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Federal contracting glossary

26 terms you'll see in SAM.gov notices, in plain English. Covers A, B, C, G, I, N and more.

Amendment: A change to a posted solicitation. You often must acknowledge every amendment in your bid.
Bonding: Bid, performance and payment bonds, usually required on construction contracts over $150,000.
BPA: Blanket Purchase Agreement: a simplified way for agencies to make repeat purchases.
CAGE code: Commercial and Government Entity code, assigned when you register in SAM.gov.
Contracting Officer (CO): The only government official who can sign or change a contract. Questions go to the CO or contract specialist named in the notice.
CPARS: Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System, where agencies rate contractors after work.
GSA Schedule: Pre-negotiated contracts (GSA MAS) that let agencies buy from you quickly.
IDIQ: Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity: a contract vehicle that issues task orders over time.
IFB: Invitation for Bid: sealed bidding where the lowest price from a responsible bidder wins.
NAICS code: A six-digit code that classifies a type of work. Every opportunity lists one, and it sets the small-business size standard for that contract.
Past performance: Your record on earlier contracts. Commercial work and subcontracts usually count.
PSC: Product Service Code: a four-character code describing what is being bought.
Response date: The deadline for submissions, with a time and time zone. Late offers are usually rejected.
RFI: Request for Information: research only, no contract is awarded from it.
RFP: Request for Proposal: the agency weighs price together with technical approach and past performance.
RFQ: Request for Quote: usually for simpler or smaller buys, often decided mostly on price.
SAM.gov: The System for Award Management, the official site where federal contract opportunities are posted and where contractors register. Registration is free.
Section L / Section M: In a formal RFP, L tells you how to write the proposal and M tells you how it will be scored.
Set-aside: A contract reserved for a category of small business, such as 8(a), HUBZone or SDVOSB.
Simplified acquisition: Purchases under the simplified acquisition threshold (generally $250,000) with streamlined procedures; most are set aside for small business.
Size standard: The SBA limit (by revenue or employees) that decides whether you count as small for a given NAICS code.
SOW / PWS: Statement of Work or Performance Work Statement: exactly what the contractor must do.
Task order: An order placed under an existing IDIQ or GSA Schedule contract.
Teaming / subcontracting: Partnering with another firm to bid. A good way to gain federal past performance.
UEI: Unique Entity ID: the 12-character ID SAM.gov assigns your business. It replaced the DUNS number.
Wage determination: Minimum wages and benefits required under the Service Contract Act or Davis-Bacon Act. Common on guard, moving and construction work.