FPDS Query Library
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Commercial Item Acquisition Procedures

Human-readable value that records which commercial item acquisition procedure was used for the award. It is an attribute under competition and typically functions as the descriptive label for a coded procurement condition rather than a standalone narrative field.

Family: Award
Category: Competition
Data Type: string
Semantic Type: attribute
Mapping: flattened_fpds_xml_field
AI Confidence: high

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__competition__commercialItemAcquisitionProcedures
Title
Commercial Item Acquisition Procedures
FPDS Path
award/competition/commercialItemAcquisitionProcedures
Description
Human-readable value that records which commercial item acquisition procedure was used for the award. It is an attribute under competition and typically functions as the descriptive label for a coded procurement condition rather than a standalone narrative field.
Business Meaning
This field helps analysts determine whether the award was processed under commercial item procedures, which affects competition interpretation, acquisition strategy review, and compliance analysis. It is useful for separating standard commercial buying actions from other procurement pathways when evaluating sourcing patterns and award characteristics.
Example Value
D
Observed Non-Null Count
110,829,604

FPDS Compare

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__competition__commercialItemAcquisitionProcedures
FPDS XML Path
award/competition/commercialItemAcquisitionProcedures
Mapping Type
flattened_fpds_xml_field
Comparison Summary
FPDS Query flattens the original nested FPDS XML path 'award/competition/commercialItemAcquisitionProcedures' into the SQL-ready variable 'content__award__competition__commercialItemAcquisitionProcedures'.

Use Cases

  • Dictionary lookup and field explanation
  • SQL filtering and grouping
  • Analytical reporting and reusable query building
  • Competition and sole-source analysis

Common Usage

  • Identify awards using commercial item procedures
  • Segment competition analyses by acquisition method
  • Flag records for policy or compliance review

Common Mistakes

  • Interpreting the code as a competition outcome instead of a procedure indicator
  • Assuming all nonblank values mean full and open competition

Query Guidance

Use this field as a categorical filter or grouping key after confirming the actual code set in your FPDS extract. In SQL, compare against observed values or join to a lookup table for readable labels, and combine it with competition and award type fields when analyzing procurement method rather than relying on it alone.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__competition__commercialItemAcquisitionProcedures AS commercial_item_acquisition_procedures
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__competition__commercialItemAcquisitionProcedures IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

SELECT
    content__award__competition__commercialItemAcquisitionProcedures AS value,
    count() AS record_count
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__competition__commercialItemAcquisitionProcedures 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.