Reading the data
Guides
Federal award data is easy to get and easy to misread. These explain the traps that cost real money in a pricing review.
Start here
Each guide's short version is below; the full write-ups are being published one at a time.
Obligations are not the contract price
An award's obligated total is the money committed so far. Its current value is what was awarded. Its potential value assumes every option is exercised. Quoting the wrong one is the most common mistake in competitive pricing.
Why IDV ceilings make markets look bigger than they are
Indefinite delivery vehicles report ceilings that may never be spent. We exclude them from benchmark statistics; here is when you should look at them anyway.
NAICS tells you the industry, PSC tells you the work
The two code systems answer different questions and disagree often. Which one to filter on depends on whether you are sizing a market or finding comparable scopes.
Building a comparable set you can defend
Category, place of performance, period length, and set-aside status all move price. A comparison that ignores them is a number you cannot defend in a pricing review.
How set-asides and competition change what gets paid
Sole-source and small-business set-aside awards price differently from full and open competition. Filter accordingly before drawing conclusions.
Related
For how the statistics themselves are computed, see the methodology.