What is FPDS?
FPDS is the Federal Procurement Data System, the legacy federal contracting data system that captured contract action reports. The public user experience has been folded into SAM.gov Data Bank and related federal systems, while USASpending.gov remains the public spending portal Fonteum uses for award records.
- Source file
- Not reported
- Published
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- Retrieved
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- Snapshot
- Not retained for this reference page
- Re-check
- FPDS.gov
- Data as of
- Not reported
Full name: Federal Procurement Data System
Short explanation
FPDS matters because older procurement references, contract-action records, and agency workflows still use the name. Fonteum explains FPDS as a procurement data-system concept and uses the current USASpending.gov award source families for public award records. For users, the practical distinction is simple: FPDS is a source-system lineage term, while USASpending.gov is the public portal and API used for award transparency.
Related platform: Source library
How it’s used
- Procurement lineage: FPDS describes the contract-action reporting system behind many historical federal procurement references.
- Public award access: Fonteum points users to USASpending.gov and the `/gov/fpds` explainer for current public award-search context.
- Data joins: award records are joined to UEI, agency, NAICS, SAM.gov registration, exclusions, and FAPIIS facts only through source-backed keys.
Frequently asked questions
- What does FPDS stand for?
- FPDS stands for Federal Procurement Data System.
- Is FPDS the same as USASpending.gov?
- No. FPDS is a procurement reporting system lineage term, while USASpending.gov is the public federal spending portal and API used for award transparency.
- Where does Fonteum explain FPDS?
- Fonteum's `/gov/fpds` page explains FPDS, SAM.gov Data Bank, and USASpending.gov in the procurement silo.
Explore in Fonteum
How Fonteum sources, resolves, and publishes data tied to this term.