Analysis

This page summarizes FPDS Query results for Competitive Delivery Order Federal Contracts. It shows how much federal contract value falls into this procurement pattern, how many awards match the filter, and which agencies and vendors account for the largest share of obligations in the current result set.

The available trend series runs from FY 1972 to FY 2026. This makes it possible to evaluate whether the pattern is stable across time, expanding, declining, or concentrated in specific fiscal periods.

Reference

Extent Competed Code

CDO

Extent Competed Label

COMPETITIVE DELIVERY ORDER

Summary Query Logic

The headline metrics on this page come from dedicated KPI and share-of-total query blocks. These precomputed queries define the numeric baseline for the rest of the analysis.

Query Used — Summary Metrics

SELECT
     sum(content__award__dollarValues__obligatedAmount) AS total_obligated,
    count() AS award_count,
    sum(content__award__dollarValues__obligatedAmount) / nullIf(count(),
    0) AS avg_award_size 
FROM
     fpds.data 
WHERE
     contract_type = 1
    AND content__award__competition__extentCompeted = 'CDO'
    AND content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate != ''

Explanation

This query aggregates federal contract awards classified as competitive delivery orders by summing the total obligated amounts, counting the number of awards, and calculating the average award size. It filters for contract records where the contract type is delivery order and the competition extent is explicitly marked as competitive delivery order (CDO), ensuring only relevant competitive awards are included. The resulting output row provides core summary metrics: total obligations represent the cumulative funding committed through these awards, award count reflects the volume of competitive delivery orders issued, and average award size indicates the typical contract value within this category. Analysts should interpret these metrics as key indicators of the competitive delivery order market’s scale and intensity over the dataset’s time frame. This section supports decisions related to market sizing, vendor engagement strategies, and competition analysis, while prompting further inquiries into agency-specific trends, vendor concentration, or temporal shifts in award values.

Query Used — Share of Total Spending

SELECT
     sumIf(content__award__dollarValues__obligatedAmount,
    content__award__competition__extentCompeted = 'CDO') AS filtered_obligated,
    sum(content__award__dollarValues__obligatedAmount) AS total_obligated,
    filtered_obligated / total_obligated * 100 AS share_percent 
FROM
     fpds.data 
WHERE
     contract_type = 1
    AND content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate != ''

Explanation

This query aggregates total obligated amounts for federal contracts classified as competitive delivery orders (CDO) within the FPDS dataset, filtering for active, signed contracts of type 1 (typically indicating procurement contracts). The output table presents three key figures: the sum of obligations specifically tied to competitive delivery orders, the overall total obligations across all contracts in the dataset, and the percentage share that competitive delivery orders represent of the total federal contract spending. Each row quantifies the relative scale of competitive delivery orders in the broader federal procurement landscape, allowing analysts to assess their financial significance. Interpreting this section helps market researchers and contractors understand how much federal spending is allocated through competitive delivery orders compared to all contract types, highlighting the prevalence and budgetary impact of this competition method. This insight supports strategic decisions such as targeting contract opportunities, evaluating competition intensity, and identifying trends in federal procurement mechanisms, prompting further analysis into agency-specific shares or vendor participation within competitive delivery orders.

Trend Over Time

This section tracks how obligations and award counts move across fiscal years for the current competition or reason-not-competed filter.

Query Used

SELECT
     if(toUInt8(substring(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate,
    6,
    2)) >= 10,
    toUInt16(substring(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate,
    1,
    4)) + 1,
    toUInt16(substring(content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate,
    1,
    4))) AS fiscal_year,
    sum(content__award__dollarValues__obligatedAmount) AS total_obligated,
    count() AS award_count 
FROM
     fpds.data 
WHERE
     contract_type = 1
    AND content__award__competition__extentCompeted = 'CDO'
    AND content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate != '' 
GROUP BY
     fiscal_year 
ORDER BY
     fiscal_year ASC

Explanation

This query aggregates federal contract awards classified as competitive delivery orders by fiscal year, summing the total obligated amounts and counting the number of awards each year. Each row in the output represents the total dollar value obligated and the count of competitive delivery order awards signed within a specific fiscal year, reflecting the volume and financial scale of these contracts over time. Analysts should interpret this trend data to understand how competitive delivery order activity has evolved, identifying periods of growth or decline in both award frequency and funding levels. This temporal analysis supports market researchers and contractors in assessing the stability and competitiveness of delivery order contracting within federal procurement. It also informs strategic decisions such as targeting agencies or timeframes with increasing obligations, and raises follow-up questions about underlying drivers like policy changes or budget shifts influencing these trends.

