How to search USAspending.gov for any company's federal contracts (and catch the resellers)

Step 01: Start with a keyword, not a recipient

Go to usaspending.gov/search, choose Award Search, set Award Type to Contracts, and type the brand and the product names into Keyword ("Anthropic", "Claude for Government"). Keywords hit the award description, and reseller orders almost always name the product there: "ANTHROPIC CLAUDE FOR GOVERNMENT (C4G)".

Step 02: Set the time period

Pick the action-date window that matches the question. To test a ban, start the day it took effect; for Anthropic that is Feb 27 2026. Totals only mean something against a dated event.

Step 03: Clean the noise

Keywords are blunt. "Claude" also returns the Claude Pepper Federal Building in Miami (HVAC, moving, construction). Sort by recipient, scan descriptions, and drop anything that only shares a word. Write down what you dropped and why, so the count is reproducible.

Step 04: Read who got paid

Only one of five buyers paid Anthropic directly. From USAspending award records, Oct 27 2026.

Check the Recipient and Parent Award ID columns. Software usually flows through resellers (Carahsoft, ThunderCat) holding a GSA schedule or a NASA SEWP vehicle. That is why the recipient search found one award: only the Smithsonian bought straight from Anthropic, PBC.

Step 05: Open the award page

Click any Award ID. The award page shows the full description, the contract vehicle, every modification, and a link to the underlying FPDS record. Modifications matter: a $1 pilot can grow, and a big order can be de-obligated later.

Step 06: Pull it with the API

The site sits on a free API with no key. The same search in one call:

curl -s -X POST https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/search/spending_by_award/ \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"filters":{"keywords":["Claude for Government"],
       "award_type_codes":["A","B","C","D"],
       "time_period":[{"start_date":"2026-02-27","end_date":"2026-10-27"}]},
       "fields":["Award ID","Recipient Name","Award Amount","Awarding Agency","Start Date","Description"],
       "limit":50,"sort":"Award Amount","order":"desc"}'

Award type codes A to D are the contract types (BPA calls, purchase orders, delivery orders, definitive contracts). Swap keywords for recipient_search_text to see the difference yourself. Save the JSON with a date and rerun it weekly to spot new awards.