Moving Public Award Research From FPDS to SAM.gov: Browser or API?

In brief: Use SAM.gov Contract Awards in the browser for occasional record checks, or its documented API for repeatable automated research. Choose by actual access, account limits and workload, then reconcile comparable records across sources rather than assuming totals match.

Key Changes in the 2026 FPDS-to-SAM.gov Transition

According to transition records at SAM.gov FPDS Transition and the Open GSA Contract Awards API documentation, legacy FPDS functionality has migrated across two main paths:

1. Browser Award Searches: Legacy public ezSearch on FPDS.gov retired on February 24, 2026. Award lookups are now conducted under the Contract Awards domain in SAM.gov. Unlike the legacy unauthenticated search bar, searching contract actions in SAM.gov requires signing in with a personal SAM.gov account authenticated through Login.gov.
2. Automated Data Feeds: SAM.gov identifies the Contract Awards API as the replacement for legacy ATOM consumption. Test the JSON-based API at api.sam.gov against your own research needs rather than assuming old scripts map unchanged. (Note: The public ATOM XML feed is distinct from separate legacy FPDS SOAP web services used for administrative system integrations.)
3. Data Scope Distinctions: Contract Action Reports (CARs) record transaction-level actions. The obligation value on a single modification is not the contract ceiling, and neither obligation nor ceiling represents actual cash outlays or recognized vendor revenue.

For early opportunity capture methods, review our guides on how to find government contract opportunities and the 6-to-18-month recompete lookahead.

Comparing Research Channels: Browser, API, and USAspending

Swipe or use arrow keys to compare all columns.

Public-Award Migration and Reconciliation Test Checklist

Use this technical test checklist when transitioning research workflows from legacy FPDS feeds to SAM.gov and validating historical figures. This checklist provides a recommended technical procedure for contractor development and capture teams, rather than a government-mandated compliance protocol.

FPDS-TO-SAM.GOV AWARD MIGRATION & RECONCILIATION CHECKLIST (RECOMMENDED PRACTICE)

1. ACCOUNT ROLE & QUOTA SELECTION
   [ ] Signed in to SAM.gov Account Details to generate a public API key.
   [ ] Checked account role tier:
       - Non-federal personal key without a SAM role = 10 requests/day.
       - Non-federal personal key with a SAM role or federal personal key = 1,000 requests/day.
       - Verified the actual authorized role, account tier and allowance before scheduling work.
       - Non-federal System Account = 1,000 requests/day.
       - Federal System Account = 10,000 requests/24-hour window.

2. API QUERY SYNTAX VALIDATION
   [ ] Directed queries to production endpoint: https://api.sam.gov/contract-awards/v1/search
   [ ] Used documented query syntax and stable identifiers instead of silently
       stripping characters from a legal name and changing the search meaning.
   [ ] Filtered by 12-character Unique Entity ID (UEI) or 5-character CAGE instead
       of plain legal name to prevent text parsing errors.

3. HISTORICAL RECONCILIATION TEST
   [ ] Selected a sample cohort of 5 completed contracts (including at least 1 civilian
       task order with multiple modifications and 1 DoD award older than 90 days).
   [ ] Aligned the version, action scope, time window, reporting lag, deletions and
       dollar measure before comparing SAM.gov with USAspending award data.
   [ ] Investigated and recorded differences rather than requiring unqualified equality.
   [ ] Accounted for deletedStatus parameters to avoid double-counting rescinded CARs.

4. DOD VISIBILITY BOUNDARY
   [ ] Checked whether records meet the API definition for revealed data. Its recent-date
       boundary covers contracts both funded and awarded by DoD, using Date Signed.
   [ ] Recorded access level and source date rather than treating an empty result as
       proof that no contract action occurred.

Worked Illustration

Hypothetical Scenario: BlueRidge Sustainment Group LLC (a logistics contractor) previously ran a weekly automated script against the legacy FPDS ATOM feed to monitor task orders under five Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) and GSA IDIQs.

• Migration to API: Following the retirement of the ATOM feed, BlueRidge updates its script to query the SAM.gov Contract Awards API.
• Quota Alignment: BlueRidge's developer initially tests with an unroled personal API key, which hits the 10 requests/day ceiling during testing. The developer obtains the appropriate authorized SAM.gov role through the applicable process, then verifies the current account tier and quota before planning the job. Merely linking a key or entity profile does not establish that a role or quota change has been granted.
• Syntax and Lag Adjustment: The developer sanitizes vendor query parameters, replacing raw corporate names that contain ampersands with exact UEIs. When running the NAVSUP query, the team applies Step 4 of the checklist, recording whether the API's DoD visibility condition applies and checking the signed date and account access level. The team does not infer that a missing record must appear on a particular future day.

Next Step in FedFinder

If you want to track historical contract awards, analyze incumbent modifications, and forecast recompete timelines across civilian and defense agencies without building custom API scrapers, try FedFinder. Explore subscription options and feature tiers on the FedFinder pricing page.

Sources

• GSA / SAM.gov: Contract Awards in SAM.gov. Transition guidance. Consulted November 6, 2026.
• GSA Open Technology: SAM.gov Contract Awards API. Account access, rate limits, extracts and data definitions. Consulted November 6, 2026.
• U.S. Treasury: USAspending.gov. Award and spending research portal; use the dataset appropriate to the question. Consulted November 6, 2026.