How to Find DoD Contracts Awarded

To find reported Department of Defense (DoD) contract awards, sign in to SAM.gov and search under Contracting → Contract Awards. The public-facing award search formerly on FPDS.gov has moved to SAM.gov; FPDS ezSearch was decommissioned on February 24, 2026. For a broader view of federal award spending, search USAspending.gov and refine the results with its advanced filters. SAM.gov explains the transition, and its Contracting page links to award search and related resources.

1. Choose the right search source

Your goal	Start with	Why
Find contract actions and inspect contract-focused award records	SAM.gov Contract Awards	It is the current home for public-facing contract-award search formerly on FPDS.gov. A SAM.gov account and sign-in are required to search.
Explore federal awards by agency, recipient, period, or keyword	USAspending.gov Advanced Search	It supports broad award-spending exploration and more targeted filters.
Run reports or work with contract data programmatically	SAM.gov Data Bank / Data Services	SAM.gov points users to contract data reports and APIs; consult the current service documentation for access and field details.

The two search sites serve related but different workflows. Use SAM.gov when you need contract-action search and record details. Use USAspending.gov when you want to explore federal award spending and narrow a larger set by recipient, time period, award type, or other fields.

2. Search for a DoD contract in SAM.gov

1. Create or use a SAM.gov account and sign in. SAM.gov says users must be signed in to access Contract Award Data search. Public users can search and run reports after signing in; this is distinct from registering as a federal contractor.
2. Open Contract Awards. Use the Contracting section or the award-data entry point at sam.gov/fpds. The legacy FPDS ezSearch workflow is retired.
3. Begin with the strongest identifier you have. Try the contractor’s legal business name, a PIID (Procurement Instrument Identifier), solicitation or notice identifier, agency, or a distinctive phrase from the award description.
4. Choose an appropriate keyword mode. SAM.gov describes searches for any words, all words, an exact phrase, and a structured Search Editor. Start broad enough to find spelling or naming variants, then tighten the query.
5. Apply filters. Narrow by agency and legal business name where available. If a search returns too many results, add a known identifier or a more specific phrase rather than relying only on a generic term such as “software.”
6. Open likely records and inspect the details. Confirm the agency, recipient, identifiers, dates, description, and reported action. Review modifications as well as the initial award record: modifications can change previously reported data.
7. Record the search scope. Note the date range, filters, and the time you searched. Data can be updated, and a result set represents reported records within the service’s coverage.

SAM.gov Contracting help covers Contract Award Data access and search filters.

3. Search USAspending.gov for broader award context

1. Open Federal Awards Advanced Search to work with targeted filters. For an initial broad query, use USAspending.gov Keyword Search.
2. Choose the relevant DoD agency and reporting period. If you are unsure which component issued the award, begin with the department-level scope, then inspect component or sub-agency values in results.
3. Refine with the recipient, award ID, award type, NAICS code, description, and other available filters. Use identifiers when you have them; keyword descriptions can vary across records.
4. Open the award or transaction result and check its dates, recipient, award identifier, description, and transaction context. Distinguish an award from an individual transaction when interpreting totals or changes.
5. Review USAspending’s data disclosures for the relevant period, especially the disclosure about delays in DoD procurement data.

Use USAspending to explore and compare federal spending; use the contract-focused SAM.gov workflow when you need to find reported contract actions and examine contract records.

4. Search tips for better results

• Search names in more than one form. Try the legal business name and known name variants. A parent company, division, or operating name may be represented differently from the name you expect.
• Prefer exact identifiers when possible. A PIID, award ID, solicitation number, or notice identifier can reduce ambiguity. Check whether you have the identifier for the award itself or for a related solicitation.
• Use phrases selectively. Exact-phrase search helps with distinctive wording, but a phrase copied from a summary may not match the wording in the reported record. Try individual distinctive terms if it returns nothing.
• Separate agency from contractor. Search the agency and legal business name as filters where supported rather than combining many terms into one ambiguous keyword query.
• Expand the date range when investigating older records. A narrow period can hide an award action or a later modification. Search a wider period, inspect record dates, then narrow once you find the relevant record.
• Check modifications. An award can have subsequent actions that change reported values or details. Do not treat an initial record as a complete history.
• Keep an audit note. Save the query terms, filters, search date, and identifiers found. This makes later verification and repeat searches more reliable.

