FPDS Query Library
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Type of Set Aside

Indicates the set-aside type associated with the award’s competition record. In FPDS this may function as a coded flag or human-readable value identifying whether the procurement was reserved for a specific socioeconomic or statutory category, or marked as none.

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__typeOfSetAside
Title
Type of Set Aside
FPDS Path
award/competition/typeOfSetAside
Description
Indicates the set-aside type associated with the award’s competition record. In FPDS this may function as a coded flag or human-readable value identifying whether the procurement was reserved for a specific socioeconomic or statutory category, or marked as none.
Business Meaning
This field is essential for assessing small business and socioeconomic contracting activity, competition structure, and compliance with set-aside requirements. Analysts use it to measure award distribution across set-aside programs and to evaluate how often agencies rely on restricted competition versus full and open competition.
Example Value
NONE
Observed Non-Null Count
58,244,207

FPDS Compare

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

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 competed under a set-aside program
  • Calculate obligated dollars by set-aside type
  • Exclude non-set-aside awards from small business analysis

Common Mistakes

  • Assuming blank values mean the same as explicit NONE without checking source conventions
  • Using the field alone as proof of small business eligibility or awardee status

Query Guidance

Use this field in WHERE clauses to filter awards by set-aside category, and group by it to summarize counts or obligations by procurement segment. If the database includes both code and description columns, join or coalesce them carefully and preserve explicit NONE versus NULL to distinguish no set-aside from missing data.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__competition__typeOfSetAside AS type_of_set_aside
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__competition__typeOfSetAside IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Flag distribution

SELECT
    content__award__competition__typeOfSetAside AS flag_value,
    count() AS record_count
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__competition__typeOfSetAside 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.