"To open up Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) data to the less skilled—while making the more skilled much more efficient."

- FPDS Pro mission statement, October 2016

Dear DACIS Subscribers,
When InfoBase launched its FPDS Pro service seven years ago, ours was only the most recent of many FPDS products on the market. But our approach was fresh, the interface was engaging, and the thing ran fast as a scalded cat. We were pretty sure it would do well, but of course that was up to you. A cascade of sales and upgrades told us that you liked it just fine.
Of the FPDS Pro service's many innovations, none generated more excitement than Guided Search. The feature was simplicity itself: Every time a search criteria was entered, the next search criteria would present with a narrowed rank-ordered list of choices based on the previous search. This feature allowed even novices to wade into FPDS' 100 million-plus records, and emerge with insights that would have gratified a power user. "We call it Guided Search," we said at the time. "You're going to call it discovery."
FPDS Pro went on to become our strongest product launch ever. Today it ranks second only to our flagship Professional package in popularity with our subscribers.
That was Then, and This is Better. Today we're proud to be launching a re-conceived version of FPDS Pro—we're calling it FPDS Pro 2.0. Once again, search is the service's marquee feature. You'll be introduced to Dashboard Search, the heir apparent to Guided Search. As you might deduce from the name, charts are involved. Dozens of them. And while a little eye candy is always a nice thing, we haven't stopped there. We've made the charts interactive, and customizable to your requirements. You're going to quickly realize that Dashboard Search is much more than eye candy. Sure, it will help you visualize data, but it also will empower you to work with data in ways you never could before. This is a productivity enhancement. But feel free to enjoy the scenery as it flashes by.
And it does flash by. You'll be seeing charts generate on the fly, in mere seconds—five at a time, ten at a time, even more. This is data visualization which operates at the speed of thought. You're going to wonder how we did that, and then you're going to get back to getting things done. Using our dashboard-driven interface is almost hypnotic, like watching cars whizz by on the frontstretch of a racetrack. Whether you're taking advantage of multiple preset configurations of charts, or customizing a dashboard to your needs, you're going to be visualizing more, and accomplishing more, than you ever thought possible.
But Wait, There's More. There's depth in the FPDS Pro 2.0 offering. For starters, you'll be gaining a new understanding of government customers, ranging from the department level on down through agencies and all the way to individual offices—which, for the first time, are identified with their full names. You'll be thanking us from the moment you see that the organization identified by the government as "W6DV PEO M & S REDSTONE" has been identified by us as "PEO Missiles & Space (MS), Strategic and Operational Rockets and Missiles Project Office (STORM)". PM STORM is a customer which funds $2 billion a year in prime contracts. You'll find them, and thousands of customers like them, identified by name in FPDS Pro 2.0.
You're also going to appreciate our updates to FPDS Pro's Reports and Saved Searches features. Here the gains are in usability, simplicity, and intuitiveness. And finally, you're going to find that FPDS Pro 2.0 does an even better job of delivering what only we can—full DACIS integration.
But What Will It Cost? We're leaving our prices unchanged.
The Best is Yet to Come. There's a new foundation under FPDS Pro 2.0, and it's going to make possible a series of exciting enhancements over the next 12 months. Watch this space.
Next Steps. If you're already an FPDS Pro subscriber, you don't need to do anything to receive the new 2.0 product—it's what will greet you when you click "FPDS Pro" in the navigation bar at the top of our website. I'd suggest first viewing the "Unveiling of FPDS Pro 2.0" recording on our Training Videos page to check in on the service's new features and capabilities. Personal training and technical support is also available to you at all times (and at no cost to you, as is always our policy).
If you're not yet an FPDS Pro subscriber, but you're curious about the new 2.0 product, we'd encourage you to get in touch with your account representative, who will be happy to give you a look at the service.
We couldn't be more excited to get this update into the hands of all our FPDS Pro subscribers. We expect that the ultimate verdict on this product will be that it is not just more capable than its predecessor, but even easier to use. Meaning we won't be retiring that 2016 mission statement just yet!
Best regards,

Stuart McCutchan
President
InfoBase Publishers, Inc.
Jan. 4, 2024