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As April draws to a close, economic development officials are still awaiting word in the Northrop Grumman sweepstakes.

"We have made what we believe is an excellent offer," Christian Johansson, secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, said of the state's efforts to lure the military contractor's headquarters from Los Angeles.

Northrop officials have said they will decide among Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., by the end of April. Company spokesman Dan McClain said via e-mail that a decision was not brewing Thursday.

Sites that Northrop executives have reviewed include one on Gaither Road in Rockville, local economic development officials said.

Maryland's economic development team has done a great job in courting Northrop, said Renée M. Winsky, CEO of the Tech Council of Maryland.

"It will come down to where Northrop executives want to live," she said.

Northrop was the seventh-largest private employer in Maryland last year, with 10,830 employees, according to DBED.

Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) recently recommended adding tens of millions of dollars to the state budget for programs and tax breaks to lure companies such as Northrop to his state.

If Maryland does land Northrop, it would be the state's second Fortune 100 company, behind only Lockheed Martin of Bethesda, and its seventh Fortune 500 business. Northrop reported sales rose by 4.6 percent to $33.8 billion last year from 2008. Net income in 2009 was $1.7 billion, after a net loss of $1.3 billion in 2008.