ, the gap is often the story. Our methodology explains how we build each measure and why they rarely match exactly.

We publish rankings, a profile page for each company, analysis of what changed and why, and data downloads so anyone can check our work.

Why we built it

When a budget deadline nears or a program is cut, readers want to know which companies are exposed. The usual answer names the largest contractors. But size and dependence are different things. A company can win large federal contracts and still earn most of its revenue elsewhere. Another can be far smaller and rely on Washington for nearly all of it.

We treat this as an investor question, not a political one. We do not argue for or against any spending, program, agency or administration. We measure exposure, explain the definitions and report the changes.

Editorial standards

  1. Every number links to its source. That source is a 10-K filing, a USAspending award record, or our methodology page for figures we calculate.
  2. We say what we don't know. Missing data is labeled "not disclosed", with the reason. We never fill a gap with a silent estimate.
  3. We separate what companies report from what we calculate. Calculated figures carry a "calculated" label.
  4. We use neutral language. We write "funding was canceled", not loaded terms. We make no predictions of stock prices and no recommendations.
  5. We correct errors openly. Each correction is dated and listed in the change log on the methodology page.
  6. We disclose how we use AI tools. AI tools help gather and process data and draft text. A person checks every figure and edits every article before publication.

How we use AI tools

We use AI tools to fetch filings and federal records, to search 10-K text for candidate sentences, to write and test the code that runs the data pipeline, and to draft text.

The tools do not decide what we publish. A person reads each company's 10-K disclosure and records the exact sentence before a share reaches the site. A person checks every figure in an article against its source and edits the text before it goes live.

Some recurring data posts, such as weekly roundups of contract actions, are generated from the data pipeline using fixed templates. Every number in them comes from the data, and a person reviews each post before it is published.

Corrections

If you find an error, tell us. Email contact@federalexposure.com with the page address, the figure or sentence you think is wrong, and a source if you have one.

When we confirm an error, we fix it on the page, note the correction and its date there, and add an entry to the change log. We do not quietly change published figures. Routine data refreshes, such as a new month of contract data, are also recorded in the change log.

Independence

Federal Exposure has no affiliation with any company we cover or with any government agency. No company or agency reviews our work before publication, and none pays for coverage.

The site is funded by advertising served through Google AdSense. Advertisers do not choose or influence what we cover, how we rank companies or what we write. We do not sell placement in rankings or articles. Ads are labeled "Advertisement" and kept apart from data and navigation.

Nothing on this site is investment, legal or tax advice. See our disclaimer.

Contact

Email: contact@federalexposure.com

We read every message. Corrections and data questions come first. For more on what to send, see the contact page.