award-review-reference

name: award-review-reference description: > Reference file for the Award Review skill. Do not trigger directly. Contains observation definitions with thresholds, data source field paths, exclusion criteria, code tables, sample output, and troubleshooting. Loaded on demand by the main award-review skill.

Observation Definitions (12 observations)
Contract Pricing Type Codes
Competition Extent Codes
FFRDC/M&O Exclusion List
Nonstandard Office Keywords
Sample Output
Troubleshooting

1. Observation Definitions

Each observation is a factual check that documents a structural attribute of the contract award. "Present" means the condition was found in the data. "Not present" means it was not. Neither implies any conclusion.

OBS-01: RECENT_INCORPORATION

Source: SAM.gov Entity Management v3, entityInformation.entityStartDate
Comparison field: USASpending award date_signed
Threshold: date_signed - entityStartDate <= 180 days (entity formed within 180 days of award)
Exclusion: None
Output when present: "Entity formation date [YYYY-MM-DD] is within [N] days of award action date [YYYY-MM-DD]."
Output when not present: "Entity formation date predates award by more than 180 days."
Output when data unavailable: "Entity start date not available in SAM.gov record."
Note: 180-day window is wider than post-award audit standards because COs evaluate vendors well before the award action date.

OBS-02: POST_AWARD_REGISTRATION

Source: SAM.gov Entity Management v3, entityRegistration.registrationDate
Comparison field: USASpending award date_signed
Threshold: registrationDate > date_signed
Exclusion: Skip if date_signed < 2003-01-01. SAM.gov (and its predecessor CCR) did not require universal registration until FAR Case 2003-021, effective January 1, 2003. Pre-2003 awards cannot be meaningfully compared to SAM registration dates.
Output when present: "SAM registration date [YYYY-MM-DD] is [N] days after award action date [YYYY-MM-DD]."
Output when excluded: "Award predates SAM/CCR mandatory registration (pre-2003). Not evaluated."
Note: Uses registrationDate (original registration), NOT activationDate (most recent renewal). activationDate always postdates old awards and would produce false positives on every legacy contract.

OBS-03: NO_SUBAWARD_REPORTING

Source: USASpending /api/v2/subawards/ endpoint
Threshold: Zero FFATA subaward records AND total_obligation > $5,000,000
Exclusion: Skip if any of:
- PSC code starts with AN, AR, AZ, or AJ (R&D services; see Section 4)
- Recipient name matches known FFRDC/M&O operator (see Section 4)
- Awarding department code is 8900 (DOE) AND recipient matches DOE M&O pattern
- Award description contains "management and operating," "M&O contract," or "GOCO"
Output when present: "Zero FFATA subaward records on file for an award with $[X] in obligations."
Output when excluded: "FFRDC/M&O contract excluded from subaward evaluation."
Note: FFATA subaward reporting has a 90-day lag. Very recent awards may show zero subawards even when subs exist. Check award action date.

OBS-04: NO_PRIOR_AWARDS

Source: USASpending /api/v2/search/spending_by_award/ with recipient filter
Threshold: Zero prior federal contract awards for this recipient AND award is sole-source AND total_obligation > $10,000,000
Sole-source codes: B (Not Available for Competition), C (Not Competed), E (Follow On), G (Not Competed under SAP), NDO (Not Competed - Other)
Output when present: "No prior federal contract awards found for [recipient] before [date]. Award is sole-source with obligation above $10M."
Output when not present (has history): "Recipient has [N] prior federal contract awards totaling $[X]."
Note: USASpending recipient search uses UEI. If UEI is missing, this observation cannot be evaluated.

OBS-05: OBLIGATION_GROWTH

Source: SAM.gov Contract Awards API (modification history) or USASpending transaction history
Threshold: current_total_obligation / base_award_obligation >= 3.0 (300% growth)
Exclusion: Skip if fewer than 2 modification records exist
Output when present: "Current obligation $[X] is [N]% of initial obligation $[Y] across [Z] modifications."
Output when not present: "Obligation growth within normal range ([N]% of base)."
Note: Base award obligation is mod 0 or the earliest recorded transaction. Some multi-year IDIQ task orders legitimately grow beyond 300% through planned option exercises.

