Agencies Data Dictionary¶
This document describes the fields available on the agency data structure as it appears in response shaping expands across multiple endpoints (e.g., contracts, opportunities). For filtering, ordering, and pagination on the standalone endpoint, see the Agencies API Reference.
For the unified federal hierarchy, see Organizations.
Overview¶
Agencies are federal organizations that sit below departments in the federal hierarchy. When expanded via response shaping (e.g., agency(code,name,abbreviation)), agency objects use the fields below.
Update Frequency¶
Agency data is updated monthly via the organization sync process from the Federal Hierarchy (SAM.gov).
Fields¶
| Field | Type | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
code | String | FPDS 4-digit agency code (primary key for the legacy endpoint). | FPDS / USAspending |
name | String | Full agency name. | Federal Hierarchy (SAM.gov) |
abbreviation | String | Common abbreviation (e.g., "NASA"). | Federal Hierarchy (SAM.gov) |
Expansions¶
| Expansion | Fields | Description |
|---|---|---|
department(...) | code, name, abbreviation, description, cgac, website, congressional_justification | Parent department. See Departments data dictionary. |
Usage Notes¶
- Use
codefor lookups. The agencycodeis the FPDS 4-digit identifier used in contract and financial assistance transactions. - Prefer Organizations for new integrations. The agency data structure is a legacy shape. Use the Organizations API for the full hierarchy with richer search and obligation data.
Data Sources¶
- Federal Hierarchy (SAM.gov) — Authoritative source for agency names and hierarchy position.
- FPDS / USAspending — Agency codes (FPDS 4-digit) as they appear in contract and financial transactions.