FPDS Query Library
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Solicitation Procedures

Boolean/code flag identifying the solicitation procedure used for the award record. It records the procedure category selected in FPDS, such as a coded value or abbreviated label rather than a free-text narrative.

Family: Award
Category: Competition
Data Type: boolean_or_code_flag
Semantic Type: flag
Mapping: flattened_fpds_xml_field
AI Confidence: high

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__competition__solicitationProcedures
Title
Solicitation Procedures
FPDS Path
award/competition/solicitationProcedures
Description
Boolean/code flag identifying the solicitation procedure used for the award record. It records the procedure category selected in FPDS, such as a coded value or abbreviated label rather than a free-text narrative.
Business Meaning
This field supports analysis of competition methods, acquisition strategy, and compliance with procurement rules. Analysts use it to compare how often agencies rely on full and open competition, set-asides, sole source actions, or other procedure types across spend, vendors, and programs.
Example Value
NP
Observed Non-Null Count
98,270,489

FPDS Compare

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

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 awards by solicitation method
  • Measure use of competitive versus noncompetitive procedures
  • Support compliance and policy exception analysis

Common Mistakes

  • Assuming the flag is a simple yes/no indicator when it may be a coded category
  • Filtering without checking the actual code meanings or companion description fields

Query Guidance

Use explicit code filters rather than text matching where possible. In SQL, compare against the known code values from FPDS reference data or observed extracts, and join to code descriptions if available to avoid misclassification.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__competition__solicitationProcedures AS solicitation_procedures
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__competition__solicitationProcedures IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Flag distribution

SELECT
    content__award__competition__solicitationProcedures AS flag_value,
    count() AS record_count
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__competition__solicitationProcedures IS NOT NULL
GROUP BY flag_value
ORDER BY record_count DESC

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