OBS-06: SHARED_OFFICERS

Source: USASpending award detail executive_details.officers[] cross-referenced against other entities
Threshold: Any officer name appearing as an officer of a different entity (different UEI)
Exclusion: Officers at entities with an established corporate parent-subsidiary relationship (same CAGE code family) are excluded
Output when present: "Officer [name] also listed as officer of [entity name] (UEI: [X])."
Output when unable to evaluate: "Officer cross-reference requires multi-entity dataset. Not evaluated for this single-award review."
Note: This observation requires either a pre-built officer database or a session where multiple entities have been reviewed. For single-award reviews, this observation will typically return "Not evaluated." The skill should note this limitation rather than silently omitting the check.

OBS-07: SINGLE_OFFER

Source: USASpending award detail latest_transaction_contract_data.number_of_offers_received and latest_transaction_contract_data.extent_competed
Threshold: number_of_offers_received == 1 AND extent_competed is "A" (Full and Open) or "D" (Full and Open after Exclusion of Sources)
Exclusion: Does not apply to sole-source awards (they have zero offers by definition)
Output when present: "1 offer received on a full-and-open competition (extent_competed: [code])."
Output when not present: "[N] offers received."
Note: Single-offer competitions are common in specialized or classified work. The observation documents the fact; no inference is implied.

OBS-08: HIGH_VALUE_COST_TYPE

Source: USASpending award detail latest_transaction_contract_data.type_of_contract_pricing
Threshold: Contract pricing type in [J, T, U, V, S, Y] AND total_obligation > $50,000,000
Type mapping: J=T&M, T=LH, U=CPFF, V=CPAF, S=Cost No Fee, Y=CPIF (see Section 2)
Output when present: "Contract type [description] ([code]) with obligation of $[X]."
Output when not present: "Contract type [description] ([code]). No cost-type observation at this obligation level."
Note: T&M/LH and cost-reimbursement contracts shift performance and cost variance to the government under FAR 16.3/16.6. This is a structural attribute, not a deficiency.

OBS-09: SUBAWARD_CONCENTRATION

Source: USASpending /api/v2/subawards/ endpoint, sum of amount fields
Threshold: total_subaward_amount / total_obligation > 0.50 (subawards exceed 50% of prime)
Exclusion: Skip if zero subawards on file
Output when present: "Subaward total $[X] represents [N]% of prime obligation $[Y]."
Output when not present: "Subaward total $[X] represents [N]% of prime obligation. Within typical range."
Note: High subaward ratios are common in systems integration contracts where the prime manages multiple specialist subcontractors. The observation documents the ratio.

OBS-10: SHARED_ADDRESS

Source: SAM.gov Entity Management v3, search by physical address components
Threshold: 3 or more distinct UEIs registered at the same physical address
Exclusion: Filter out mailing-address-only matches. Filter out entities within the same corporate family (same top-level CAGE or established parent UEI relationship)
Output when present: "[N] SAM-registered entities share the physical address [address]. Entities: [list up to 5 names with UEIs]."
Output when not present: "No other SAM-registered entities found at the same physical address."
Note: Shared addresses are common in commercial office buildings, business incubators, and registered agent offices. The observation documents the co-location.

OBS-11: NONSTANDARD_OFFICE

Source: USASpending award detail, awarding office name field
Threshold: Office name contains any keyword from the nonstandard list (see Section 5)
Exclusion: None
Output when present: "Awarding office name '[name]' contains the term '[keyword]'."
Output when not present: "Awarding office '[name]' does not contain nonstandard keywords."
Output when missing: "No awarding office name on file."
Note: Many legitimate offices contain terms like "joint" or "special." The observation documents the presence of the keyword; operational context determines significance.

OBS-12: SHARED_IDENTIFIERS

Source: SAM.gov Entity Management v3, search by CAGE code and UEI prefix
Threshold (CAGE): 2 or more distinct UEIs sharing the same CAGE code
Threshold (UEI prefix): 2 or more distinct UEIs sharing the first 8 characters (best-effort; SAM.gov free-text search may not reliably match partial UEIs)
Exclusion: Entities within the same corporate family
Output when present (CAGE): "[N] entities share CAGE code [code]: [list names]."
Output when present (UEI): "[N] entities share UEI prefix [prefix]*: [list names]."
Output when not present: "No shared CAGE codes or UEI prefixes identified."
Note: CAGE codes are assigned by DLA and are intended to be unique per entity. Sharing may indicate entity restructuring, acquisition, or data quality issues.

