FPDS Query Library
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PIID

Procurement Instrument Identifier, the unique contract or order identifier assigned by the contracting activity for the award record. It is a coded identifier used to distinguish one procurement instrument from another within FPDS and the awarding agency's reporting context.

Family: Award
Category: Award Identification
Data Type: identifier_or_code
Semantic Type: identifier
Mapping: flattened_fpds_xml_field
AI Confidence: high

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__awardID__awardContractID__PIID
Title
PIID
FPDS Path
award/awardID/awardContractID/PIID
Description
Procurement Instrument Identifier, the unique contract or order identifier assigned by the contracting activity for the award record. It is a coded identifier used to distinguish one procurement instrument from another within FPDS and the awarding agency's reporting context.
Business Meaning
This field is central for tracking an award across FPDS records, linking related actions, and distinguishing the specific instrument underlying obligations and modifications. Analysts use it to identify repeat activity on the same award, reconcile records to agency systems, and separate distinct contracts from amendments or delivery/task orders.
Example Value
DEAC2289PC88400
Observed Non-Null Count
111,509,025

FPDS Compare

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__awardID__awardContractID__PIID
FPDS XML Path
award/awardID/awardContractID/PIID
Mapping Type
flattened_fpds_xml_field
Comparison Summary
FPDS Query flattens the original nested FPDS XML path 'award/awardID/awardContractID/PIID' into the SQL-ready variable 'content__award__awardID__awardContractID__PIID'.

Use Cases

  • Dictionary lookup and field explanation
  • SQL filtering and grouping
  • Analytical reporting and reusable query building

Common Usage

  • Deduplicating award records by instrument
  • Joining FPDS awards to agency contract systems
  • Tracking modifications and related actions for the same award

Common Mistakes

  • Using PIID alone as a universal unique key across all agencies without additional context
  • Treating the value as a description or spending category instead of an identifier

Query Guidance

Use in WHERE, JOIN, and GROUP BY clauses when the goal is to isolate or reconcile a specific award instrument. In SQL, compare as a string, preserve leading zeros and embedded letters, and combine with agency or component identifiers to avoid false matches across different reporting entities.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__awardID__awardContractID__PIID AS p_i_i_d
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__awardID__awardContractID__PIID IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

SELECT
    content__award__awardID__awardContractID__PIID AS value,
    count() AS record_count
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__awardID__awardContractID__PIID IS NOT NULL
GROUP BY value
ORDER BY record_count DESC
LIMIT 25

Each dictionary item includes SQL-ready examples generated alongside the variable metadata, allowing immediate use in FPDS Query for filtering, aggregation, and analysis.