A plain-English A–Z of the 67+ terms you’ll encounter most often in US federal contracting. Where a term has a deeper guide on this site, we’ve linked it. Bookmark this page — you’ll come back to it when you hit your first acronym wall (it happens fast).
8
- 8(a) Business Development Program
- A nine-year SBA program providing federal contracting set-asides and mentoring to small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Heavily used route into federal contracting. → 8(a) eligibility guide
A
- AbilityOne
- A federal program that creates contracting opportunities for people who are blind or have other significant disabilities, administered through nonprofit agencies.
- ACO (Administrative Contracting Officer)
- A contracting officer responsible for administering an awarded contract — performance monitoring, modifications, and closeout — distinct from the PCO who awarded it.
- AI Bid Writing
- Use of generative AI to draft proposal narratives directly from a solicitation. The fastest-growing category in govcon tooling. → AI RFP writing
B
- BAA (Broad Agency Announcement)
- A solicitation method for basic and applied research awards, used heavily by DARPA, DOD research labs, and NIH. Funds science and technology development.
- BPA (Blanket Purchase Agreement)
- A simplified method for filling repetitive supply needs by setting up a "charge account" with a qualified vendor. Often issued against GSA Schedules.
- B&P (Bid and Proposal Cost)
- The cost incurred by a contractor in preparing bids and proposals. Generally allowable as indirect cost on cost-reimbursement contracts.
C
- CAGE Code
- Commercial and Government Entity Code — a five-character identifier assigned to entities doing business with the federal government. Issued automatically during SAM registration. → SAM registration guide
- Capability Statement
- A one-page marketing document summarizing a federal vendor: NAICS codes, certifications, core competencies, past performance, differentiators. Effectively a federal-market résumé. → first contract guide
- Capture Management
- The disciplined pre-RFP process of identifying, qualifying, and positioning for a specific opportunity — often starting 12 to 36 months before solicitation release.
- CCR (Central Contractor Registration)
- Legacy name for the federal vendor registration system. Now part of SAM.gov.
- CLIN (Contract Line Item Number)
- A numbered line item on a federal contract identifying separately priced products or services. Determines how invoicing and delivery are tracked.
- CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification)
- DOD's tiered cybersecurity certification program required for defense contractors handling Federal Contract Information or Controlled Unclassified Information.
- CO / KO (Contracting Officer)
- The only federal employee with legal authority to bind the government in a contract. Often abbreviated KO. The single most important person on any federal pursuit.
- COR (Contracting Officer's Representative)
- A government employee designated to monitor technical performance of a contract on behalf of the contracting officer. Often the day-to-day point of contact.
- COTS (Commercial Off-the-Shelf)
- A product sold in substantial quantities in the commercial marketplace and offered to the government without modification. Subject to simplified federal acquisition procedures.
- CPARS (Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System)
- The system of record for contractor past-performance ratings. Federal evaluators pull CPARS data when scoring past-performance volumes.
D
- DCAA (Defense Contract Audit Agency)
- The agency that audits DOD contractors' accounting systems, indirect rates, and billings on cost-reimbursement contracts.
- DFARS (Defense FAR Supplement)
- The DOD-specific supplement to the FAR. Imposes additional requirements on defense contracts — cybersecurity, country-of-origin, specialty metals, and more.
- DPAS (Defense Priorities and Allocations System)
- The DOD priority rating system requiring contractors to accept and prioritize rated orders ahead of unrated work.
E
- EDWOSB (Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business)
- A subset of WOSB certification with additional economic-disadvantage thresholds. Eligible for sole-source awards under WOSB program in certain NAICS codes.
- EVM (Earned Value Management)
- A project-management technique combining scope, schedule, and cost into a single performance measurement. Required on most DOD contracts above ~$20M.
F
- FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation)
- The primary regulation governing federal-government civilian and defense contracting. Every federal contract incorporates FAR clauses by reference.
- FedRAMP
- The federal program for authorizing cloud-service providers to handle government data. Required for any SaaS sold to a federal agency.
- FFP (Firm Fixed-Price)
- A contract type where the contractor is paid a fixed price regardless of actual costs incurred. All cost risk sits with the contractor.
- FOIA (Freedom of Information Act)
- Federal law granting public access to federal agency records. Often used to obtain redacted competitor proposals after award.
G
- GFE (Government-Furnished Equipment)
- Equipment provided by the government for contractor use in performing the contract. Title remains with the government; contractor is accountable for it.
- GSA Schedule (MAS)
- GSA Multiple Award Schedule — long-term, government-wide contracts with pre-negotiated pricing. Often the easiest path to repeat federal business once on schedule.
- GWAC (Government-Wide Acquisition Contract)
- A pre-competed contract vehicle (Alliant, OASIS+, CIO-SP4, etc.) usable by any federal agency. Awards are issued as task orders.
H
- HUBZone
- An SBA program providing federal contracting set-asides to small businesses located in Historically Underutilized Business Zones with at least 35% of employees living in such zones.
I
- IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity)
- A contract structure that establishes pre-negotiated terms with multiple awardees, against which the government issues task orders or delivery orders as needs arise.
- IDV (Indefinite Delivery Vehicle)
- Umbrella term covering IDIQ, BPA, GWAC, and similar pre-competed vehicles. Federal spending increasingly flows through IDVs rather than standalone contracts.
