Accessing the Federal Procurement Data System directly requires a one-time fee, though.
Users of the new Federal Procurement Data System will not have to pay for anything except direct access to the database, according to General Services Administration officials.
GSA will provide free access to federal procurement reports generated from real-time data in the system, which will show many of the commonly sought data relationships, such as which agencies have awarded contracts to minority-owned businesses or who is hiring veteran-owned firms for services.
Users who need more tailored information will have to pay a one-time fee of about $2,500 to establish a permanent computer connection to the database, GSA officials said.
Officials at firms that use the database's contracting information for market research and analysis had feared that the cost of access to the data would rise now that a private contractor, Global Computer Enterprises Inc., has taken over FPDS' operation.
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