How to Identify an Incumbent on Federal Compass

Knowing the incumbent contractor on a recompete opportunity helps you tailor your proposal strategy. Federal Compass offers two ways to find incumbent information: directly on the Opportunity page or by searching past awards.

Follow the steps below to locate, verify, and—if needed—manually attach an incumbent to your pipeline opportunity.

Step 1: Navigate to the Opportunity Search page

1. In the left-hand navigation menu, click Opportunities.
2. From the dropdown, select Opportunity Search.
                                    

Step 2: Identify Your Target Opportunity

1. In the Search bar, type keywords (e.g., solicitation number, agency name).
2. Click filter icons to refine by NAICS, agency, date, etc.
3. Scan the results and click the opportunity title you’re researching.

Step 3: Find Incumbent Details on the Opportunity Page

1. With the opportunity open, look for the Incumbent section in the left-hand pane.
                                                  
2. If you see the section, you’ve found your incumbent, no further action is needed.
   1. You’ll see the incumbent name, award date and end date, ceiling value and obligations to date.
   2. If available, this section will display a "burn-up trend" illustrating payment or task order receipts throughout the contract period. 
3. If there’s no Incumbent section, move to Step 4.

Step 4: Use Award Search for Additional Research

Sometimes incumbent data isn’t pre-populated. Use one of these methods to locate past awards:

4A. Contract Awards Search

1. In the left-hand menu, click Research → Contract Awards & Task Orders.
2. In the search box, enter keywords tied to your opportunity (program name, etc.).
3. Apply filters to narrow results: NAICS code, agency or sub-agency, and/or award date range.
4. Review the award list; when you find the matching award, copy its Solicitation Number.
                                      
   
   

4B. Contractor & Teaming Search

1. In the left-hand menu, click Research → Contractors & Teaming.
2. Type a company name you suspect is the incumbent.
3. From the results, click the contractor’s name to open their profile.
4. Under that profile, select Awards
   1. From there you can look through the contractor’s contract awards, task orders, or purchase orders (if available).
5. Apply the same filters as above (keywords, NAICS, agency, date).
6. When you spot the correct award record, copy its Solicitation Number.
                                        

Step 5: Add or Update the Incumbent on Your Opportunity    

1. Locate the Opportunity
   1. On the Opportunity Search page, use the search bar or filters to find your target opportunity in your pipeline.
      1. The opportunity must be added to your pipeline before updating its incumbent.
   1. Open the Add/Edit Incumbent Dialog
      1. Once you have found the relevant opportunity, click into it
      2. Once on the opportunity page, click Actions → Add/Edit Incumbent.    
                                                
   2. Review Suggested Matches
      1. A list of system-suggested awards appears with confidence bars:
         1. Solid green: strong match
         2. Three-quarter green: good match
         3. Half-green: moderate match
         4. Red: low confidence
      2. If you see your award here, click Select Incumbent next to it.
   3. Refine Your Search Manually
      1. If the correct award isn’t listed, enter precise Keywords or the Solicitation Number into the search field and press Enter.
      2. When the matching award appears, click Select Incumbent.
   4. Confirm the Addition
2. On the Opportunity details pane you will now see the Incumbent section.

Best Practices for Incumbent Research

• Be Precise with Keywords
  • Start with exact solicitation numbers or program names.
  • If you don’t find a match, try variations (e.g. acronyms, alternate spellings).
• Broaden Your Search Strategically
  • Expand filters by NAICS code or agency when you can’t locate an exact award.
  • Use the Contractor & Teaming search to discover likely incumbents.
• Track Recompete Dates
  • Filter award data by anticipated end dates to spot upcoming recompete opportunities.
  • Prioritize incumbent research on contracts nearing expiration.
• Leverage System Suggestions
  • The Add/Edit Incumbent dialog will surface system-matched awards first—always review those before manual searches.
• Understand Your Data Sources
  • Federal Compass aggregates FPDS-NG, SAM.gov, USAspending.gov, and more. If something looks off, cross-check the original source.

Need Additional Help?

If you have any questions, please reach out to the CSM team for further assistance, support@federalcompass.com.