Agency
A government organization that needs to buy a product or service.
Glossary
Plain-English GovCon Terms
A beginner-friendly reference for the core terms used in the Beginner V4 Mastery Course.
A
Award
The government’s selection of a business to receive a contract or order.
B
BPA
Blanket Purchase Agreement: a simplified ordering arrangement that can make repeat buying easier.
C
CLIN
Contract Line Item Number: a line in a solicitation or contract that identifies what is being bought, how it is priced, or how it will be funded.
CMMC
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification: a Department of Defense cybersecurity program that may apply when defense contract information or controlled unclassified information is involved.
CO
Contracting Officer: the government official with authority to enter into, change, or terminate contracts.
COR
Contracting Officer’s Representative: a government representative who helps monitor performance, but does not usually have authority to change the contract.
CPARS
Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System: the system used for many federal contractor performance evaluations.
CUI
Controlled Unclassified Information: government information that is not classified but still requires safeguarding.
D
DBA
Davis-Bacon Act: prevailing-wage requirements that may apply to certain construction contracts.
F
FAR
Federal Acquisition Regulation: the main rulebook for federal acquisition.
FCI
Federal Contract Information: non-public information provided by or generated for the government under a contract.
G
GWAC
Governmentwide Acquisition Contract: a contract vehicle available across agencies, commonly used for IT buys.
I
IDIQ
Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity: a contract vehicle that allows future orders when exact quantities or timing are not fully known.
IFB
Invitation for Bid: a sealed-bidding method where the government generally awards to the responsible bidder whose bid conforms to the invitation and is most advantageous considering price and price-related factors.
N
NAICS
North American Industry Classification System: codes used to classify the type of business activity involved in an opportunity.
P
PSC
Product Service Code: a code that describes what product or service the government is buying.
PWS
Performance Work Statement: describes the required outcomes or performance standards rather than only the exact method.
R
RFQ
Request for Quote: commonly used when the government is asking for prices/quotes, often in simplified or commercial buying.
RFI
Request for Information: a market research notice used to learn what industry can provide; usually not a request for a formal proposal.
RFP
Request for Proposal: a solicitation asking for proposals, often with technical, management, past performance, and price evaluation factors.
S
SAM.gov
The federal website used for entity registration and public federal contract opportunity notices.
SCA / SCLS
Service Contract Act / Service Contract Labor Standards: wage and fringe requirements that may apply to certain service contracts.
Set-aside
A contracting approach where competition is limited to businesses that meet a qualifying small-business status or program requirement.
SOO
Statement of Objectives: describes the government’s goals and lets offerors propose how to meet them.
SOW
Statement of Work: describes the work the contractor must perform, often more prescriptive than a PWS.
U
UEI
Unique Entity ID: the identifier assigned during SAM.gov registration.