FPDS Query Library
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Contract Action Type

This field identifies the type of contract action recorded in FPDS for the award, such as a delivery order or other award action category. It is a coded attribute rather than a narrative description, so the stored value may be abbreviated and should be interpreted against the FPDS code set or paired label where available.

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

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__contractData__contractActionType
Title
Contract Action Type
FPDS Path
award/contractData/contractActionType
Description
This field identifies the type of contract action recorded in FPDS for the award, such as a delivery order or other award action category. It is a coded attribute rather than a narrative description, so the stored value may be abbreviated and should be interpreted against the FPDS code set or paired label where available.
Business Meaning
Contract action type is central to distinguishing prime contracts from order-level actions and other award events. Analysts use it to segment obligation trends, compare acquisition vehicles, and avoid mixing fundamentally different procurement actions in reporting or performance analysis.
Example Value
D
Observed Non-Null Count
111,509,025

FPDS Compare

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

Use Cases

  • Dictionary lookup and field explanation
  • SQL filtering and grouping
  • Analytical reporting and reusable query building

Common Usage

  • Separating delivery orders, task orders, and base awards
  • Grouping obligations by action type in dashboards
  • Filtering analyses to a specific procurement vehicle or award category

Common Mistakes

  • Assuming the coded value is human-readable without a lookup
  • Mixing order-level actions with prime contract actions in the same trend line

Query Guidance

Filter and group by the coded value exactly as stored, and join to a reference table or decode expression to produce readable labels. Use DISTINCT or GROUP BY on this field to profile the distribution of action types before building analysis logic.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__contractData__contractActionType AS contract_action_type
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__contractData__contractActionType IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

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