Departments Data Dictionary¶
This document describes the fields available on the department 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 Departments API Reference.
For the unified federal hierarchy, see Organizations.
Overview¶
Departments are top-level federal organizations. When expanded via response shaping (e.g., department(code,name,abbreviation)), department objects use the fields below.
Update Frequency¶
Department data is updated monthly via the organization sync process from the Federal Hierarchy (SAM.gov).
Fields¶
| Field | Type | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
code | String | CGAC 3-character department code (primary key for the legacy endpoint). | USAspending |
name | String | Full department name. | Federal Hierarchy (SAM.gov) |
abbreviation | String | Common abbreviation (e.g., "DOD"). | Federal Hierarchy (SAM.gov) |
description | String | Department description/mission. | Federal Hierarchy (SAM.gov) |
cgac | String | CGAC code (same as code for departments). | USAspending |
website | String | Department website URL. | Various |
congressional_justification | String | URL to congressional budget justification. | Various |
Expansions¶
None.
Usage Notes¶
- Use
codefor lookups. The departmentcodeis the CGAC 3-character identifier used in financial transactions. - Prefer Organizations for new integrations. The department 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 department names, codes, and hierarchy structure.
- USAspending — Supplements with CGAC codes used in financial transactions.