MARKETING TO THE MONEY

USAspending is the official open data source of federal spending information,
including information about federal awards such as contracts, grants, and loans. 

Mastering USAspending.gov for Federal Market Intelligence Curriculum Objective:

An executive-level workshop designed to unlock the power of federal spending intelligence. This program equips attendees with the skills to navigate USAspending.gov, analyze award data, and translate insights into competitive strategies.  Equip participants with the skills to navigate USAspending.gov to identify federal contract opportunities, understand agency spending behavior, analyze competitor performance, and inform strategic business decisions in the federal marketplace.

Module 1: Introduction to USAspending.gov

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the purpose and history of USAspending.gov
• Identify who uses the platform and why
• Recognize how data is collected and updated

Activities:

• Guided site tour
• Walkthrough of homepage layout and data categories

Module 2: Searching Federal Awards

Learning Outcomes:

• Perform basic and advanced award searches
• Filter results by agency, location, contract type, and recipient
• Export search results for reporting

Hands-On Exercise:

• Find your local agency’s top 5 contractors
• Search for awards given to a known competitor or partner

Module 3: Agency Profiles & Spending Trends

Learning Outcomes:

• Analyze federal agency profiles and spending overtime
• Interpret trends by NAICS code, place of performance, and award size
• Identify “hot agencies” for your products/services

Case Study:

• Use agency data to prepare a list of three targeted agency leads

Module 4: Competitor & Partner Intelligence

Learning Outcomes:

• Locate company profiles and award histories
• Assess subcontractor activity and teaming trends
• Use data to evaluate potential teaming partners

Exercise:

• Compare your business to a competitor using award data

Module 5: Strategy & Application

Learning Outcomes:

• Use USAspending.gov insights to guide capability statements and proposal targeting
• Align findings with SAM.gov and FPDS data
• Create a market-entry or expansion strategy using real award data

* Entry is Restricted and Free to FCCOC Members

Deciphering the Federal "Checkbook"..

Stop guessing where federal agencies spend their money and start following the data. The Mastering FPDS (Federal Procurement Data System) training is an essential masterclass for contractors who want to move beyond the surface-level listings on SAM.gov. In this lesson, we demystify the government’s "checkbook," teaching you how to navigate the complex repository of over 50 million records to uncover exactly who is buying what you sell. You will learn to translate technical data fields into actionable market intelligence, identifying the specific contracting offices, award amounts, and purchasing patterns that define your target agencies.

Uncovering Hidden Market Opportunities

The most lucrative federal opportunities are often the ones you never see advertised. This training equips you with advanced search and filtering tactics to identify "hidden" agency contract activity and track expiring contracts long before they are re-competed. By mastering the FPDS ezSearch and advanced reporting tools, you can conduct high-level competitive analysis, seeing which incumbents hold the current market share and identifying lucrative subcontracting gaps. We show you how to use this data to build an evidence-based pipeline, ensuring your business development efforts are focused on agencies with a proven track record of spending in your specific NAICS and PSC codes.

From Information to Strategic Influence

Mastering FPDS is about more than just reading reports—it’s about gaining a seat at the table. This lesson teaches you how to use procurement data to validate your value proposition and influence the acquisition process. By understanding the contract vehicles and socio-economic set-asides your target buyers prefer, you can align your firm’s "Mission-Ready" status with their historical buying behavior. You will walk away with a repeatable workflow for exporting and analyzing CSV data, transforming raw numbers into a strategic roadmap that positions your company as a low-risk, high-value partner for the nation’s most critical missions.

Mastering FPDS: Curriculum Overview

This curriculum is designed to take contractors from basic data entry to advanced procurement intelligence, aligned with the FCCOC’s standards for operational excellence and federal literacy.

Module 1: The Foundations of Federal Data

• Decoding the Database: Understanding the role of the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) within the Integrated Award Environment (IAE).
• The Anatomy of a PIID: Deconstructing Procurement Instrument Identifiers to track contract actions across multiple years.
• Navigating ezSearch: Master the Google-style search bar to find instant snapshots of agency spending.

Module 2: Advanced Search & Data Mining

• Boolean Logic for Contractors: Using "AND/OR" operators to filter by specific NAICS, PSC, and UEI codes simultaneously.
• Tracking the Competition: How to run "Exclusionary Searches" to see exactly which contracts your competitors hold and when they expire.
• Geographic Targeting: Filtering spend by "Place of Performance" to dominate your local or regional federal market.

Module 3: Strategic Reporting & Analysis

• The "Market Research" Report: Generating custom reports to identify the top 10 agencies buying your specific solution.
• Trend Identification: Analyzing a 5-year spending history to predict seasonal "End of Fiscal Year" surges.
• Exporting for Strategy: Converting raw FPDS data into Excel/CSV formats to build a dynamic, evidence-based sales pipeline.

Module 4: From Data to Capture

• Identifying Vehicle Preferences: Determining if an agency prefers GSA Schedules, OASIS, or Open Market bids.
• Subcontracting Goldmines: Locating massive Prime contracts to identify mandatory subcontracting opportunities for small businesses.
• The Outreach Roadmap: Using FPDS data to craft "Warm Lead" scripts for Small Business Specialists (SBS) and Contracting Officers.

Note: This training includes a "Live Lab" session where participants will pull a real-time report for their specific primary NAICS code to identify their top three target agencies.