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Searching for Companies

The Intelligence Center allows you to search the complete USASpending database for any company doing business with the federal government. This guide covers how to search effectively and select companies for analysis.
  1. Navigate to Intelligence Center from the main menu
  2. You’ll see a search bar at the top of the page
  3. Enter a company name in the search field
  4. Click Search or press Enter

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Step 2: Review Results

Search results display in a table format with the following information:
  • Company Name: Official registered name
  • UEI: Unique Entity Identifier (required for federal contracts)
  • DUNS: Data Universal Numbering System (legacy identifier)
  • Business Type: Recipient level (e.g., prime contractor, small business)
Companies without a UEI are automatically filtered out since contract data cannot be retrieved without a valid UEI.

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Search Tips

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Be Specific

The more specific your search term, the better your results:
  • ✅ Good: “Lockheed Martin Corporation”
  • ✅ Good: “SAIC”
  • ❌ Too Broad: “consulting”
  • ❌ Too Broad: “technology”

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Use Full Company Names

Search for the complete legal name when possible:
  • ✅ “General Dynamics Information Technology”
  • ⚠️ “GDIT” (may work but less reliable)

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Try Variations

If you don’t find results, try variations:
  • Full name vs. acronym
  • With or without “Inc”, “LLC”, “Corporation”
  • Parent company vs. subsidiary

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Selecting Companies

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Single Company Selection

To view contracts for one company:
  1. Search for the company
  2. Click the checkbox next to the company name
  3. Click View Selected or the company name
  4. Contract data loads in the main view

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Multi-Company Selection

To compare multiple companies:
  1. Search for the first company
  2. Click the checkbox to select it
  3. Search for additional companies (your first selection remains)
  4. Click checkboxes for additional companies
  5. Click View Selected to see all contracts merged together
You can select up to 10 companies at once for comparison. All their contracts will be merged into a single unified list.

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Managing Selections

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Visual Indicators

Selected companies are shown:
  • Green checkmark icon next to selected rows
  • Highlighted row in the search results table
  • Badge pills at the top showing selected companies

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Removing Selections

To remove a company from your selection:
  • Click the X on the company badge at the top, or
  • Uncheck the checkbox in the search results

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Starting Over

To clear all selections and start fresh:
  • Click the X on each company badge, or
  • Uncheck all checkboxes in the search results

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Understanding the Results

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UEI Requirements

Only companies with a valid UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) can be selected. The UEI is:
  • Required for all federal contracts since April 2022
  • A 12-character alphanumeric identifier
  • Assigned by SAM.gov registration
If your search returns companies but none can be selected, they may not have valid UEIs. Try searching for a different company or a more recent government contractor.

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Result Filtering

The system automatically filters search results:
  • Companies with UEI → ✅ Selectable
  • Companies without UEI → ⚠️ Filtered out
You’ll see a notification if companies were filtered: 
Found 8 result(s) for "Acme" (3 filtered out without UEI)

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Common Search Scenarios

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Finding a Specific Competitor

Goal: Research a known competitor’s government contracts
  1. Search for the competitor’s exact company name
  2. Select them from the results
  3. Review their complete contract history

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Comparing Multiple Competitors

Goal: Analyze 3-5 competitors for an opportunity
  1. Search for the first competitor
  2. Select them (checkbox)
  3. Search for the second competitor
  4. Select them (first selection remains)
  5. Repeat for all competitors
  6. Click “View Selected” to see merged contracts

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Identifying Similar Companies

Goal: Find companies in the same market space
  1. Search for a general term (e.g., “IT services”)
  2. Review the list of matching companies
  3. Select several similar companies
  4. Compare their contract portfolios

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Finding Subsidiaries

Goal: Find all subsidiaries of a parent company
  1. Search for the parent company name
  2. Select it
  3. Note the UEI in the results
  4. Search for variations including the parent name
  5. Select additional entities that appear related

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URL State Persistence

Selected companies are saved in the URL, allowing you to:
  • Bookmark your research for later
  • Share the link with team members
  • Return to the same selection after leaving the page
The URL format looks like: 
/intel?companies=Company1:UEI1,Company2:UEI2
When someone shares an Intelligence Center link with you:
  1. Click the link
  2. Selected companies load automatically
  3. Contract data appears immediately
  4. You can modify the selection or add more companies
URL persistence works even if you refresh the page or close and reopen your browser. Your selections are preserved until you manually change them.

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Search Limitations

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What You Can Search For

  • ✅ Company legal names
  • ✅ Common business names
  • ✅ Acronyms (if well-known)
  • ✅ Parent company names

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What You Cannot Search For

  • ❌ UEI numbers directly
  • ❌ DUNS numbers
  • ❌ Contract numbers
  • ❌ Agency names

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Troubleshooting

Try these solutions:
  • Check your spelling
  • Try the full company name instead of acronym
  • Search for parent company instead of subsidiary
  • Remove “Inc”, “LLC”, or “Corporation” from search
  • Try a shorter version of the name
Possible reasons:
  • Companies don’t have valid UEIs
  • Try searching for similar companies
  • Look for parent company or subsidiaries
  • Search for more recent contractors (post-2022)
This is normal for:
  • Very broad search terms (many results)
  • First search after page load (API initialization)
  • Network connectivity issues
Try:
  • Using more specific company names
  • Waiting a few seconds and trying again
  • Checking your internet connection
Possible causes:
  • You cleared your browser cache
  • You’re in incognito/private mode
  • You manually cleared selections
Solution:
  • Search and reselect companies
  • Use the URL sharing feature to save your selections

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Best Practices

Start Specific, Then Broaden

Begin with exact company names. If you don’t find results, gradually broaden your search terms.

Use Multi-Select for Comparisons

Select 2-4 competitors at once to compare their government work side-by-side in a single view.

Save Your Work

Bookmark or share the URL after making selections. Your research is preserved in the link.

Verify UEIs

If you know a company’s UEI from SAM.gov, verify it matches in the search results to ensure you’re looking at the correct entity.

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What’s Next?

Understanding Contract Data

Learn about the contract information displayed

Multi-Company Analysis

Compare multiple competitors effectively

Capture Use Cases

Apply intelligence to capture planning

Tracking Competitors

Ongoing competitor monitoring in Capture
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