Glossary
Updated · 54 terms
The words that come with every federal, state and local bid, each answered in a few sentences and then explained in depth: what the solicitation sections mean, how proposals are evaluated, how capture and color team reviews work, and what the contract vehicles, codes and small business programs are. Each term shows where it sits in a real proposal and how ProposalWorkspace handles it.
An invitation for bid (IFB) is the solicitation used in sealed bidding. Bidders submit firm prices by a set time, the bids are opened publicly, and the award goes to the responsible bidder whose bid conforms to the invitation and is most advantageous on price and price-related factors. There are no discussions.
Full definitionThe questions and answers period is the window, set in the solicitation, during which offerors may send written questions to the contracting officer about ambiguities, conflicts or gaps in the solicitation. Answers are usually shared with all offerors, often through an amendment, and questions sent after the deadline may go unanswered.
Full definitionA request for information (RFI) is a government market research request asking industry for information such as capabilities, approaches, pricing or delivery when the agency does not yet intend to award a contract. Responses are not offers and cannot be accepted to form a contract, but they can shape the final solicitation.
Full definitionA request for proposal (RFP) is the solicitation a government agency issues in a negotiated procurement to ask companies for proposals. It describes the work, tells offerors how to prepare the proposal, and states how proposals will be evaluated. A proposal submitted in response is an offer that the government can accept to form a contract.
Full definitionA request for quote (RFQ), or request for quotation, asks vendors for price quotations, usually for simplified acquisitions, commercial products and services, or orders under schedule contracts. A quotation is not an offer, so the government cannot accept it to form a contract; the government's order in response is the offer.
Full definitionSection C is the part of a federal solicitation in the uniform contract format that describes what the government is buying: the description, specifications or statement of work. It often holds or points to a statement of work (SOW), performance work statement (PWS) or statement of objectives (SOO), and becomes part of the contract.
Full definitionSection L is the part of a federal solicitation, in the uniform contract format, that tells offerors how to prepare and submit the proposal: the volumes, their order and content, page limits, fonts and margins, the delivery method and the due date. It sets the structure your proposal must follow.
Full definitionA solicitation amendment is a formal change to a solicitation after it is released, usually issued on Standard Form 30. Amendments can change requirements, instructions, evaluation criteria or the due date, and answer offerors' questions. Offerors must acknowledge every amendment, and a missed acknowledgment can make a proposal unacceptable.
Full definitionA sources sought notice is a market research announcement in which a federal agency asks companies to show their interest and capability for a requirement it is planning. It is not a solicitation and leads to no award, but responses help the agency decide how to buy, including whether to set the work aside for small businesses.
Full definitionA statement of work (SOW) describes the work a contractor must perform, often including how it is to be done. A performance work statement (PWS) describes the required results and standards instead, and a statement of objectives (SOO) states the goals and lets offerors propose the approach and write the PWS themselves.
Full definitionThe uniform contract format (UCF) is the standard structure for federal solicitations and contracts in negotiated acquisitions, defined in FAR 15.204-1. It arranges the document into Sections A through M in four parts: the Schedule, the contract clauses, the list of attachments, and the representations and instructions.
Full definitionA best value tradeoff is a source selection method in which the government may award to an offeror that is not the lowest priced or the highest rated, when the benefits of a higher-priced proposal are worth the extra cost. The solicitation states the factors and how much they matter relative to price.
Full definitionCPARS, the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System, is the government-wide system where federal agencies record evaluations of how contractors performed on their contracts. Each report rates areas such as quality, schedule, cost control and management, and source selection teams read these reports when they evaluate past performance on new proposals.
Full definitionA debriefing is the government's explanation to an offeror of how its proposal was evaluated, given on timely written request. In a negotiated procurement it can be preaward, after exclusion from the competitive range, or postaward, after the award decision, and it covers significant weaknesses, ratings, price and the basis for the award.
Full definitionEvaluation factors are the criteria a government agency uses to compare proposals, such as technical approach, management, past performance and price. They are stated in the solicitation, usually in Section M, with their subfactors and relative importance, and the agency must evaluate proposals only against the factors it has stated.
Full definitionLowest price technically acceptable (LPTA) is a source selection method in which proposals are rated only as acceptable or unacceptable on the non-price factors, and the contract goes to the lowest-priced proposal rated acceptable. There are no tradeoffs, so exceeding the requirements earns no extra credit.
Full definitionOral presentations are a part of a proposal delivered live, in person or virtually, to government evaluators, either in place of or in addition to written material. They usually cover the technical approach, management or sample tasks, are often presented by the proposed key personnel, and can be scored under the evaluation factors.
Full definitionPast performance is the record of how well a contractor delivered on recent, similar contracts, and in a federal source selection it is an evaluation factor in its own right. Evaluators judge each reference for recency, relevance and quality, using what the offeror submits plus CPARS reports and contact with references.
Full definitionSection M is the part of a federal solicitation that states how proposals will be evaluated: the evaluation factors and subfactors, their relative importance, and the basis for award, such as a best value tradeoff or lowest price technically acceptable. It tells you what the evaluators will score and how they will choose.
