Evidence-based decision support
Original evidence comes before conclusions
Which official opportunities, awards and contractors exist in public records?
Priority source classes
- SAM.gov contract notice
- USAspending award
- entity registration
| Named source | Use case | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| SAM.gov U.S. government contracting | SAM.gov contract notice | Confirm identity, recency, original status and completeness before reliance. |
| USAspending official API | USAspending award | Confirm identity, recency, original status and completeness before reliance. |
Verification and negative evidence
- Confirm publication timestamp versus underlying record effective date.
- Do not infer no adverse record from an unsuccessful search; document search spelling and access.
- Use independent original records when a single platform aggregates primary material.
- Store source URL, date read, exact excerpt, jurisdiction and access constraints.
- Test at least one plausible contradictory hypothesis.