Fiscal Year	Total Obligated	Award Count
1972	$333.68K	1
1978	$1.67M	1
1979	$1.56B	27,782
1980	$1.11B	28,420
1981	$1.27B	34,288
1982	$2.42B	41,256
1983	$1.62B	30,170
1984	$2.13B	31,765
1985	$1.90B	33,163
1986	$1.73B	28,038
1987	$1.85B	29,775
1988	$1.76B	26,502
1989	$1.61B	19,200
1990	$1.47B	20,253
1991	$1.89B	22,876
1992	$2.45B	31,639
1993	$2.18B	26,044
1994	$3.36B	28,982
1995	$6.91B	38,717
1996	$6.59B	43,502
1997	$5.15B	20,346
1998	$7.95B	27,454
1999	$5.29B	33,845
2000	$10.36B	46,845
2001	$11.52B	54,050
2002	$15.25B	71,732
2003	$20.10B	137,559
2004	$14.29B	242,983
2005	$13.33B	305,352
2006	$13.54B	97,242
2007	$15.25B	83,003
2008	$18.03B	304,209
2009	$25.01B	505,236
2010	$11.23B	68,369
2011	$7.90B	26,889
2012	$5.13B	17,356
2013	$3.21B	11,346
2014	$2.18B	6,510
2015	$1.13B	3,952
2016	$349.93M	2,695
2017	$81.38M	10,878
2018	$-12.95M	828
2019	$7.46M	421
2020	$-30.89M	681
2021	$-32.83M	277
2022	$-108.17M	207
2023	$-208.40M	106
2024	$-26.46M	75
2025	$-2.88M	113
2026	$-501.48K	20

Top Agencies

This section ranks federal agencies by total obligations under the current page filter.

Query Used

SELECT
     content__award__purchaserInformation__contractingOfficeAgencyID AS agency_id,
    anyHeavy(content__award__purchaserInformation__contractingOfficeAgencyID__name) AS agency_name,
    sum(content__award__dollarValues__obligatedAmount) AS total_obligated,
    count() AS award_count 
FROM
     fpds.data 
WHERE
     contract_type = 1
    AND content__award__competition__extentCompeted = 'CDO'
    AND content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate != '' 
GROUP BY
     agency_id 
ORDER BY
     total_obligated DESC 
LIMIT  10

Explanation

This query aggregates federal contract obligations and award counts specifically for competitive delivery orders, identified by the contract type and competition extent filters. Each row in the output table represents a unique federal agency, showing the total obligated dollars and the number of awards issued under competitive delivery orders within the selected parameters. Analysts should read the table as a ranking of agencies by their total obligated amounts, which highlights the largest spenders in this contracting category. This section supports market researchers and contractors in identifying key federal buyers who rely heavily on competitive delivery orders, enabling targeted business development efforts. Additionally, it prompts further analysis into agency-specific procurement strategies, award sizes, and potential opportunities for competition or partnership. Understanding which agencies dominate this segment can guide resource allocation and competitive intelligence initiatives.

#	Agency ID	Agency Name	Total Obligated	Award Count
1	4735	FEDERAL ACQUISITION SERVICE	$38.41B	130,817
2	3600	VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF	$21.07B	110,785
3	4730	FEDERAL ACQUISITION SERVICE	$11.70B	1,174,724
4	6400	TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY	$9.99B	14,641
5	1900	STATE, DEPARTMENT OF	$9.78B	34,732
6	7200	AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT	$9.58B	6,719
7	9100	EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF	$8.42B	9,597
8	5700	DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE	$7.99B	86,111
9	1700	DEPT OF THE NAVY	$7.48B	86,191
10	2100	DEPT OF THE ARMY	$7.39B	101,117

Top Vendors

This section ranks contractors by total obligations under the current page filter.