5. What the search results cover—and what they may miss

These services expose reported records; they are not proof that every DoD purchase or contract action is present. SAM.gov’s pages describe coverage in page-specific terms: its public search description refers to publicly available information on unclassified contract actions exceeding the micro-purchase threshold, plus modifications that change previously reported data regardless of dollar value. Its Contract Award Data help separately describes agency-reported actions with an estimated value of $10,000 or more. Thresholds and applicability depend on reporting rules and record type, so do not assume every purchase will appear. See the current SAM.gov coverage information for context.

USAspending.gov publishes disclosures about prime-award start dates, reporting thresholds, update frequency, and limitations, including a disclosure titled “Delay in Department of Defense (DOD) Procurement Data.” A missing or recently changed record may reflect coverage or reporting timing; absence from a search is not proof that no award exists. Review the USAspending search disclosures before drawing conclusions from incomplete or recent results.

6. Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	What to do
SAM.gov will not show award data	You are not signed in, or the session has expired.	Sign in to your SAM.gov account, then reopen Contract Awards. SAM.gov states that sign-in is required even for public searching.
An FPDS ezSearch link or instruction no longer works	The legacy search was retired and the public-facing search moved to SAM.gov.	Start at SAM.gov Contract Award Data and use Contract Awards there.
No results for a contractor	The query may use a trade name, an incomplete legal name, the wrong agency or period, or an identifier for a related notice rather than the award.	Try the legal business name and variants, remove restrictive terms, widen the period, and search by a known PIID or award ID if available.
Too many results	The keyword is broad or common.	Use an exact phrase or structured search, then filter by agency, legal business name, identifier, or period.
A recent DoD award is missing	Reporting and publication can be delayed; USAspending specifically discloses DoD procurement data delays.	Check both SAM.gov and USAspending.gov, review their coverage disclosures, and search again later. Do not infer that no award exists from one missing result.
Different totals appear across pages or views	One view may represent an award while another shows individual transactions or modifications, and update timing may differ.	Compare identifiers, action dates, record type, and the filters used. Do not add award totals and transaction values as if they were the same measure.
A record appears to have changed	A modification or later reported action may update the record.	Inspect the modification history and note the action dates before citing a value or description.

7. Reliability, update timing, and responsible interpretation

• Preserve provenance. For research or reporting, record the official source, query scope, retrieval date, and award identifiers. Link to the underlying record where practical.
• Recheck recent awards. Procurement reporting and publication are not necessarily immediate. Consult the current data disclosures and repeat the search when timing matters.
• Do not equate search absence with nonexistence. Coverage is bounded by reporting requirements, public availability, and update schedules.
• Use the appropriate record level. Award-level and transaction-level records answer different questions. State which one supports any total or claim.
• Use current official documentation for automated access. SAM.gov directs data users to its Contract Awards API and service resources. The ATOM Feed is planned for retirement later in FY 2026, so check the current SAM.gov transition information and the API documentation linked there before building an integration.

Or skip the browser setup

If you need a screenshot of a public award page for a report or review, ScreenshotNeo captures a page through one API request. Its API supports PNG, JPEG, WebP, and PDF output. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options.

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://sam.gov/fpds -o shot.webp

import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://sam.gov/fpds"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)

const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://sam.gov/fpds' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Screenshot request failed: ${res.status}`);
await Bun.write('shot.webp', res);

Cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets are removed before the screenshot; each cleanup step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, failed loads, timeouts, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers report the page verdict and billing status. An MCP server lets Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients use screenshot, page-info, and PDF tools. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots.

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FAQ

Do I need to register as a contractor to search?

No. SAM.gov requires an account and sign-in to access Contract Award Data search; that is separate from registering as a federal contractor.

Is FPDS still where I should search?

No. FPDS.gov ezSearch was decommissioned on February 24, 2026. Use SAM.gov Contract Awards for the public-facing search.

Does a missing result prove that DoD did not award the contract?

No. Public search coverage and reporting timing have limits, and DoD procurement data may be delayed. Check the official disclosures and try both search sources.

Which site should I cite?

Cite the official record from the source that supports your claim, and state whether you are referring to an award or a transaction. Include the retrieval date for time-sensitive research.