FPDS Query Library
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Evaluated Preference Description

Human-readable description for the award competition's evaluated preference code. It labels the value stored in the paired 'Evaluated Preference' field, translating the underlying coded or abbreviated entry into plain language.

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

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__competition__evaluatedPreference__description
Title
Evaluated Preference Description
FPDS Path
award/competition/evaluatedPreference/description
Description
Human-readable description for the award competition's evaluated preference code. It labels the value stored in the paired 'Evaluated Preference' field, translating the underlying coded or abbreviated entry into plain language.
Business Meaning
This field helps analysts understand whether and how a solicitation or award applied preference rules during source selection. It is useful for reviewing competition practices, comparing award decisions across procurements, and interpreting coded FPDS competition data without guessing at meaning.
Example Value
NO PREFERENCE USED
Observed Non-Null Count
95,415,339

FPDS Compare

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

Use Cases

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

Common Usage

  • Decoding the evaluated preference applied in an award action
  • Grouping awards by preference status for competition analysis
  • Validating coded FPDS competition fields against their displayed labels

Common Mistakes

  • Treating the description as an independent policy indicator instead of a label for the paired code
  • Aggregating on text values without checking for alternate spellings, blanks, or source-system variations

Query Guidance

Use this field in SQL for display, validation, or text-based review, but prefer the paired coded field for joins, grouping, and filtering. If you must search by text, normalize case and trim whitespace; when possible, select both the code and description together so the description can be interpreted in context.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__competition__evaluatedPreference__description AS evaluated_preference_description
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__competition__evaluatedPreference__description IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

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