USPTO: ~$13.3M for patent-search AI — a federal contract with Accenture Federal (USAspending)
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO, Department of Commerce) awarded about $13.3M ($13,293,563) for patent-search AI models and labor to Accenture Federal Services. Per the original scope, the action is awarded pursuant to the USPTO Efficiency Act.
Contract key facts
- RecipientAccenture Federal
- Contract value$13,283,563 (≈$13.3M)
- Awarding agencyDepartment of Commerce
- Awarding sub-agencyU.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- Award typeDEFINITIVE CONTRACT
- Period of performance2023-05-01 〜 2024-06-30
- Contract ID (PIID)1333BJ23C00280006
The amount cited in the write-up ($13,293,563) is the figure at the time of writing. After later modifications the record now shows $13,283,563 (the details above are current).
Contract scope (original)
PATENT SEARCH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MODELS AND LABOR. THIS ACTION IS AWARDED PURSUANT TO THE USPTO EFFICIENCY ACT.
Key points
- USPTO (Patent and Trademark Office, Dept. of Commerce) procured patent-search AI models and labor
- Value ~$13.3M, definitive contract, May 2023–June 2024
- Original scope states it is awarded pursuant to the USPTO Efficiency Act
- Recipient: Accenture Federal Services LLC (a major government digital-transformation firm)
- A non-defense (civilian agency) example of operational AI adoption
- The 222 federal spending records this site holds as of 2026-09-01 carry 180 recipient names, 32 of which hold more than one; the largest holds six.
1Patent search as a civilian AI use
Government AI procurement is dominated by defense, but this is a clear example of operational adoption at a civilian agency. A core step in patent examination is the "prior-art search" — checking a claimed invention against a vast body of existing documents — which is well suited to AI-assisted search.
2The USPTO Efficiency Act as authority
3The same firms hold more than one
The 222 federal spending records this site holds as of 2026-09-01 carry 180 recipient names, of which 32 hold more than one award. The most, six, belong to Accenture Federal Services, the recipient of this contract.
Most firms appear once. A firm holding several points to a relationship with the same buyer continuing over time. The patent office's search AI is split across several contracts; counted by number they look like separate procurements, but grouped by recipient they read as one continuing effort.
Why it matters
A concrete example that government AI demand extends beyond defense into civilian-agency operations (here, patent search). Useful for tracking the U.S. government market and AI adoption in public administration.
FAQ
Why AI for patent search?
Why is Commerce the awarding agency?
Sources (primary)
This article is an independent organization based on the U.S. official spending data below. Verify the exact, latest details with the official source.
- USAspending (award details)
- Contract ID (PIID)：1333BJ23C00280006