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Procurement, in plain language.
Plain-English answers to the terms every federal buyer and bidder uses.
22 entries
- 01Sources Sought NoticeA Sources Sought Notice is a federal market-research request where an agency asks whether capable businesses exist to perform a requirement, before it decides how to compete the contract.
- 02Request for Information (RFI)An RFI is a federal notice asking industry for information such as capabilities, pricing ranges, or technical approaches, to inform the government’s planning, with no award and no obligation to bid.
- 03PresolicitationA Presolicitation notice signals that a formal solicitation is coming, describing the upcoming requirement so interested vendors can prepare and, in some cases, ask preliminary questions.
- 04Solicitation (RFP / RFQ / IFB)A solicitation is the formal document by which the government seeks pricing or proposals: an RFP (Request for Proposals) for negotiated work, an RFQ (Request for Quotations) for simpler commercial buys, or an IFB (Invitation for Bids) for sealed, price-driven bidding.
- 05Combined Synopsis/SolicitationA Combined Synopsis/Solicitation merges the public notice and the solicitation into one document, a streamlined method typically used for commercial items to speed up simpler procurements.
- 06Set-AsideA set-aside is a contract reserved for competition among a specific category of small businesses, such as small business, 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, or SDVOSB, so large firms cannot compete for it.
- 078(a) Business Development ProgramThe 8(a) Business Development Program is a nine-year SBA program for small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, giving access to set-aside and sole-source federal contracts.
- 08HUBZone ProgramThe HUBZone program certifies small businesses located in Historically Underutilized Business Zones, giving them set-aside and price-evaluation preferences on federal contracts.
- 09SDVOSB (Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business)An SDVOSB is a small business at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans, eligible for veteran set-aside and sole-source federal contracts.
- 10WOSB / EDWOSBA WOSB is a Women-Owned Small Business (51% owned and controlled by women); an EDWOSB is the Economically Disadvantaged subset, both eligible for targeted federal set-asides in designated industries.
- 11NAICS CodeA NAICS code is the six-digit North American Industry Classification System number that identifies the type of work in a federal opportunity, for example 541512 for Computer Systems Design Services.
- 12PSC (Product Service Code)A PSC is a four-character Product Service Code that describes what the government is actually buying, the product or service, as a complement to the NAICS industry code.
- 13Small Business Size StandardA size standard is the SBA-set threshold, in either annual revenue or employee count and keyed to a NAICS code, below which a firm qualifies as a small business for federal contracting.
- 14SAM.gov & UEI (Unique Entity ID)SAM.gov is the official U.S. government registration and opportunity system, and the UEI (Unique Entity ID) is the 12-character identifier that replaced the DUNS number as a firm’s federal identity.
- 15CAGE CodeA CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) code is a five-character identifier assigned to firms doing business with the federal government, tying a legal entity to a specific location.
- 16GSA Schedule / MAS (Multiple Award Schedule)The GSA Multiple Award Schedule is a pre-negotiated, long-term governmentwide contract that lets agencies buy commercial products and services at agreed terms without running a full open competition each time.
- 17IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity)An IDIQ is a contract vehicle for an indefinite quantity of work over a fixed period, under which the government issues individual task or delivery orders as needs arise.
- 18BPA (Blanket Purchase Agreement)A BPA is a simplified arrangement that sets up recurring purchases against pre-agreed terms, letting an agency fill repeated needs without a new contract each time.
- 19Past Performance & CPARSPast performance is the government’s evaluation of how well you delivered prior contracts, formally recorded in CPARS (the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System) and weighed heavily in most award decisions.
- 20BAFO (Best and Final Offer)A BAFO is the final proposal revision a contracting officer requests after discussions, giving offerors one last chance to sharpen price and technical terms before award.
- 21Sole SourceA sole-source award is a contract given to one firm without full competition, justified when only one source can meet the need or under specific authorities such as the 8(a) program.
- 22Teaming Agreement / SubcontractingA teaming agreement is an arrangement where firms combine to pursue a contract, typically a prime contractor plus subcontractors, to cover a requirement no single firm could win alone.
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About this reference
01
Overview
Sources sought, set-asides, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, NAICS, PSC, GSA Schedule, IDIQ, CPARS. Each entry answers the question directly, then shows how the term is actually used in a live procurement.
02
Twenty-two terms, defined
Answer first, then how it works in a real solicitation.
Definitions describe federal-acquisition programs and terms. They are reference, not a claim of any certification held by ITC.
All twenty-two terms stay in the directory above (paginated) and on each term page. This panel does not re-dump the full inventory.
03
Send the solicitation
We'll confirm the right NAICS, PSC, and set-aside for your scope, government or commercial.
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