FPDS Query Library
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Cage Code

CAGE code is the vendor’s Commercial and Government Entity identifier recorded at the vendor site level. It is a coded alphanumeric value used to uniquely identify a business location or entity participating in the award.

Family: Award
Category: Vendor Site Details
Data Type: identifier_or_code
Semantic Type: identifier
Mapping: flattened_fpds_xml_field
AI Confidence: high

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__vendor__vendorSiteDetails__entityIdentifiers__cageCode
Title
Cage Code
FPDS Path
award/vendor/vendorSiteDetails/entityIdentifiers/cageCode
Description
CAGE code is the vendor’s Commercial and Government Entity identifier recorded at the vendor site level. It is a coded alphanumeric value used to uniquely identify a business location or entity participating in the award.
Business Meaning
This field is important for linking awards to a specific contractor identity, especially when vendor names vary or multiple sites belong to the same organization. Analysts use it to track vendor concentration, aggregate obligations by supplier, and support entity-level screening, matching, and deduplication.
Example Value
0CHJ5
Observed Non-Null Count
55,871,161

FPDS Compare

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__vendor__vendorSiteDetails__entityIdentifiers__cageCode
FPDS XML Path
award/vendor/vendorSiteDetails/entityIdentifiers/cageCode
Mapping Type
flattened_fpds_xml_field
Comparison Summary
FPDS Query flattens the original nested FPDS XML path 'award/vendor/vendorSiteDetails/entityIdentifiers/cageCode' into the SQL-ready variable 'content__award__vendor__vendorSiteDetails__entityIdentifiers__cageCode'.

Use Cases

  • Dictionary lookup and field explanation
  • SQL filtering and grouping
  • Analytical reporting and reusable query building
  • Contractor profiling and competitor analysis

Common Usage

  • vendor matching across awards
  • supplier concentration analysis
  • entity-level spend rollups

Common Mistakes

  • using it as a company name or description
  • assuming one CAGE code equals one legal parent entity

Query Guidance

Use the field in WHERE, GROUP BY, and JOIN clauses as a coded identifier. Standardize casing and trim whitespace before matching, and prefer exact equality comparisons or distinct counts; if you need organizational-level analysis, pair it with vendor name, UEI, or other entity attributes to avoid misaggregation.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__vendor__vendorSiteDetails__entityIdentifiers__cageCode AS cage_code
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__vendor__vendorSiteDetails__entityIdentifiers__cageCode IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

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