Glossary
Federal Procurement Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the acronyms, regulations, programs, and contract vehicles that shape U.S. federal procurement. Updated continuously.
#
A
B
- Best Value TradeoffA source selection process permitting award to other than the lowest-priced offeror when superior non-price factors justify the premium.
- Bid ProtestA formal challenge to a solicitation's terms or to an award decision.
- Bid/No-Bid DecisionThe formal decision on whether to pursue an opportunity, based on fit, competitiveness, and cost to pursue.
- Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA)A simplified method for filling anticipated repetitive needs by establishing charge accounts with qualified sources.
- Bridge ContractA short-term extension or sole-source award covering a gap while a recompete is completed.
- Brooks ActThe law requiring architect-engineer services to be selected on qualifications rather than price.
- Buy American ActThe law preferring domestic end products in federal procurement.
C
- CAGE CodeCommercial and Government Entity code — a five-character identifier assigned by the Defense Logistics Agency to uniquely identify suppliers.
- Capability StatementA one-to-two-page marketing document that summarizes a contractor's core competencies, past performance, and differentiators for federal buyers.
- Capture ManagementThe pre-RFP discipline of positioning to win a specific opportunity before the solicitation is released.
- CMMCCybersecurity Maturity Model Certification — DoD's tiered cybersecurity verification program for the defense industrial base.
- Color Team ReviewThe staged proposal review process — commonly Blue, Pink, Red, Gold, and White — used to mature a proposal before submission.
- Commercial Product or ServiceAn item customarily sold to the general public, procured under streamlined FAR Part 12 procedures.
- Competitive RangeThe set of proposals judged to have a real chance of award, with which the government may conduct discussions.
- Compliance MatrixA spreadsheet that cross-references every RFP requirement to the proposal section and page where it is addressed.
- Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL)The list of data deliverables a contract requires, each with format, content, and delivery schedule.
- Contracting Officer (CO / KO)The only government official with authority to enter into, modify, or terminate a contract.
- Contracting Officer's Representative (COR)The individual designated by the contracting officer to monitor technical performance day to day.
- Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)Government information that requires safeguarding but is not classified.
- Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF)A cost-reimbursement contract where the contractor is repaid allowable costs plus a negotiated fee that does not vary with actual cost.
- CPARSThe Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System — the government's official record of contractor performance.
D
- Davis-Bacon ActThe law requiring prevailing wages for laborers and mechanics on federal construction contracts.
- DCAAThe Defense Contract Audit Agency — the government's auditor for contract costs and accounting systems.
- DCMAThe Defense Contract Management Agency — administers DoD contracts after award.
- DebriefingA post-award or post-exclusion explanation of how a proposal was evaluated and why it did not win.
- DeliverableAny product, report, or service the contract requires the contractor to provide.
- DFARSDefense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement — DoD-specific additions to the FAR.
- DiscriminatorA capability that is meaningful to the customer and that competitors cannot credibly claim.
- DiscussionsNegotiations with offerors in the competitive range that allow proposals to be revised.
E
F
- FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation)The primary regulation governing federal executive-agency purchasing — codified at 48 CFR Chapter 1.
- Final Proposal Revision (FPR)The last opportunity to revise a proposal, requested after discussions close.
- Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP)A contract type where the price is set at award and does not change regardless of the contractor's actual costs.
G
- GhostingHighlighting a competitor's weakness without naming them, by emphasizing the customer's need for a strength you hold.
- Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC)A pre-competed IDIQ contract for IT that any federal agency may order from.
- GSA ScheduleMultiple Award Schedule (MAS) — a pre-negotiated, long-term government-wide contract vehicle administered by GSA.
H
I
- IDIQIndefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity — a multi-award contract that establishes terms under which agencies issue task or delivery orders.
- IncumbentThe contractor currently performing the work being recompeted.
- Indirect RateThe rate at which overhead, fringe, and general and administrative costs are allocated to contracts.
- ITARInternational Traffic in Arms Regulations — export controls governing defense articles, services, and technical data.
J
L
M
N
O
P
- Past PerformanceEvaluation factor measuring how well a contractor performed on relevant prior contracts — often captured in CPARS.
- Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ)A form sent to prior customers asking them to rate a contractor's performance, used when CPARS data is unavailable.
