FPDS Query Library
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Reason for Modification Description

Human-readable text that explains the selected reason-for-modification code on a contract action. It is the descriptive label paired with the coded FPDS "Reason for Modification" field, and typically contains the narrative form of the modification reason such as funding-only action or administrative change.

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

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__contractData__reasonForModification__description
Title
Reason for Modification Description
FPDS Path
award/contractData/reasonForModification/description
Description
Human-readable text that explains the selected reason-for-modification code on a contract action. It is the descriptive label paired with the coded FPDS "Reason for Modification" field, and typically contains the narrative form of the modification reason such as funding-only action or administrative change.
Business Meaning
This field helps analysts interpret why a contract was modified without relying only on the underlying code. It supports review of modification patterns, obligation changes, and administrative versus substantive contract changes in federal procurement analysis.
Example Value
FUNDING ONLY ACTION
Observed Non-Null Count
23,912,115

FPDS Compare

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

Use Cases

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

Common Usage

  • Explaining the nature of a contract modification in reports
  • Validating or translating coded modification reasons
  • Segmenting modifications by administrative, funding, or scope-related rationale

Common Mistakes

  • Treating the description as the authoritative classification instead of the paired code
  • Assuming all values are normalized free text when they may mirror source-system labels or abbreviations

Query Guidance

Select this field for display, mapping, or validation, but use the paired reason-for-modification code for grouping, filtering, and joins. When analyzing modification activity, normalize by the code and retain the description as a readable label; if codes are unavailable, review distinct description values to identify source-system variants.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__contractData__reasonForModification__description AS reason_for_modification_description
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__contractData__reasonForModification__description IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

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