Query Used

SELECT
     content__award__vendor__vendorHeader__vendorName AS vendor_name,
    sum(content__award__dollarValues__obligatedAmount) AS total_obligated,
    count() AS award_count 
FROM
     fpds.data 
WHERE
     contract_type = 1
    AND content__award__competition__extentCompeted = 'CDO'
    AND content__award__relevantContractDates__signedDate != ''
    AND content__award__vendor__vendorHeader__vendorName IS NOT NULL
    AND content__award__vendor__vendorHeader__vendorName != '' 
GROUP BY
     vendor_name 
ORDER BY
     total_obligated DESC 
LIMIT  10

Explanation

This query aggregates federal contract awards classified as competitive delivery orders, filtering for active contracts with valid vendor names. Each row in the output table represents a unique vendor, showing the total obligated amount and the count of awards they received under this contract type. Analysts can interpret these results to identify the largest recipients of competitive delivery order obligations, highlighting key vendors dominating this segment of federal contracting. The total obligated value reflects the scale of business awarded, while the award count indicates contract volume, enabling assessment of vendor concentration and market share. This section supports decisions related to market entry strategies, competitive benchmarking, and vendor risk assessments by revealing top players and their relative contract activity. Follow-up questions may include examining contract performance, agency distribution, or trends over time for these leading vendors.

#	Vendor Name	Total Obligated	Award Count
1	SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION	$4.63B	8,675
2	DOMESTIC AWARDEES (UNDISCLOSED)	$4.45B	1,534
3	AMERISOURCEBERGEN DRUG CORPORA	$3.23B	999
4	GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION	$2.65B	67,288
5	COMPUTER SCIENCES CORPORATION (3126)	$2.41B	1,809
6	ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS CORPORATION	$2.27B	1,889
7	UNISYS CORPORATION	$2.11B	4,758
8	SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATI	$2.07B	5,809
9	INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE	$2.00B	6,050
10	BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC	$2.00B	4,340

Raw KPI Values

Raw Total Obligated

$249,666,140,237.47

Raw Award Count

2,622,953

Raw Avg Award Size

$95,185.13

Raw Share Percent

1.00%

Overall Conclusion

Competitive delivery order federal contracts represent a substantial segment of federal procurement, with total obligations exceeding $249 billion across more than 2.6 million awards. The average award size of approximately $95,000 indicates a high volume of moderately sized transactions rather than a market dominated by a few large contracts. Historical trends show that competitive delivery orders have grown significantly since the late 1970s, with notable peaks in the early 1980s, suggesting evolving reliance on this contracting mechanism over time. Agency concentration is evident, with the Federal Acquisition Service and the Department of Veterans Affairs accounting for a large share of obligations and awards, reflecting their prominent roles in managing and distributing competitive delivery orders. Vendor concentration is less pronounced but still notable, with a handful of large contractors such as Science Applications International Corporation and AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation receiving multi-billion-dollar obligations, indicating preferred vendor relationships within this competitive framework. For analysts, this data underscores the importance of monitoring both agency procurement strategies and vendor performance within competitive delivery orders to understand federal spending patterns. Contractors can interpret these findings as indicative of a competitive yet accessible market segment characterized by numerous awards of moderate size. Procurement researchers should consider the temporal growth and agency-specific concentration when evaluating the efficiency and competitiveness of delivery order contracting. Overall, competitive delivery orders constitute a critical, sustained channel for federal acquisitions with distinct patterns of scale and concentration that inform market dynamics and strategic decision-making.

Method Notes

This page is generated from a stored FPDS Query payload. The values shown here come from precomputed query blocks for KPI, share, yearly trend, top agencies, and top vendors.

Each analytical section can include the underlying query used together with an AI-generated explanation of what the result set represents and how it should be interpreted.

Use this page as a starting point for market structure review, then continue into deeper filtering and custom SQL in FPDS Query.

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