F.A.Q.

What is transparency as it pertains to government procurement?
What makes this transparent government website different from others?
Why is the Department of Financial Services hosting the website?
How do I view detailed contract information?
How can I select reported contracts for one agency? How can I see contracts reported in the system for all agencies?
How can I search within a specific timeframe?
How do I search for vendors or those who provide goods/services to the state?
How do I search contracts between dollar values, for example, all contracts between $1,000 and $10,000?
How do I search for goods (things purchased) or services (things performed) for the state?
How do I download my search results?
I notice that some contracts contain a contract total, but no budget records providing additional information.
Why are there contracts with zero dollar ($0) amounts listed as the contract value?
Why did a contract not show up in the search results? Why did my search return the message "No contracts were found for the search criteria"?
What happens if a vendor changes names while under a contract with the state?
Why are some vendors listed several times in the system with slightly different names?

What is transparency as it pertains to government procurement?: Governments and government agencies are some of the largest purchasers of goods and services. Given that government purchases are paid for by citizens, through taxes and fees, how government procures goods and services and the amounts it pays for them should be open for public scrutiny. Over 200 years ago, Thomas Jefferson, noting the importance of transparency, stated:

"We might hope to see the finances as clear and intelligible as a merchant's books, so that every member of Congress, and every man of every mind in the Union should be able to comprehend them, to investigate abuses, and consequently, to control them."

Unlike 200 years ago, governments now have the ability to make these books truly open to the public through the Internet. The Florida Accountability Contract Tracking System (FACTS) demonstrates Florida's commitment to public transparency.
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What makes this transparent government website different from others?: The FACTS system serves as an extension of the way Florida state agencies manage and report their contracts to the public. This website is not historical data placed on the Internet for review that is occasionally updated, but contains current information that is regularly updated and audited. The Department of Financial Services will audit and publish findings of contract performance for the public to determine how well contracts are established and managed on the behalf of the citizens of Florida.
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Why is the Department of Financial Services hosting the website?: The Department of Financial Services is tasked by state statutes to provide a way for all state agencies to report their contracts to the public. The Florida Accountability Contract Tracking System (FACTS) is the tool developed in response to legislative direction.
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How do I view detailed contract information?: On the Main Search page under Search Contracts, enter at least one search criteria in the fields below. To view detailed information about a contract, in the Results section select the linked "Contract Short Title." On the following selected page under the "Contract" tab, the text box titled "Contract Summary" contains a general description of why the state agency has entered into an agreement with the vendor on behalf of the citizens of Florida. Scroll down for more details.
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How can I select reported contracts for one agency? How can I see contracts reported in the system for all agencies?: On the Main Search page under Search Contracts, click the drop down arrow of the "Agency Name" field to select the agency you are interested in. Click the "Search Contracts" button below to see all contracts posted under that agency. To see contracts across all agencies, select "All Agencies" from the drop down arrow of the "Agency Name" field. Please be advised that it may take several moments to return the results of a search of all agencies' contracts. Note: You can refine your search and return better targeted results by providing search criteria in other fields.
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How can I search for contracts within a specific timeframe?: On the Main Search page under Search Contracts under Contract Dollar Value, the "Begin" and "End" fields can be used independently or together to refine the contract period that you are searching. You can type the date (MM/DD/YYYY) in the fields and select the "Search Contracts" button below.
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How do I search for vendors or those who provide services to the state?: On the Main Search page under Search Contracts, search by Vendor Name. The complete vendor name is not needed to receive a search result. Enter, at the least, the first three letters of the vendor name in the "Vendor Name" field, then select the "Search Contracts" button below. If the contract you are searching for is not displayed, please contact the appropriate agency to request additional information by selecting the "Contact Us-State Agencies" button on the FACTS website.
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How do I search contracts between dollar values, for example, all contracts between $1,000 and $10,000?: On the Main Search page under Search Contracts, search by Contract Dollar Value. To see contracts within a certain value range, enter a numerical value in the "From" field and a greater value in the "To" field. To see contracts with a value starting at a certain dollar amount, enter that number in the "From" field and leave the "To" field blank. To see all contracts up to a certain dollar amount, leave the "From" field blank and enter your search value in the "To" field.
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How do I search for goods (things purchased) or services (things performed) for the state?: On the Main Search page under Search Contracts, search by Commodity/Service Type. To find a particular service performed on behalf of the state, or a commodity that was sold to the state, select an option from the "Commodity/Service Type" field. This helps you quickly navigate through as many as 4,000 potential contract types. Once you select a commodity group, click on the "Search Contracts" button. To view the available commodities/service types, please click here to open, and/or save, the complete list
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How do I download my search results?: On the Main Search page under the Search Contracts section, the Results section will return the list of contracts that meet your criteria. On the right side above the list is the "Download Results" button. Click this button and you will be prompted with a popup asking "Do you want to open or save this file?" By selecting the "Open" or "Save" link you will have access to the data in a spreadsheet. When you open the file, it will open in your spreadsheet application such as Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice CALC. If you see "#####" characters in a column, this indicates that the data is wider than the default width set in your software application. Expand the column width and the "#####" characters will be replaced with the actual contents of the field.
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I notice that some contracts contain a contract total, but no budget records providing additional information.: Some contracts, including Master Agreements, Task Order Contracts, Lease Agreements or Construction Agreement Contracts, have funds budgeted to them, however, until a certain need for goods and/or services arises, no money is committed to be spent. As such, these types of contracts will initially show the ceiling dollar values (maximum potential value of the contract) of the total contract, and not until goods and/or services are needed and requested will actual dollars spent be reported in the contract tracking system.
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Why are there contracts with zero dollar ($0) amounts listed as the contract value?: In most instances, a zero dollar amount contract is establishing agreed upon terms and conditions. The obligation of funds will be handled by a different mechanism. For example, a master agreement has been executed for agreed upon terms and conditions without a dollar amount. The agency entering into the master agreement will issue task work orders that authorize funds when the work is needed. A state term contract also establishes agreed upon terms and conditions but does not establish a dollar amount. Each agency will issue purchase orders against the state term contract to obligate funds for the services being requested.
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Why did a contract not show up in the search results? Why did my search return the message "No contracts were found for the search criteria"?: The contract may have been recently created and has not yet been added to the website by an agency's contract manager; the contract is exempt or confidential; or the contract ended prior to February 29, 2012. At any time you may inquire or submit a public records request to the appropriate agency to receive additional information. To do so, please select the "Contact Us-State Agencies" button on the FACTS website to search for the agency managing the specific contract.
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What happens if a vendor changes names while under a contract with the state?: Some vendors do change their names while supplying products or services to the state. Reasons for a name change could be that a vendor has merged with another company or has been bought out. This should be reflected in the amendments section of the contract or under the contract change section of the contract information.
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Why are some vendors listed several times in the system with slightly different names?: Over the years, agencies have entered variations on vendor names in the accounting system. Try searching by typing in the first three letters of the vendor name or the acronym that the business might be doing business as. If you cannot find the vendor, please contact the appropriate agency to request additional information by selecting the "Contact Us-State Agencies" button on the FACTS website.
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