eBuy Data Dictionary¶

This document describes the fields available on the eBuy API endpoint (/api/ebuy/requests/). For access, filtering, ordering, and pagination, see the eBuy API Reference.

Overview¶

eBuy requests are the requests for quote (RFQ), requests for proposal (RFP) and requests for information (RFI) that agencies post to GSA Schedule holders through GSA eBuy.

eBuy is not public data. GSA shows a Schedule holder only the requests posted under the SINs on that holder's own contracts, and Tango keeps the same boundary: you see a request only while your account is linked to a contract it was posted under. What this resource contains is therefore specific to your account.

One row is one eBuy request, identified by its eBuy request id (rfq_id).

Authentication: eBuy endpoints require authentication (API key or OAuth2).

Plans: a paid plan, and a contract link that MakeGov sets up for your account. See Checking your access.

Update Frequency¶

Tango captures eBuy on a recurring schedule. Each capture updates the requests it observes and advances their last_seen.

`status` is frozen¶

status is Open or Cancelled, exactly as eBuy supplied it, and it is never recomputed. eBuy's feed carries only currently active requests; a request that closes stops appearing rather than arriving with a closed status. An Open request may therefore have closed long ago.

last_seen is when Tango last observed the request in eBuy. It is the field to judge staleness by.
close_date is the buyer's stated deadline.

Detail and list captures¶

Most requests are captured from their eBuy detail page. A request eBuy lists but whose detail page was not reached carries only the list-level fields — title, dates, buyer, SIN — and detail_fetched is false. Its description, contracting-officer block and structured fields may be empty.

mod_version is the amendment version eBuy's list reports, and it is the only amendment evidence on a request whose detail page was not reached.

Attachments¶

attachments is available on the detail endpoint and through the attachments(...) expansion. Each entry is either a document or a link:

Field	Type	Description
`doc_seq_num`	Integer	eBuy's sequence number for the entry within the request. Addresses the download endpoint.
`doc_name`	String	File name, or the link's label.
`doc_type`	Integer	eBuy's numeric document-type code, as supplied.
`doc_path`	String	For a link, the outbound URL. For a document, eBuy's own path — use the download endpoint instead.
`is_link`	Boolean	`true` for an outbound link with no file behind it; `false` for a downloadable document.
`doc_session_date`	Datetime	eBuy's timestamp for the entry, as supplied.

attachment_count and link_count on the request count every document and link ever observed on it. After an amendment removes a document from eBuy's page, the counts can exceed what eBuy currently shows.

Structured fields¶

These are eBuy's own structures, returned as JSON arrays with eBuy's key names (camelCase). They are empty arrays, not null, when a request has none.

`amendments`¶

One object per amendment:

Key	Type	Description
`version`	Integer	Amendment version number.
`time`	String	When the amendment was made, as eBuy formats it.
`note`	String	The buyer's note describing the amendment.
`identifier`	String or null	An amendment identifier, where given.

`line_items`¶

Product line items, present mainly on requests for products rather than services. Commonly used keys: rfqItemId, productDescription, manufactureName, manufacturePartNum, quantity, unit, price and addressIndex (an index into addresses). eBuy also includes quote-workflow flags (quoted, selected, valid and others) that reflect eBuy's own form state.

`addresses`¶

The request's delivery and contact addresses — usually one. Commonly used keys: addressName, addressType, agencyName, addressLine1, addressLine2, city, state, zip, country. eBuy includes further keys for its own form handling; treat anything not listed here as eBuy-internal.

