Subcontract Reporting (FSRS) and Sub-Award Data: Proving Who You Have Worked For

Prime contract awards are public, but who the primes actually hire is harder to see. Subaward reporting fills part of that gap: under FAR 52.204-10, primes report their first-tier subcontracts, and the Government publishes those reports on USAspending.gov. For a subcontractor, that record is proof that a prime has already trusted you with real work. For a prime, it shows who has done similar work for your competitors.

What primes must report#

FAR subpart 4.14 and the clause at FAR 52.204-10 require most prime contractors to report:

• Each first-tier subcontract valued at $30,000 or more, by the end of the month after the month the subcontract was awarded
• The subcontractor's UEI, name, location, amount, award date and a description of the work
• In some cases, executive compensation for the prime and its first-tier subcontractors

Reports were filed in the FSRS system for years; in 2025 subaward reporting moved into SAM.gov. Either way, the data flows to USAspending.gov, where anyone can search sub-awards under a prime award.

Reading the data with care#

Subaward data is prime-reported and only lightly checked, so treat it as a strong signal rather than a perfect ledger:

Using sub-award history to win work#

1. Build a target list of primes. Look for primes who already subcontract work like yours in your NAICS codes and at your target agencies. They have a proven need and a supplier process you can enter.
2. Lead with proof. When you pitch a prime, cite your prior sub-awards under named primes and agencies. It answers "have you done this before at this scale?" in one line.
3. Read the incumbent team. Before a recompete, check which subcontractors the incumbent prime reported. They may be open to a new prime, or they may be the competition.
4. Check limitations on subcontracting. On set-aside work, the share you pass to subcontractors is capped; plan the split before you sign.
5. Verify every partner. Sub-award history is not a substitute for SAM.gov registration, exclusion and screening checks.

Keeping your own record accurate#

If you are a subcontractor, your sub-award history is part of your reputation, so help primes report it correctly:

• Give every prime your exact legal name and UEI as they appear in SAM.gov, and update them when you change either
• Ask the prime to describe the work in plain terms that match your capability statement
• Check USAspending a few months after a new subcontract starts; if the record is missing or wrong, ask the prime to correct its report

A clean record turns into searchable proof that primes and agencies can see.

How TeamingIndex helps#

• Each week we load reported sub-awards from USAspending and link primes and subcontractors to their profiles. The Proven teaming graph on a profile lists the primes a company has subcontracted for, with award counts, totals, agencies and the last award date, citing USAspending as the source.
• In the directory, the "subcontracted for" filter finds companies that have already worked under a prime you name, by UEI or legal name.
• When you post a gap on the Teaming Board, matching gives extra weight to candidates with sub-award history under your company or at your target sub-agency.

Pair this with the past performance guide to turn sub-awards into proposal-ready references, and read the limitations on subcontracting guide before you agree on a work split.