A recently conducted survey suggests the possibility that total federal IT spending will be stagnant over the next 5 years. This survey goes on to point out that new federal budgetary cuts and austerity legislation are partly to blame for the stagnation. This news leads some to worry that the recent uptick in government contracting IT activity will be further strangled as a result, and may force a currently booming economic sector into a state of torpidity. If these survey results hold true, it may severely impact private sector business relations with DOD agencies. However, this necessity to stay at a familiar spending level may increase the amount of research and development that civilian agencies put in to finding technologies that “both cut costs, and improve operations” to deal with the current situation.