2. Contract Pricing Type Codes

Code	Description	Category
A	Fixed Price Redetermination	FFP family
B	Fixed Price Level of Effort	FFP family
J	Firm Fixed Price	FFP family
K	Fixed Price with EPA	FFP family
L	Fixed Price Incentive Firm	FFP family
M	Fixed Price Award Fee	FFP family
R	Cost Plus Award Fee	Cost family
S	Cost No Fee	Cost family
T	Cost Sharing	Cost family
U	Cost Plus Fixed Fee	Cost family
V	Cost Plus Incentive Fee	Cost family
Y	Time and Materials	T&M/LH
Z	Labor Hours	T&M/LH

Codes relevant to OBS-08: J (T&M per USASpending mapping), T (LH), U (CPFF), V (CPAF), S (Cost No Fee), Y (CPIF).

Note: USASpending maps contract pricing types differently than FAR. Verify the actual type_of_contract_pricing code in the award detail against this table.

3. Competition Extent Codes

Code	Description	Category
A	Full and Open Competition	Competed
B	Not Available for Competition	Not competed
C	Not Competed	Not competed
CDO	Competed Under SAP	Competed
D	Full and Open after Exclusion of Sources	Competed
E	Follow On to Competed Action	Not competed
F	Competed under SAP	Competed
G	Not Competed under SAP	Not competed
NDO	Not Competed - Other	Not competed

Full and open (relevant to OBS-07): A and D only.

Sole-source (relevant to OBS-04): B, C, E, G, NDO.

4. FFRDC/M&O Exclusion List

PSC code prefixes indicating R&D services (exclude from OBS-03): AN (R&D - Medical), AR (R&D - Defense), AZ (R&D - Other), AJ (R&D Management/Support Services)

Known FFRDC/M&O operators (partial list for pattern matching, case-insensitive): Sandia, Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, Lawrence Berkeley, Oak Ridge, Argonne, Brookhaven, Pacific Northwest, Idaho National, Fermi National, SLAC, National Renewable Energy, Savannah River, Battelle, UT-Battelle, MITRE, Aerospace Corp, IDA, RAND, Lincoln Laboratory, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Applied Physics Laboratory, Leidos Biomedical, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Bechtel National, National Technology & Engineering Solutions, KBC Energy Solutions, Hanford

DOE department code: 8900 (Department of Energy), 8901 (NNSA)

Rationale: FFRDC and M&O contracts operate under unique statutory authority (e.g., Atomic Energy Act). The prime contractor IS the facility operator. Zero FFATA subawards is a structural feature, not an informational gap.

5. Nonstandard Office Keywords

Keywords checked against the awarding office name field (case-insensitive):

Keyword	Rationale
task force	Temporary organizational unit
special	Ad hoc designation
temporary	Non-permanent office
emergency	Emergency procurement authority
joint	Multi-agency construct
provisional	Interim authority
ad hoc	Non-standard organizational unit
expeditionary	Field operations
rapid	Accelerated procurement
crisis	Emergency operations

Many legitimate offices include these terms. The observation is informational.

6. Sample Output

AWARD REVIEW
============
PIID: W912BV22P0112
Date of Review: 2026-04-11
Analyst: [CO name or "Automated"]

AWARD SUMMARY
Recipient:          ACME FEDERAL SERVICES LLC
UEI:                ABC123DEF456
Awarding Agency:    Department of the Army
Awarding Office:    W912BV USACE DISTRICT TULSA
Total Obligation:   $12,450,000
Date Signed:        2024-03-15
Period of Perf:     2024-04-01 to 2027-03-31
Contract Type:      Firm Fixed Price (J)
Competition:        Full and Open (A)
Offers Received:    3
NAICS:              541330
PSC:                C219

ENTITY PROFILE
Legal Name:         ACME FEDERAL SERVICES LLC
UEI:                ABC123DEF456
CAGE:               7X2Y9
SAM Status:         Active
Registration Date:  2019-06-15
Activation Date:    2024-01-10
Expiration Date:    2025-01-10
Entity Start Date:  2018-11-01
Physical Address:   123 Main St, Tulsa, OK 74103
Entity Structure:   2L - LLC
Business Types:     23 - Minority Owned, QF - SDVOSB

OBSERVATIONS
 1. RECENT_INCORPORATION:    Not present
    Entity formation date predates award by more than 180 days.

