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Research

A coded flag indicating whether the IDV was awarded under competitive procedures for research. In FPDS, this captures the research-related competition classification associated with the instrument rather than a narrative description.

Family: IDV
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__IDV__competition__research
Title
Research
FPDS Path
IDV/competition/research
Description
A coded flag indicating whether the IDV was awarded under competitive procedures for research. In FPDS, this captures the research-related competition classification associated with the instrument rather than a narrative description.
Business Meaning
This field helps analysts segment research-related contracting activity and assess whether awards using competitive procedures are represented correctly in federal procurement data. It is useful for competition analysis, research portfolio reviews, and compliance checks tied to how research acquisitions were competed.
Example Value
SR2
Observed Non-Null Count
6,088

FPDS Compare

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

Use Cases

  • Dictionary lookup and field explanation
  • SQL filtering and grouping
  • Analytical reporting and reusable query building
  • Competition and sole-source analysis

Common Usage

  • Filter IDVs involving competitive research awards
  • Segment research acquisitions by competition status
  • Check coding consistency against related competition fields

Common Mistakes

  • Assuming the field is always boolean when the extract may contain coded values
  • Using it without checking the paired description or code interpretation

Query Guidance

Use this field as a categorical filter on the stored code values, not as free text. In SQL, compare against the specific code(s) observed in your dataset or join to a code lookup; if a description field exists, use both code and label to avoid misclassification.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__IDV__competition__research AS research
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__IDV__competition__research IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Flag distribution

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