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 SERVICES LLC
- Contract value$13,293,563 (≈$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
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
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.
Why it matters: the USPTO Efficiency Act, cited as the authority for this action, is a framework intended to support the agency's efficiency (the specific capabilities and performance are not stated in the original scope, so we do not infer them).
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