 2. POST_AWARD_REGISTRATION: Not present
    SAM registration date 2019-06-15 predates award action date 2024-03-15.

 3. NO_SUBAWARD_REPORTING:   Present
    Zero FFATA subaward records on file for an award with $12,450,000
    in obligations.
    Source: USASpending subawards endpoint

 4. NO_PRIOR_AWARDS:         Not present
    Recipient has 8 prior federal contract awards totaling $34,200,000.

 5. OBLIGATION_GROWTH:       Not present
    Obligation growth within normal range (105% of base).

 6. SHARED_OFFICERS:         Not evaluated
    Officer cross-reference requires multi-entity dataset.

 7. SINGLE_OFFER:            Not present
    3 offers received.

 8. HIGH_VALUE_COST_TYPE:    Not present
    Contract type Firm Fixed Price (J). No cost-type observation
    at this obligation level.

 9. SUBAWARD_CONCENTRATION:  Not present
    No subaward data on file for ratio calculation.

10. SHARED_ADDRESS:          Not present
    No other SAM-registered entities found at the same physical address.

11. NONSTANDARD_OFFICE:      Not present
    Awarding office 'W912BV USACE DISTRICT TULSA' does not contain
    nonstandard keywords.

12. SHARED_IDENTIFIERS:      Not present
    No shared CAGE codes or UEI prefixes identified.

OBSERVATIONS SUMMARY: 1 of 12 present, 1 not evaluated, 10 not present.

SOURCE LINKS
USASpending: https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_W912BV22P0112_9700_-NONE-_-NONE-
SAM.gov: https://sam.gov/entity/ABC123DEF456

LIMITATIONS
- FFATA subaward data may lag up to 90 days from reporting date
- Officer cross-reference (OBS-06) requires multi-entity review session
- UEI prefix matching (OBS-12) is best-effort via SAM.gov free-text search
- This review uses publicly available data only and does not include
  classified, FOUO, or contractor-proprietary information

DISCLAIMER
This review documents factual attributes of a federal contract award
using publicly available data from USASpending.gov and SAM.gov. Observations
are structural data points, not assessments or conclusions. The reviewing
officer is responsible for interpreting observations in context and
determining their significance to the specific procurement action.

7. Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Resolution
PIID not found in USASpending	Data lag (USASpending updates ~30 days after FPDS), or PIID is an IDV parent	Try SAM.gov Contract Awards API with same PIID. Try searching with IDV award type codes (IDV_A, IDV_B, etc.)
Entity start date unreasonably old (e.g., 1800s)	SAM.gov data quality issue; some entities have placeholder dates	Note as "Data quality: entity start date appears to be a placeholder" and skip OBS-01
SAM registration date pre-2003	Expected for legacy contracts. SAM/CCR did not exist before ~2003	OBS-02 is excluded automatically for awards with `date_signed < 2003-01-01`
Subaward endpoint returns 0 but contract clearly has subs	FFATA reporting has a 90-day lag from award action. Very recent awards may not yet have subaward data	Note the lag and award action date in the OBS-03 output
SHARED_ADDRESS returns 50+ entities at a single address	Large commercial office building or registered agent address	Note as "Commercial multi-tenant location" and list only the first 5 entities
SHARED_OFFICERS returns "Not evaluated"	Single-award review without pre-built officer database	Expected behavior. Document as a limitation. Run multiple reviews in a session to build cross-reference data
Modification history unavailable in USASpending	Some older contracts lack transaction-level data	Fall back to SAM.gov Contract Awards API which provides modification-level records
SAM.gov API returns 429 (rate limited)	Exceeded API key daily quota (1,000/day personal, 10,000/day system)	Pause and resume. Note which observations were completed and which remain
UEI prefix search returns unrelated entities	SAM.gov free-text search matches broadly	Filter results to only entities with matching first 8 UEI characters. Note that this check is best-effort
Multiple awards match the same PIID	PIID reuse across agencies or IDV parents	Present all matches to the user and ask which award to review
Award detail returns null for competition fields	Award type does not require competition reporting (e.g., grants, cooperative agreements)	Skip OBS-04 and OBS-07. Note as "Competition data not applicable to this award type"
Entity not found in SAM.gov	UEI may be incorrect, entity may have let registration lapse, or entity was never registered	Note as "Entity not found in SAM.gov" and skip entity-dependent observations (OBS-01, 02, 10, 12)

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