Glossary

Term	Meaning
8(a)	SBA business development program for small disadvantaged businesses; agencies can set work aside for 8(a) firms
Amendment	A change to a published solicitation (dates, requirements, answers to questions)
Award notice	A notice announcing who won a contract
BPA	Blanket Purchase Agreement: a simplified way for an agency to buy repeatedly from approved vendors
CAGE code	Commercial and Government Entity code, a five-character identifier assigned with your SAM.gov registration
Capability statement	A one or two-page summary of what your company does, its codes, certifications and past performance
Combined synopsis/solicitation	A short notice that is also the solicitation itself, common for simpler purchases
Contracting officer (CO)	The government official with authority to award and change contracts
Contract specialist	Supports the contracting officer and is often the named point of contact
Contract vehicle	An existing contract (GWAC, IDIQ, BPA, GSA Schedule) through which agencies place orders with its holders
CUI	Controlled Unclassified Information; must never be stored in this tool
DSIP	DoD SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal, where DoD publishes SBIR and STTR topics
EDWOSB	Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business
FAR	Federal Acquisition Regulation, the rules for federal buying
Fiscal year (FY)	The federal year, 1 October to 30 September
GSA Schedule (MAS)	GSA's Multiple Award Schedule, a long-term vehicle many agencies order from
GWAC	Government-Wide Acquisition Contract, a vehicle for IT products and services any agency can use
HUBZone	SBA program for small businesses in historically underutilized business zones
IDIQ	Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract: task orders are placed over time under one award
Incumbent	The company holding the current contract
NAICS code	North American Industry Classification System code describing an industry; it also sets the small-business size standard
Obligation	Money legally committed on an award; what USAspending reports
Place of performance	Where the work is done
POC	Point of contact named in a notice, usually the contracting officer or contract specialist
Presolicitation	Advance notice that a solicitation is coming
Prime contractor	The company that holds the contract with the government
PSC	Product and Service Code, describing what the government is buying
Recompete	A new competition for work whose current contract is ending
RFI	Request for Information: market research, no award follows directly
RFP	Request for Proposals: a solicitation evaluated on more than price
RFQ	Request for Quotations: usually a simpler, price-focused purchase
SAM.gov	System for Award Management: where companies register and where federal contract notices are published
SBIR / STTR	Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs that fund research and development
SDVOSB	Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business
Set-aside	Work reserved for a category of small business
Size standard	The revenue or employee limit under which a company is small for a NAICS code
Sole source	An award made without competition, allowed only in specific cases
Solicitation	The document that asks for offers: an RFP, RFQ or IFB
Sources sought	Market research asking which companies can do the work; answering can shape the set-aside decision
Special notice	A notice about events such as industry days or draft requirements
Subcontractor	A company doing part of the work for the prime contractor
Task order	An order placed under an IDIQ or other vehicle
UEI	Unique Entity ID, the 12-character identifier SAM.gov assigns to your company
VOSB	Veteran-Owned Small Business
WOSB	Women-Owned Small Business

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