FPDS Query Library
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Product or Service Code Description

Human-readable description paired with the Product or Service Code on the award record. It identifies the commodity or service category in plain language rather than the abbreviated PSC code itself.

Family: Award
Category: Product Or Service Information
Data Type: string
Semantic Type: description
Mapping: flattened_fpds_xml_field
AI Confidence: high

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__productOrServiceInformation__productOrServiceCode__description
Title
Product or Service Code Description
FPDS Path
award/productOrServiceInformation/productOrServiceCode/description
Description
Human-readable description paired with the Product or Service Code on the award record. It identifies the commodity or service category in plain language rather than the abbreviated PSC code itself.
Business Meaning
This field helps analysts interpret award classifications, group obligations by category, and validate coded procurement data without relying on the abbreviated code alone. It is useful for reporting on acquisition mix, spend patterns, and whether awards align with expected product or service categories.
Example Value
ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL SERVICES
Observed Non-Null Count
111,236,042

FPDS Compare

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

Use Cases

  • Dictionary lookup and field explanation
  • SQL filtering and grouping
  • Analytical reporting and reusable query building
  • Market segmentation by industry or PSC

Common Usage

  • Translate PSC codes into readable procurement categories
  • Group awards by product or service category
  • Validate coded PSC values against observed descriptions

Common Mistakes

  • Treating the description as the primary key instead of the PSC code
  • Assuming identical descriptions always indicate identical underlying codes

Query Guidance

Select this field with the paired Product or Service Code for readable output, but aggregate or filter on the code when building analysis tables. If you must search by text, use case-insensitive pattern matching on the description and compare results against the code to avoid misclassification.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__productOrServiceInformation__productOrServiceCode__description AS product_or_service_code_description
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__productOrServiceInformation__productOrServiceCode__description IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

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