Where the data comes from
Which official government records FedScope reads, how current they are, and when to double-check.
Everything FedScope tells you traces back to public records the U.S. Government publishes — open solicitations, awarded contracts, and contractor registrations. FedScope does not buy lists, scrape directories, or guess.
How a record becomes an answer
Opportunity notices, awarded contracts, and contractor registrations published by the U.S. Government.
Refreshed on a schedule so answers are fast, and so one slow government site cannot stall your work.
Every figure links to the record it came from — and on to the official source.
FedScope keeps its own organized copy of the government record. That is what makes answers fast, and it is why a government site being slow or down does not stop your work.
What that means in practice
- Spending figures are what agencies reported. If an agency reports late or amends a figure, FedScope reflects that when the record updates — it does not estimate the difference.
- Opportunities refresh on a regular schedule. A notice posted minutes ago may not have reached FedScope yet.
- A copy can lag the original. For anything with money or a deadline attached, open the official notice and confirm.
Always verify before you bid
Confirm details against the official notice before relying on them for a bid. FedScope is a research tool, not a system of record.
The same records power the rest of FedScope
Different parts of the product read different slices of the official record:
| This feature | Reads this record |
|---|---|
| Who a company teams with | Reported subawards |
| Labor-rate benchmarks | Awarded schedule ceiling rates |
| Regulatory watch | The official rulemaking record |
Each guide states what its data can and cannot support — worth reading before you lean on a number.
Facts versus conclusions
FedScope draws a hard line between something a single record states outright and something inferred by connecting several records. Inferences are labeled as such, so you always know which kind of claim you are looking at.
How FedScope decides what to show you explains the method. What FedScope cannot tell you covers the known gaps.