NAICS 541519 — Other Computer Related Services is the catch-all for computer services that don’t fit anywhere else in the 5415 group. It carries a general receipts-based size standard, but it also hides one of the most misunderstood rules in federal IT contracting: the Information Technology Value Added Reseller (ITVAR) exception, which swaps the dollar standard for a 150-employee standard and attaches conditions that catch resellers off guard. This page is educational, not legal advice — always verify against SBA and the actual solicitation. If you’re mapping which codes to register, start with our NAICS codes for IT contractors guide.
What NAICS 541519 actually classifies
The “everything else” code for computer-related work in the 5415 group.
NAICS 541519 — Other Computer Related Services — is a residual, or “not elsewhere classified,” industry. It captures computer-related services that don’t land in custom programming (541511), systems design (541512), or facilities management (541513). If the work is computer-related but doesn’t match a more specific 5415 code, it tends to fall here.
Because it’s a catch-all, 541519 shows up on a wide range of solicitations — disaster recovery services, software installation that isn’t custom development, and a grab-bag of technical services that a contracting officer couldn’t cleanly file elsewhere. The general size standard for 541519 is $34.0 million in average annual receipts. SBA periodically adjusts receipts thresholds for inflation, so confirm the current number on the SBA Table of Size Standards before you certify size on any specific bid.
The ITVAR exception: a different standard entirely
When 541519 is used for value-added resale, the rules change.
Buried under 541519 is a named exception: Information Technology Value Added Resellers (ITVAR). SBA created it so that small-business eligibility could be applied sensibly to procurements that bundle a substantial chunk of computer hardware and software with meaningful services. For these procurements, the size standard is 150 employees — an employee count, not a receipts figure. That distinction matters: a company that’s “large” under a receipts test can still be small under the ITVAR standard, and vice versa.
What an ITVAR is
Per SBA, an ITVAR provides a total solution to IT acquisitions — multi-vendor hardware and software plus significant value-added services such as configuration consulting and design, systems integration, installation of multi-vendor equipment, customization, training, technical support, maintenance, and end-user support.
The condition that trips people up
For a procurement to qualify under the exception and the 150-employee standard, the value-added services component must be at least 15% and not more than 50% of the total contract price. Below 15% it’s essentially resale; above 50% it’s really a services buy and belongs under a different standard.
General 541519 vs. the ITVAR exception
Same code, two very different eligibility tests.
| 541519 (general) | 541519 — ITVAR exception | |
|---|---|---|
| Size standard basis | Average annual receipts | Number of employees |
| Threshold | $34.0M (verify current figure) | 150 employees |
| When it applies | Catch-all computer services NEC | Hardware/software + value-added services bundle |
| Special condition | None unique to the code | Value-added = 15%–50% of total price; supply meets nonmanufacturer rule |
The practical takeaway: don’t assume one size answer for 541519. Read the solicitation. If it’s structured as a value-added resale procurement, the 150-employee standard and its conditions govern — and your receipts are irrelevant to that determination.
How to use 541519 without getting protested
A short pre-bid checklist for IT firms.
Confirm the assigned code
Bid the NAICS code on the solicitation. If you believe it’s misclassified, you can challenge it — but within the appeal window and through the right channel, not by self-selecting a friendlier code.
Find the right standard
Decide whether the buy is general 541519 (receipts) or an ITVAR procurement (150 employees). The solicitation language and the hardware-to-services mix tell you which.
Run the value-added math
If it’s ITVAR, confirm services land in the 15%–50% band and plan your supply chain around the nonmanufacturer rule before you certify small.
Eat your own cooking
BrandShyp bids federal and state IT work every week and maintains its own NIST 800-171 posture — so this isn’t theory. If you’re deciding which codes to register, how the ITVAR standard maps to your team size, or how to position a value-added resale bid, see what we do on the capabilities page.