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Electronic Records Pertaining to Federal Expenditures, Contracts, Grants, and Awards

Electronic Records Reference Report

Introduction

This reference report provides an overview of the electronic data records in the custody of the National Archives that contain data on specific Federal expenditures, domestic contracts, grants, and awards or contain compilations of derived data based on awards by geographic areas.

In general, textual (paper) records documenting procurement contracts and grant administrative files are disposable. For more details, see NARA's General Records Schedule 3 - Procurement, Supply, and Grant Records. However, because of the compact nature of electronic records, the value of the information in these collections of contract records, and the ability to efficiently search, retrieve, and analyze the records, NARA has appraised electronic records about procurement contracts as permanent.

Those electronic series listed in this reference report that are accessible for record-level search and retrieval online through the Access to Archival Databases (AAD) resource and have an AAD AAD logo next to them.

Researchers may order copies of the computerized data files on removable media for a cost-recovery fee and analyze the records directly, using whatever hardware and software available to them. For more information on ordering data files, see: Ordering Information for Electronic Records. In addition, digital copies of files in some of the series listed in the report are also available online.

Full descriptions of the series are in NARA's Archival Research Catalog (ARC) and Online Public Access (OPA) resource, which can be searched by title, description identification number (Description ID), type of archival material, or keyword. File level descriptions in ARC identify the files that are available online through the Digital Copies tab.

Record Group 29: Records of the Bureau of the Census

  • Consolidated Federal Funds Report (CFFR) Files, FY1982-FY2007
    Description ID: 626196
    Data Files: 26
    Technical Documentation: varies per fiscal year(s); supplemental full code tables in paper and electronic format; and supplemental paper documentation

    This series contains data on Federal direct expenditures, obligations, and other Federal assistance in state, county, and subcounty areas in the United States for the following categories: grants-in-aid, salaries and wages, government purchasing, direct payments for individuals, other direct payments, direct loans, guaranteed or insured loans, and insurance. The CFFR is the successor to the series Federal Outlays System Files (see Record Group 381 below).

  • Records About Grants, Insurance, Loans, Subsidies and Other Economic Assistance Awarded by Federal Agencies, FY1982-2010 AAD
    Description ID: 604955
    Data Files: 1 data file per quarter
    Technical Documentation: varies per fiscal year of data (also through AAD)

    Also known as Federal Assistance Award Data System (FAADS), this series contains selected, standardized data on grants, insurance, loans, subsidies and other economic assistance awarded by Federal agencies, beginning with fiscal year 1982 through the current transfer of data. The Community Services Administration (CSA) collected the data for fiscal year 1981 (see Record Group 381 below). Federal financial assistance award data from fiscal year 2011 forward is available on http://www.usaspending.gov.

Record Group 164: Records of the Cooperative State Research Service

  • Current Research Information System (CRIS), FY1988-FY1994
    Description ID: 6207709
    Data Files: 6
    Technical Documentation: varies per fiscal year

    This series contains information on publicly-supported agricultural, food and nutrition, and forestry research projects. The projects describe the work of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies, the State Agricultural Experiment Stations, the state land-grant colleges and universities, state schools of forestry, cooperating schools of veterinary medicine, and USDA grant recipients. This series is the predecessor to a series with the same title in Record Group 540 (see below).

Record Group 269: Records of the General Services Administration

  • Records of Contracts Awarded by Federal Agencies, FY1978-FY1997 AAD
    Description ID: 573450
    Data Files: 18
    Technical Documentation: 296 pages and supplemental Federal Procurement Report

    This series contains records from the Federal Procurement Data System identifying individual Federal Government contracts valued at $25,000 or more for all civilian agencies and may also include contracts valued below $25,000. Additional information about the Federal Procurement Data System is also available on the Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation website at https://www.fpds.gov.

Record Group 288: Records of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities

  • Records of Grants Management System (GMS) Files, ca. 1984 - 2010
    Description ID: 635989
    Data Files: 48 (some files are partly restricted)
    Technical Documentation: Varies per year

    This series consists of information on those who successfully and unsuccessfully applied for financial support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the amount and distribution of those funds, and the people and organizations that benefited through the arts program that the funding supported.

Record Group 307: Records of the National Science Foundation

  • Proposal and Award System Files, 1967-2010
    Description ID: 631184
    Data Files: 87 (files are partly restricted)
    Technical Documentation: Varies per year and supplemental documentation

    This series contains data documenting individual grant proposals and the awarding of funded grants through the National Science Foundation. These are both comprehensive proposal and award data files as well as award only data files for some years.

