A nine-year SBA business development program for small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged people.

An official change to a solicitation after it was posted, and one you must formally acknowledge to stay eligible.

The public announcement that an agency made an award, including who won and roughly how much.

An evaluation method that weighs technical quality and past performance alongside price, not price alone.

A simplified ordering agreement that lets a buyer make repeat purchases from you without re-competing each one.

A set-aside authority that lets Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service reserve work for Indian-owned businesses.

A five-character code that identifies your business location in federal systems, assigned when you register in SAM.gov.

A one-page summary of what your business does, aimed at a contracting officer skimming for a fit.

The maximum dollar amount the government is allowed to order under a vehicle, a cap, not a promise to spend that much.

DoD's certification program that requires contractors to prove they meet specific cybersecurity practices before handling certain defense information.

A single notice that doubles as both the public announcement of a buy and the solicitation itself.

A spreadsheet mapping every requirement in a solicitation to exactly where your proposal answers it.

A formal, written change to a contract that is already signed, whether both sides agree to it or the government makes it alone.

The one federal employee on the deal whose signature actually creates or changes a binding contract.

The contracting officer's eyes and ears on the ground, who watches your performance but cannot change your contract.

The government's system for rating your performance on a contract, and the record future evaluators can see across agencies.

The law that sets minimum prevailing wages for laborers and mechanics on federal construction contracts.

A meeting you can request after losing an award, where the agency explains how it evaluated your proposal.

The Defense Logistics Agency's own bid board, separate from SAM.gov, mostly used for parts and supplies.

The nine-digit business ID that SAM.gov used before switching to the UEI, now retired for federal registration.

GSA's online system where agencies post requests for quotes that only current Schedule holders can see and answer.

The specific criteria a solicitation says it will use to judge your proposal, usually spelled out in section M.

The rule that every holder on a multiple-award IDIQ gets a real chance to be considered for each task order.

The government's central rulebook for how federal agencies are allowed to buy goods and services.

A pre-negotiated, long-term contract that lets any federal buyer purchase from you at already-approved prices.

The smallest dollar amount the government commits to actually order from you just for holding a seat on the vehicle.

A pre-competed IDIQ that any federal agency can use to buy information technology without running its own competition.

An SBA certification for small businesses located in, and staffed from, designated distressed areas.

A standing agreement that lets an agency order work from you later; the orders are the real competitions.

The umbrella data category covering IDIQs, BPAs, and schedule contracts, the ones you order against rather than deliver against directly.

Whoever holds the work today, and usually the competitor to beat.

The percentage rate you apply to spread your indirect costs, fringe, overhead, G&A, across the contracts that have to cover them.

The written case an agency has to build and get signed off on before it can award without full competition.

Two or more businesses bidding and performing as a single combined entity, most often to pair a small business with a partner under SBA rules.

An evaluation method where any proposal that clears a pass-fail technical bar then competes on price alone.

The formal name for what almost everyone just calls the GSA Schedule.

An SBA program that pairs an experienced business with a small one to build its capacity, often clearing the way for them to joint venture together.

A small buy under a set dollar threshold that an agency can purchase directly, commonly with a government purchase card, without a formal competition.

The industry code agencies use to label work and to decide which businesses count as small.

The security control catalog that governs how contractors must protect sensitive but unclassified government information on their own systems.

The formal process for transferring a federal contract to a new business, usually after a sale or merger.

GSA's large, government-wide vehicle for buying professional services like consulting, engineering, and program management.

A later chance to join a multiple-award vehicle after the original competition already closed.

An additional year of work the government can choose to add onto a contract, at its discretion, not yours.

The span of time during which an agency is allowed to place orders against an IDIQ or similar vehicle.

A record of how well you have done similar work before, which evaluators weigh alongside price on most proposals.

The window of time during which a contract's work is authorized to happen.

The Defense Department's online system for invoicing and contract paperwork, including the Wide Area Workflow module.

An early notice that a solicitation is coming, posted before the actual RFP or RFQ is released.

The business that holds the contract directly with the government and is responsible for the whole job.

An agency's published list of contracting opportunities it expects to compete in the coming year, an estimate, not a promise.

The law that requires the government to pay a proper invoice on time, generally within about 30 days, and to pay interest when it does not.

A formal challenge to how a solicitation or award decision was handled, filed with the agency, GAO, or the Court of Federal Claims.

The code a solicitation uses to describe exactly what product or service the government is buying.

A contract coming back around for a fresh competition as its current term runs out.

An agency's way of asking industry questions before it writes the actual solicitation, with no contract attached.

The government asks for full written proposals and can weigh more than price when it picks the winner.

A price-forward ask, usually for simpler purchases, where your quote is the main event.

The government's own registration and opportunity site; registering there is free and required to win awards.

The law that sets minimum wage and benefit floors for service workers on covered federal contracts.

A small business at least 51 percent owned and controlled by one or more veterans with a service-connected disability.

A competition limited to a class of business, such as small businesses or HUBZone firms.

NASA's government-wide IT contract vehicle, prized for being fast even though NASA itself rarely is the actual buyer.

A shorter, lighter set of buying rules that agencies can use for smaller-dollar purchases.

The code on the GSA Schedule that identifies exactly which category of products or services your contract covers.

An award made to one business without a competition, allowed only under specific justified circumstances.

The official ask for bids or proposals, with the rules of the competition written inside.

The formal process an agency uses to decide which proposal wins a negotiated procurement.

Market research before a contract exists; answering it can shape the eventual competition in your favor.

A business that performs part of a federal contract under an agreement with the prime contractor, not directly with the government.

One concrete job, ordered and usually competed under an existing vehicle such as an IDIQ.

A private agreement between two companies on who will be prime and who will be sub, if the team wins a specific bid.

A pass or fail bar for technical merit, with no extra credit for clearing it by a wide margin.

The 12-character ID SAM.gov assigns your business; it replaced the DUNS number.

A government-set schedule of minimum wages and benefits that applies to workers on certain service and construction contracts.

A small business at least 51 percent owned and controlled by women, eligible for set-asides in industries where women-owned firms are underrepresented.

The multiplier you apply to a direct labor rate to cover fringe, overhead, and G&A so your price actually reflects your real cost.