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Offices Data Dictionary

This document describes the fields available on the office 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 Offices API Reference.

For the unified federal hierarchy, see Organizations.

Overview

Offices are sub-agency organizations in the federal hierarchy. When expanded via response shaping (e.g., awarding_office(office_code,office_name,agency_name)), office objects use the fields below. The default shape uses flat aliases for backwards compatibility.

Update Frequency

Office data is updated monthly via the organization sync process from the Federal Hierarchy (SAM.gov).

Direct Fields

Field Type Description Source
code String Office code. Federal Hierarchy (SAM.gov)
name String Office name. Federal Hierarchy (SAM.gov)

Flat Aliases (Legacy Default Shape)

These fields are returned by default when no ?shape= parameter is provided. They flatten the office, agency, and department into a single level.

Field Type Description Source
office_code String Alias for code. Federal Hierarchy
office_name String Alias for name. Federal Hierarchy
agency_code String Parent agency code (resolved from agency.code). FPDS
agency_name String Parent agency name (resolved from agency.name). Federal Hierarchy
department_code String Parent department code (resolved from agency.department.code). USAspending
department_name String Parent department name (resolved from agency.department.name). Federal Hierarchy

Expansions

Expansion Fields Description
agency(...) code, name, abbreviation Parent agency. See Agencies data dictionary.
department(...) code, name, abbreviation, description, cgac, website, congressional_justification Parent department. See Departments data dictionary.

Usage Notes

  • Default shape uses flat aliases. Without ?shape=, offices return office_code, office_name, agency_code, agency_name, department_code, department_name.
  • Use nested expansions for structured data. Pass ?shape=code,name,agency(code,name) for nested objects instead of flat aliases.
  • Prefer Organizations for new integrations. The office 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 office names, codes, and parent relationships.
  • FPDS — Office codes as they appear in contract transactions.