FPDS Query Library
About Us
Contact Us

Research

Human-readable research competition classification recorded for the award. It identifies the research-related competition category associated with how the procurement was competed or exempted in the FPDS record.

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__research
Title
Research
FPDS Path
award/competition/research
Description
Human-readable research competition classification recorded for the award. It identifies the research-related competition category associated with how the procurement was competed or exempted in the FPDS record.
Business Meaning
This field supports analysis of competition patterns in research acquisitions, including whether actions were competed, limited, or otherwise categorized under research-specific procedures. It helps distinguish research awards from general procurement competition classifications when reviewing sourcing behavior and compliance.
Example Value
SR3
Observed Non-Null Count
320,416

FPDS Compare

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

Use Cases

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

Common Usage

  • Segment research awards by competition category
  • Compare competition outcomes across research-related procurements
  • Identify noncompetitive or specially classified research actions

Common Mistakes

  • Treating the field as a full explanation instead of a code label
  • Comparing values across datasets without confirming the same code set is used

Query Guidance

Filter and group by this field as a categorical string, and join or pair it with any available code-description field when decoding values. In SQL, use DISTINCT, GROUP BY, or CASE mappings after validating the observed code set and exclude null or blank values explicitly when measuring coverage.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__competition__research AS research
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__competition__research IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

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