Record Group 330: Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense

  • Records of Prime Contracts Awarded by the Military Services and Agencies, FY1965-FY1975 AAD
    Description ID: 606901
    Data Files: 10
    Technical Documentation: 20 pages (also through AAD) and supplemental documentation

    This series contains information from the Military Prime Contract Files (MCPF) about contracts for goods and services with a value of $10,000 or more between the private sector and the military services and agencies of the Department of Defense, from fiscal year 1965 through fiscal year 1975. The MPCF is the predecessor to the Defense Contract Action Data System. Some historical Department of Defense procurement statistics and data from fiscal year 1966 through fiscal year 2006 is available on the Department of Defense's Statistical Information Analysis Division website.

  • Records of Prime Contracts Awarded by the Military Services and Agencies, FY1975-2003 AAD
    Description ID: 578589
    Data Files: 1 data file per fiscal year
    Technical Documentation: varies per data file (also through AAD) and supplemental documentation

    This series contains information from the Defense Contract Action Data System (DCADS) about contracts for goods and services between the private sector and the military services agencies of the Department of Defense, beginning with fiscal year 1976 through the current transfer of data. Up to fiscal year 1983, the records include contracts with a value of $10,000 or more. Beginning in fiscal year 1983, the records include contracts of $25,000 or larger. The DCADS is the successor to the Military Prime Contract Files. Some historical Department of Defense procurement statistics and data from fiscal year 1966 through fiscal year 2006 is available on the Department of Defense's Statistical Information Analysis Division website. More recent Department of Defense procurement data and reports is available through the Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation website at https://www.fpds.gov.

Record Group 381: Records of the Community Services Administration

  • Records About Community Action Program Grants and Grantees, FY1965-FY1981 AAD
    Description ID: 604417
    Data Files: 5
    Technical Documentation: 46 pages (also through AAD)

    This series contains two types of files. The Grantee Organization Master Files provide the names, addresses, and target areas of organizations that received grants-in-aid through the Community Action Program (CAP). The Funded Program Account Master Files document the history of federal aid to community development through approved CAP grants and fundings.

  • Records About Grants, Insurance, Loans, Subsidies and Other Economic Assistance Awarded by Federal Agencies, FY1981
    Description ID: 604982
    Data Files: 4 (files are partly restricted)
    Technical Documentation: 95 pages and supplemental documentation

    Also known as Federal Assistance Award Data System (FAADS), this series contains selected, standardized data on grants, insurance, loans, subsidies and other economic assistance awarded by Federal agencies during fiscal year 1981. The Bureau of the Census collected the data beginning in fiscal year 1982 (see Record Group 29 above).

  • Federal Outlays System Files, FY1968-FY1980
    Description ID: 599052
    Data Files: 56
    Technical Documentation: 204 pages (3 microfiche)

    This series contains data on the distribution of Federal Executive Branch dollar outlays by appropriation program. The Federal Outlays System Files is the predecessor to the series Consolidated Federal Funds Report (CFFR) (see Record Group 29 above).

Record Group 408: Records of the Federal Transit Administration

  • Grants Management Information System (GMIS) Files, compiled 1986 - 1996
    Description ID: 633605
    Data Files: 3
    Technical Documentation: 61 pages

    This series contains records of fiscal budgets, grant awards (grants-in-aid), and post grant management activities for local transit agencies who are beneficiaries of agency grants.

Record Group 414: Records of the Appalachian Regional Commission

  • Records About Funded Projects in Appalachia, 1965-2001 AAD
    Description ID: 604225
    Data Files: 1
    Technical Documentation: 4 pages

    This series consists of records of all projects funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission with grants to state, county and local government agencies and nonprofit organizations in the Appalachian region.

Record Group 540: Records of the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service

  • Current Research Information System (CRIS), FY1995-2008
    Description ID: 837092
    Data Files: 13
    Technical Documentation: varies per fiscal year

    This series contains information on publicly-supported agricultural, food and nutrition, and forestry research projects. The projects describe the work of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies, the State Agricultural Experiment Stations, the state land-grant colleges and universities, state schools of forestry, cooperating schools of veterinary medicine, and USDA grant recipients. This series is the successor to the series with the same title in Record Group 164. Additional information about the Current Research Information System is available on the USDA website at: http://cris.csrees.usda.gov.

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August 2012

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