Fields¶

Field	Type	Description	Source
`rfq_id`	String	The eBuy request id, e.g. `RFQ1835158`. Primary key and detail-lookup value.	eBuy
`request_type`	String	`RFQ`, `RFP` or `RFI`.	eBuy
`title`	String	Request title.	eBuy
`description`	String	The request's full description. Long-form; in the detail default only.	eBuy
`schedule`	String	The GSA schedule the request was posted under.	eBuy
`sin`	String	The Special Item Number the request was posted under.	eBuy
`status`	String	`Open` or `Cancelled` as supplied — frozen; see `status` is frozen.	eBuy
`buyer_name`	String	The buying officer's name.	eBuy
`buyer_agency`	String	The buying department's name as eBuy gives it.	eBuy
`buyer_agency_code`	String	The buying agency's numeric code, where eBuy supplies one.	eBuy
`buyer_email`	String	The buying officer's email.	eBuy
`buyer_user_id`	String	The buying officer's eBuy account id — a stable buyer identity across requests.	eBuy
`reference_number`	String	The buying office's own solicitation or reference number.	eBuy
`award_method`	String	eBuy's award-method value, e.g. `lpta`, `best-value`, `trade-off`, `sole-source`, `undecided`.	eBuy
`contract_type`	String	eBuy's contract-type value, e.g. `firm-fixed-price`, `time-materials`, `labor-hour`, `undecided`. Can hold more than one value, comma-joined.	eBuy
`commercial_type`	String	eBuy's commercial-item indicator.	eBuy
`follow_on`	Boolean	Whether the request is for follow-on work.	eBuy
`source_sought`	Boolean	Whether the request is a sources-sought notice.	eBuy
`issue_date`	Datetime	When the request was issued.	eBuy
`close_date`	Datetime	The buyer's response deadline.	eBuy
`cancel_date`	Datetime	When the request was cancelled, if it was.	eBuy
`last_mod_date`	Datetime	When the request was last modified in eBuy.	eBuy
`pop_start_date`	Datetime	Period of performance start, where given.	eBuy
`pop_end_date`	Datetime	Period of performance end, where given.	eBuy
`oco_name`	String	Ordering contracting officer's name.	eBuy
`oco_title`	String	Ordering contracting officer's title.	eBuy
`oco_agency`	String	Ordering contracting officer's agency.	eBuy
`oco_phone`	String	Ordering contracting officer's phone.	eBuy
`oco_aac`	String	Ordering contracting officer's activity address code.	eBuy
`ocs_name`	String	Contract specialist's name.	eBuy
`ocs_title`	String	Contract specialist's title.	eBuy
`ocs_agency`	String	Contract specialist's agency.	eBuy
`ocs_phone`	String	Contract specialist's phone.	eBuy
`ocs_aac`	String	Contract specialist's activity address code.	eBuy
`amendment_count`	Integer	Number of amendments.	eBuy
`mod_version`	Integer	Amendment version as eBuy's request list reports it.	eBuy
`qa_document_count`	Integer	Number of question-and-answer documents.	eBuy
`attachment_count`	Integer	Documents ever observed on the request — see Attachments.	eBuy / Tango
`link_count`	Integer	Links ever observed on the request.	eBuy / Tango
`amendments`	Array of Object	See `amendments`.	eBuy
`line_items`	Array of Object	See `line_items`.	eBuy
`addresses`	Array of Object	See `addresses`.	eBuy
`detail_fetched`	Boolean	Whether the request's detail page was captured — see Detail and list captures.	Tango
`first_seen`	Datetime	When Tango first observed the request.	Tango
`last_seen`	Datetime	When Tango last observed the request. The staleness signal.	Tango
`organization`	Object	Expansion: the buying office resolved to the canonical 7-key office payload; `null` when the buyer is not a federal agency Tango can resolve.	Tango
`attachments`	Array of Object	Expansion: see Attachments.	eBuy

Default shapes¶

List returns: rfq_id, request_type, title, schedule, sin, status, buyer_name, buyer_agency, buyer_agency_code, reference_number, issue_date, close_date, attachment_count, link_count, last_seen.
Detail returns every field, plus organization(*) and attachments(*).

Usage Notes¶

Judge currency by last_seen, not status. status never moves to closed.
No response names the contract a request was posted under. Use ?contract_number= to narrow to one of your own contracts.
Download documents through the API. The download endpoint returns a short-lived URL; doc_path on a document is eBuy's internal path, not a download link.
Alerts stay inside your contracts. ebuy_request is an alertable query type, scoped to the contracts linked to the account that owns the webhook endpoint. See Webhooks.

Data Sources¶

eBuy — the requests, their attachments and structured fields, as GSA eBuy presents them to a Schedule holder.
Tango — first_seen, last_seen, detail_fetched, the attachment counts across observations, the resolved organization, and the extracted attachment text behind search.

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