# How do I find out who won a federal contract with an API? Look up the award, not the solicitation: USAspending and SAM.gov's Contract Awards API return the recipient by contract number (PIID), and SAM.gov award notices name the awardee when the agency posts one. Here /awards/{piid} returns the award with the recipient's UEI and registration; award notices are in the opportunities feed with type Award Notice. Award data can lag: civilian awards reach USAspending within days, DoD awards after about 90 days.Checked on 2026-11-15.Official source: [USAspending.gov award search](https://www.usaspending.gov/search) | Active award notices | 11,425 | | --- | --- | | Awards loaded | 114,954 | | Recipients in loaded awards | 6,935 | | DoD reporting delay | About 90 days | ## The answer in detail Agencies post award notices for many but not all contracts; 11,425 active award notices were in the loaded opportunities file on 15 Nov 2026, each with the awardee name and, often, the UEI and amount.Without a contract number, search awards by agency, NAICS and date, or by the solicitation number, which USAspending records for many awards. Large IDIQs list the vehicle award; task orders under it are separate awards with their own PIIDs.Award data can lag: civilian awards reach USAspending within days, DoD awards after about 90 days. ## How the options compare | Option | Price | Access and limits | Coverage and history | Best for | Checked | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [USAspending API (official)](https://api.usaspending.gov/docs/endpoints) | Free, no key | No key and no published daily cap | Prime awards and subawards back to FY2001; no SAM.gov registration status or expiry | Award and spending history | 2026-11-12 | | [SAM.gov APIs (official)](https://open.gsa.gov/api/entity-api/) | Free | 10 requests a day with no SAM.gov role, 1,000 with a role or a non-federal system account; keys expire every 90 days | The live, authoritative record: entities, opportunities, exclusions, contract awards, hierarchy, subawards | Anyone who needs the official record itself, at low volume | 2026-11-12 | | [GovCon API (govconapi.com)](https://govconapi.com/pricing) | Developer $19/mo, Pro $39/mo; 14-day trial | 1,000 requests an hour (50 a minute burst); trial 50 a day | 12,265,150 contracts and 758,552 opportunities from FY2025; 904,090 entities, monthly | Developers who want the lowest entry price and FY2025+ history | 2026-11-15 | | [samgovapi.io](https://samgovapi.io/pricing) | Free (100 credits a month, no card); Developer $49/mo, Pro $149/mo, Scale $499/mo | 20 to 180 requests a minute by plan, no daily cap; REST, MCP and keyless MCP search | 881,370 entities (1 Nov 2026 extract), 74,420 notices, 169,191 exclusions, 114,954 awards since 1 Oct 2026 | Developers and AI agents who want entities, bids and exclusions joined in one API | 2026-11-15 | ## Where samgovapi.io is the weaker choice - Award history is short: 114,954 prime awards with action dates from 1 Oct 2026 to 10 Nov 2026 (fiscal year 2027 so far). USAspending goes back to FY2001 and GovCon API serves 12.27 million contracts from FY2025. ## Try it An award by PIID, and award notices posted for a keyword. ``` curl "https://samgovapi.io/api/v1/awards/{piid}" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SAMGOVAPI_API_KEY" curl "https://samgovapi.io/api/v1/opportunities?type=Award%20Notice&q=janitorial&limit=25" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SAMGOVAPI_API_KEY" ``` ## Questions What is a PIID?The Procurement Instrument Identifier: the contract or order number the agency assigns.Why is there no award notice for a contract?Agencies must post notices only for some awards (FAR 5.301); many smaller awards appear only in award data. ## Related - [Who won a federal contract](https://samgovapi.io/guides/who-won-a-federal-contract) - [Contract lookup](https://samgovapi.io/contract-lookup) - [Contract awards](https://samgovapi.io/awards) - [API docs](https://samgovapi.io/docs) - [Pricing](https://samgovapi.io/pricing) - [Answers](https://samgovapi.io/answers)Updated 2026-11-15. Sources checked 2026-11-15.Independent. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by GSA, SAM.gov or any U.S. government agency. Registering in SAM.gov is free at sam.gov.

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