Posture Class and Award Volume Thresholds

Posture class means the competitive tier into which the FedComp Index places a federal contractor based on two calculated drivers: award volume and award recency. Class thresholds are fixed values on the 0-100 scale. A contractor does not select a posture class. The score generates the class. The relationship between award volume and posture class is direct and deterministic. Higher award volume produces a higher volume score, which dominates the composite calculation at ninety percent weighting. Recency contributes ten percent and cannot overcome a low volume score on its own. A contractor with substantial historical awards but no recent activity will score lower than an active competitor with half the cumulative dollars. The posture card displays the resulting class alongside the raw score, the NAICS codes associated with the contractor's award history, and the contractor's rank within the state. Class 1 requires a volume score near the upper end of the log-scaled range. Class 2 occupies the middle range where consistent award activity produces stable scores. Class 3 represents contractors whose volume scores remain below the threshold that would elevate them into a higher tier. The log-scaling compresses extremely large award amounts so that the difference between a fifty million dollar contractor and a five million dollar contractor does not overwhelm the scale. This compression prevents any single contractor from distorting the range for an entire NAICS corridor. The volume score alone does not determine class. The composite score does. The composite score is the weighted sum of the volume score at ninety percent and the recency score at ten percent. A contractor with moderate volume but recent awards may hold a slightly higher composite than a larger dormant competitor. The distinction matters for firms tracking their positioning over time. Position drift occurs when award volume remains static while newer competitors accumulate activity. The FedComp Index score reflects current positioning within the contractor population, not historical precedence. A contractor that dominated five years ago but has received no new awards will score lower than an active Class 3 contractor who recently won work. Posture class follows the score, and the score follows the data on usaspending.gov. The two index drivers measure what they measure. Posture class assigns the tier.