- IFB (Invitation for Bid)
- A solicitation issued under sealed-bid procedures. Award goes to the responsive, responsible bidder with the lowest price. Used when requirements are clear and price is the determining factor. → RFP vs RFQ vs IFB
L
- LPTA (Lowest Price Technically Acceptable)
- A source-selection method where award goes to the lowest-priced offer meeting all minimum technical requirements. Controversial because it incentivizes minimum quality.
M
- Micro-Purchase Threshold
- The dollar limit ($10,000 for most categories in 2026) below which federal contracting officers have maximum discretion and most procurement rules are simplified.
N
- NAICS Code
- North American Industry Classification System — a six-digit code identifying the industry of each federal procurement. Determines small-business size standards. → NAICS explained
- NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)
- A confidentiality agreement governing handling of proprietary or sensitive information. Common between primes and subs during teaming discussions.
- NIST 800-171
- The NIST publication specifying security controls for Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) on non-federal systems. Mandatory for many DOD contractors under DFARS 252.204-7012.
O
- OASIS+
- GSA's government-wide professional-services contract vehicle, succeeding the original OASIS. Major route for federal professional-services spending.
- OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)
- The company that originally manufactured a product. Federal supply contracts often require OEM authorization letters from resellers.
- OTA (Other Transaction Authority)
- A non-FAR contracting authority used by DOD, NASA, and others for prototypes and research. Faster, more flexible than FAR-based contracting.
P
- Past Performance
- A federal evaluator's assessment of how well a vendor performed on prior similar work. Sourced from CPARS and direct references.
- PCO (Procuring Contracting Officer)
- The contracting officer responsible for awarding a contract, as distinct from the ACO who administers it post-award.
- Pre-Solicitation Notice
- A notice issued before a formal solicitation, providing industry advance visibility into an upcoming opportunity. Often used to gather questions.
- Protest
- A formal challenge to a federal procurement action, typically filed with the GAO or agency. Stays performance in most cases until resolved.
Q
- Q&A (Questions and Answers)
- The formal pre-proposal Q&A period where bidders ask questions about the solicitation. Government answers in writing visible to all bidders.
R
- RFI (Request for Information)
- A pre-solicitation market-research notice. No bids requested — used to gauge industry capability and shape eventual requirements.
- RFP (Request for Proposal)
- A solicitation evaluated on best-value criteria (technical, past performance, price) rather than lowest price alone. Most professional-services federal contracts use RFPs. → RFP vs RFQ vs IFB
- RFQ (Request for Quote)
- A simplified solicitation, typically for commercial items at lower dollar values. Quotes are not binding offers until the government accepts. → RFP vs RFQ vs IFB
S
- SAM.gov
- System for Award Management — the federal government's single front door for vendor registration, opportunity posting, and entity validation. Operated by GSA. → SAM.gov alternative
- SAT (Simplified Acquisition Threshold)
- The dollar threshold ($250,000 for most procurements in 2026) below which the government uses simplified acquisition procedures. Major target zone for new federal vendors.
- SBIR/STTR
- Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs — federal R&D set-asides funding small-business innovation in three phases.
- SDB (Small Disadvantaged Business)
- A small business that is at least 51% owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Self-certified for most purposes.
- SDVOSB (Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business)
- A small business at least 51% owned by one or more service-disabled veterans. Eligible for set-asides and sole-source awards across federal contracting.
- Section L
- The "Instructions to Offerors" portion of a federal solicitation — tells you exactly how to format and submit your proposal. Failure to comply is grounds for elimination.
- Section M
- The "Evaluation Factors" portion of a federal solicitation — tells you exactly how proposals will be scored. Always write your proposal to Section M.
- Set-Aside
- A federal contract reserved for a specific socioeconomic category (small business, 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, SDVOSB). Roughly 23% of federal contract dollars flow through set-asides each year.
- Sole Source
- A non-competitive contract awarded to a single vendor, typically justified by unique capability or set-aside program (e.g. 8(a) sole-source up to certain thresholds).
- Sources Sought
- A market-research notice asking whether qualified small businesses can perform a requirement. Often a leading indicator of an upcoming set-aside.
- Subcontracting Plan
- A required plan on large contracts ($750K+ for most, $1.5M for construction) committing to specific small-business subcontracting goals.
T
- T&M (Time and Materials)
- A contract type paying labor at fixed hourly rates and materials at cost. Used when scope is too uncertain for FFP. Higher government oversight required.
- Task Order
- An order issued against an IDIQ or BPA. The actual work and money flow through task orders, not the parent vehicle itself.
- Teaming Agreement
- An agreement between a prime and one or more subs to jointly pursue a specific opportunity. Defines workshare, roles, and conditions for follow-on contracts.
U
- UEI (Unique Entity Identifier)
- The 12-character identifier replacing DUNS for federal vendor identification. Issued through SAM.gov. → SAM registration
- USASpending.gov
- The official federal spending transparency site. Source-of-truth data for who got which contracts at what value.
V
- VOSB (Veteran-Owned Small Business)
- A small business at least 51% owned by one or more veterans. SDVOSB is the service-disabled subset.
W
- WOSB (Women-Owned Small Business)
- A small business at least 51% owned by one or more women. Eligible for set-asides in certain NAICS codes; EDWOSB is the economically-disadvantaged subset.
What did we miss?
Email info@winacontract.com with terms you wish were in here. We expand the glossary every few months from reader requests. See also our 2026 federal contracting statistics report, the best SAM.gov alternatives roundup, and the first SAM.gov contract guide.
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