# Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS)

| **FPDS**         | **Quick Overview**                                                                                                                                                |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| URL              | <https://sam.gov/contracting>                                                                                                                                     |
| What it does     | Provides detailed info on federal contracts, including agencies, vendors, contract values, and award types.                                                       |
| How to use it    | Visit the FPDS search page, use filters to narrow by agency, vendor, contract type, date, or dollar amount, then export results to CSV/Excel for deeper analysis. |
| Cost             | Free.                                                                                                                                                             |
| Account required | Yes (SAM.gov account - easy to create).                                                                                                                           |
| Cookies          | Yes to track sessions, user behavior, and alert preferences.                                                                                                      |
| Ownership        | U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)                                                                                                                        |
| Use in Reporting | Widely used by investigative journalists, transparency advocates, and researchers to track government spending, spot trends, or flag suspicious contracts.        |

### What does FPDS do?

FPDS tracks billions of dollars in contracts, letting you see who’s getting government money, what it’s for, and how it’s awarded. It collects, organises, and shares all U.S. federal contract data above $10,000, making it possible to see who the government is paying and why.

**The lowdown:** Think of it as the financial footprint of the U.S. government in action, perfect for journalists, researchers, and OSINT enthusiasts who want a peek into federal procurement.

### How to Use:

**1. Create a free SAM.gov account.**

**2. Use the “Contract Data” search tool to filter by agency, date range, or contractor. This is our search for Boeing:**

<figure><img src="https://2429831402-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3YeRsjw1gI6xxIP4cuOd%2Fuploads%2FLWpjnb6wGI6wEjEHa3uu%2Funknown.png?alt=media&#x26;token=470e4bbc-3635-4f85-aeaf-f80e7cfb66d7" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**3. In the top right of the search page, you can select PDF, CSV, or Atom/RSS to export your results for analysis.**&#x20;

You can [view our full, detailed guide in the OSINT Newsletter here.](https://osintnewsletter.com/p/74)                                                  &#x20;

### Cost

* [x] Free
* [ ] Partially Free
* [ ] Paid

## Data Processing

### Account Required:

* [x] Yes
* [ ] No

You’ll need a SAM.gov account, which is easy to create.

### Cookies:&#x20;

These cookies are primarily used to track sessions and analytics, and alert preferences.

### Use in Reporting

FPDS supports transparency and accountability in reporting by allowing you to:

* Pull official contract records to identify government spending patterns.
* Validate claims about contractors, track organizational relationships, and;
* Spot trends before analysing or visualising the data.

\
BIRN’s data journalism guides reports on [analysts having used FPDS to verify contract details while investigating sensitive defense procurement, ](https://bird.tools/how_to/how-to-scrape-pentagon-arms-investigation-case-study/)even catching attempts to later alter contract descriptions in the official database (something to be aware of).

| **Capabilities**                                                                                           | **Limitations**                               |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| Provides access to detailed federal contract info including tracking federal spending across all agencies. | Can be complex for beginners.                 |
| Lets you search by agency, vendor, contract type and more.                                                 | Data is only as accurate as agency reporting. |
| Access downloadable datasets for analysis.                                                                 | Large data exports can be cumbersome.         |
| Provides historical data going back many years.                                                            | <p><br></p>                                   |

### Summary

FPDS is perfect for investigations, research and transparency reporting, best used in the data collection and verification stage of the OSINT workflow. However, avoid jumping to conclusions as there can be reporting errors or delays.

### Ownership

U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

### Ethical Considerations

* Data is public but sensitive so use responsibly.
* Avoid harassing vendors or misusing contract information.

### Related Tools:

[USAspending.gov](https://www.usaspending.gov)

#### Sources

<https://sam.gov/contracting>&#x20;

<https://osintnewsletter.com/p/74>

<https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/12/homeland-security-spending-trail-how-follow-money-through-us-government-databases>

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