- Performance Work Statement (PWS)A statement of work expressed as outcomes and measurable standards rather than prescribed methods.
- Prime ContractorThe contractor holding the contract directly with the government and accountable for all performance under it.
- Probability of Win (PWin)An estimate of the likelihood of winning a specific opportunity, used to prioritize pursuit investment.
- PSC CodeProduct Service Code — a four-character federal code that describes the product or service being acquired.
Q
R
- RecompeteA new competition for work currently under contract, held as the existing contract's term ends.
- Red Team ReviewA review that scores a near-final proposal the way a government evaluator would.
- Representations and CertificationsThe annual and solicitation-specific statements a contractor makes about its business status and compliance.
- Request for Information (RFI)A market research notice asking industry for information; it is not a solicitation and no award results from it.
- Request for Quotation (RFQ)A solicitation asking vendors to quote prices, typically used in simplified acquisitions.
- RFP (Request for Proposal)A formal solicitation inviting contractors to submit detailed technical, management, and price proposals.
- Rule of TwoThe requirement to set an acquisition aside for small business when at least two capable small businesses are expected to bid at fair prices.
S
- SAM.govThe System for Award Management — the official U.S. government website where businesses register to do business with federal agencies.
- SBA Mentor-Protégé ProgramAn SBA program allowing a large mentor to assist a small protégé, including through a joint venture that retains small-business status.
- SBA Size StandardThe revenue or employee ceiling, set per NAICS code, below which a business qualifies as small.
- SDVOSBService-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business — SBA/VA program for firms owned by service-disabled veterans.
- Section LThe "Instructions to Offerors" section of an RFP that prescribes proposal format, content, and submission rules.
- Section MThe "Evaluation Factors for Award" section of an RFP that specifies how proposals will be scored.
- Service Contract Act (SCA)The law requiring prevailing wages and fringe benefits for service employees on federal service contracts.
- SF-1449 (Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items)The standard form used for commercial product and service acquisitions under FAR Part 12.
- SF-33 (Solicitation, Offer and Award)The standard cover form for negotiated federal solicitations and the document that signs the offer.
- SF-330 (Architect-Engineer Qualifications)The standard qualifications form used to select architect-engineer firms under Brooks Act procedures.
- Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT)The dollar ceiling below which agencies may use streamlined procedures instead of full FAR Part 15 competition.
- Small Business Subcontracting PlanA plan large-business primes must submit committing to small-business subcontracting goals on large contracts.
- Sole SourceAn award made without full and open competition because only one source is reasonably available or a statutory exception applies.
- Source SelectionThe formal process by which an agency evaluates proposals and chooses an awardee.
- Sources Sought NoticeA market research notice used to identify potential vendors and determine whether a small-business set-aside is justified.
- SPRSThe Supplier Performance Risk System — DoD's repository for supplier risk data, including NIST SP 800-171 assessment scores.
- Statement of Objectives (SOO)A brief document stating the government's high-level objectives and inviting offerors to propose their own performance work statement.
- Statement of Work (SOW)The section of a contract describing the work to be performed, usually prescribing methods and deliverables.
- StoryboardA planning template capturing a proposal section's requirements, win themes, graphics, and key points before writing.
- SubcontractorA firm performing part of a contract under agreement with the prime rather than with the government.
T
- Task OrderAn order for services placed against an existing IDIQ contract or vehicle.
- Teaming AgreementAn agreement between firms to pursue an opportunity together, typically as prime and subcontractor.
- Time-and-Materials (T&M)A contract type paying fixed hourly labor rates plus materials at cost, used when the extent of work cannot be estimated with confidence.
- Trade Agreements Act (TAA)The law permitting products from designated countries and barring products from non-designated ones above certain thresholds.
U
W
- Wage DeterminationA Department of Labor listing of minimum wages and fringe benefits for specified labor categories in a locality.
- Win ThemeA repeated, evidence-backed message linking a customer need to a benefit only your solution provides.
- WOSB / EDWOSBWomen-Owned Small Business / Economically Disadvantaged WOSB — SBA programs setting aside contracts for women-owned firms.
- Wrap RateThe multiplier applied to direct labor cost to produce a fully burdened billing rate.