The /api/v2/awards/funding/ endpoint is missing critical context #4454
Description
The data returned by the /api/v2/awards/funding/ endpoint is missing critical context necessary for the proper interpretation of the gross_outlay_amount values. This contextual data is present in the downloaded version of this information, and could easily be added to the output.
Specifically, the endpoint is missing beginning_period_of_availability (BPOA) and ending_period_of_availability (EPOA) context for each record.
The core issue is that gross_outlay_amount is a cumulative total that is tracked independently for each funding source (i.e., for each unique Period of Availability). When an award is funded across multiple fiscal years, the API returns a list of separate, parallel cumulative totals for each reporting period.
Without the beginning_period_of_availability (BPOA) and ending_period_of_availability (EPOA) fields to differentiate these funding sources, the numbers are impossible to reconcile. Any attempt to calculate monthly cash flow by differencing or summing these values is impossible.
This lack of context also reduces the utility of the data presentation on the USASpending website itself. As shown in the attached screenshot, the "Federal Account Funding" table on an award page shows multiple, disparate outlay entries for the exact same Submission Period. Absent any BPOA/EPOA context, there is no explanation for multiple entries, and could easily lead to misuse of the outlay values.
Adding the following values to the AwardFundingResponse would address this issue:
beginning_period_of_availabilityending_period_of_availability
Alternatively, you could simply include the full TAS account code, which contains this same information.
Thank you for considering this issue request, and thank you for the work on this invaluable site.