What Is USASpending.gov and How Do I Use It?

What USASpending.gov Contains

USASpending.gov is mandated by the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act, 2014). Every federal agency is required to report its spending data, which means the database is comprehensive — not just a sample or summary. It includes:

• Federal contracts (prime awards and sub-awards)
• Federal grants and cooperative agreements
• Direct payments (Social Security, Medicare, etc.)
• Loans (SBA loans, student loans, farm loans)
• Other financial assistance

govprocure's database focuses on contracts and grants — the 328,000+ award records most useful for business research and market intelligence.

What You Can Find on USASpending.gov

For each award, USASpending.gov shows:

• Recipient name and address
• Federal agency and office that made the award
• Award amount (total obligated value)
• Period of performance (start and end dates)
• NAICS code (for contracts) or CFDA code (for grants)
• Set-aside designation (if applicable)
• Description of what was purchased or funded
• Modifications to the original award

Why Market Researchers Use USASpending.gov

The primary business use case is competitive intelligence — finding out what the government has bought in your industry, from which agencies, for how much, and from whom.

Before bidding on any federal contract, experienced contractors research USASpending to answer:

1. Who currently holds this contract (the incumbent)?
2. How much has the agency paid for this type of work historically?
3. Is this agency growing, shrinking, or stable in this spending category?
4. What other vendors compete for this work?

How to Search USASpending.gov

Basic search approach:

1. Go to usaspending.gov
2. Click "Award Search"
3. Enter keywords, recipient name, or agency
4. Filter by Award Type (contracts vs. grants vs. loans)
5. Add NAICS code for contract searches
6. Set date range for recent awards

The interface is powerful but complex. The learning curve is steeper than SAM.gov or grants.gov — which is why govprocure indexes the most useful fields and makes them searchable without navigating the full USASpending interface.

How govprocure Uses USASpending Data

govprocure contains 328,223 award records from USASpending.gov covering 2000–2026, with emphasis on recent awards (2020–2026). Searchable by:

• Recipient name
• Awarding agency
• State and city
• NAICS code
• Award amount range
• Award date range
• Set-aside type
• Award type (contract, grant, etc.)