So who exactly are these "miscellaneous foreign contractors" that top today's list of Washington-area contractors with $43.57 million in awards? That question has been asked by industry groups, but not clearly answered.

The Federal Acquisition Regulation does provide some leeway for agencies to mask the identities of contractors, typically for security reasons, but it remains unclear whether that explains the millions going to these unnamed firms, which year to date have collected $294.59 million in contracts — including some set aside for small disadvantaged businesses.

The American Small Business League filed a Freedom of Information Act request in 2009 with the General Services Administration that manages the system of contractor classification, seeking the specific names of all firms included under this classification, but GSA declined the request.

Data provided through an exclusive partnership with FEDMINE.US, an online business intelligence tool that links disparate government sources to provide real-time federal market and business research data.

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/fedbiz_daily/2011/03/big-wins-for-march-7-2011.html