Full definitionAn annotated outline is the heading structure of a proposal, built from the solicitation, with notes under each heading: the Section L instruction it answers, the Section M factor it is scored against, the work from Section C it must cover, the page limit and guidance for the writer. It is the plan writers follow.
Full definitionA Blue Team review is an early strategy review of a pursuit, held before or just as the RFP is released. Reviewers test whether the team understands the customer, the competition and the requirement, whether the win strategy and themes are right, and whether the bid can be won. It comes before proposal writing.
Full definitionColor team reviews are a series of structured reviews of a government proposal, each named for a color and held at a set stage: Blue for strategy, Pink for structure and early content, Red for scoring the full draft as an evaluator would, and Gold for executive approval before submission. They are industry practice, not a FAR requirement.
Full definitionA compliance matrix is a table that lists every requirement in a solicitation, one per row, with its source section and page, where the proposal answers it, who owns it and whether the answer is compliant. Proposal teams use it to make sure nothing the government asked for is missed.
Full definitionA cross-reference matrix is a short table, often submitted with a federal proposal, that maps each Section L instruction and Section M factor to the volume, section and page where the proposal answers it. It helps evaluators find every answer quickly and shows the proposal follows the solicitation.
Full definitionA Gold Team review is the final executive review of a proposal before submission. Senior leaders confirm the proposal is compliant, the price and commitments are acceptable, the risks are understood, and the company is ready to sign. It is an approval step, not a time for major rewrites.
Full definitionKey personnel are the positions a government agency considers essential to performing the contract, such as the program manager or lead engineer. The solicitation names them, sets minimum qualifications, and usually asks for resumes and letters of commitment, and after award a key personnel clause typically requires approval before anyone in those roles is replaced.
Full definitionA Pink Team review is an early review of a proposal's structure, outline and coverage, held before most writing is done. Reviewers check that the outline follows Section L, that every requirement has a home, and that the planned content and themes will answer Section M, so problems are fixed while they are still cheap.
Full definitionA Red Team review is a formal review of a complete proposal draft in which reviewers act as government evaluators. They score the draft against Section M, record strengths, weaknesses and deficiencies, and check compliance with Section L, so the team can fix problems before final production and submission.
Full definitionAn RFP shred is the process of breaking a solicitation into individual requirements, one obligation per line, each tagged with its source section and page. The shred feeds the compliance matrix, the proposal outline and the questions for the contracting officer, and it is usually the first task after an RFP is released.
Full definitionA bid/no-bid decision is the formal choice whether to spend the money and people a proposal needs on one solicitation. The team checks eligibility gates first, then scores factors such as win chance, strategic fit, capability, financials and risk, and records the decision with its reasons.
Full definitionA capability statement is a one-page summary that tells government buyers and prime contractors what your company does and why it can be trusted. It typically lists core competencies, relevant past performance, differentiators and company data such as UEI, CAGE code, NAICS codes, certifications and contact details.
Full definitionA capture plan is the working document that sets out how a company will win one specific contract, written before the solicitation is released. It records what the customer needs, who else is competing, the teaming partners, the win themes and solution, and the actions and owners that move the pursuit forward.
Full definitionA discriminator is something about your offer that the customer values and that competitors cannot easily claim: a proven method, a specific tool, relevant past performance, key people or a location. Real discriminators earn strengths from evaluators; claims every bidder makes, such as "experienced team", do not discriminate at all.
Full definitionGhosting is a proposal technique that highlights the weakness or risk of an approach a competitor is likely to offer, without naming the competitor, so evaluators see your approach as the safer choice. It works when the risk is real, relevant to an evaluation factor, and answered by your own strength.
Full definitionThe incumbent is the contractor currently performing the work that a new solicitation will recompete. Incumbents usually know the customer, the staff and the real workload better than anyone, which makes them hard to beat, but a recompete is a fresh competition and an incumbent with performance problems can lose.
Full definitionpWin, the probability of win, is a capture team's estimate of the chance its proposal will win a particular contract, usually given as a percentage. It is judged from customer knowledge, competition, fit with the requirement and price position, and it is revisited as capture moves toward the final RFP.
Full definitionA teaming agreement is a contract between companies that agree to pursue a government opportunity together, usually as a prime contractor and one or more subcontractors. It sets out each party's role and workshare, exclusivity, how proposal costs and information are handled, and what happens if the team wins or loses.
Full definitionWin themes are the short, repeated messages that tell evaluators why your proposal is the one to select. A strong win theme links something the customer cares about to a discriminator of yours, backs it with proof, and states the benefit to the customer, placed where the evaluation factors are scored.
Full definitionA blanket purchase agreement (BPA) is a simplified arrangement that lets an agency fill repeated needs for supplies or services by setting up charge accounts with qualified vendors. The BPA sets terms in advance; individual purchases, called BPA calls or orders, are then placed against it as needs arise.
Full definitionA GWAC, or government-wide acquisition contract, is a multiple-award IDIQ contract for information technology that any federal agency can use to place task orders. GWACs are run by an executive agent designated by the Office of Management and Budget, and contractors win a place on one through a competitive on-ramp.
Full definitionAn IDIQ (indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity) contract lets an agency buy an unspecified amount of supplies or services, within a stated minimum and maximum, over a fixed period. Work is ordered through task orders or delivery orders, and on a multiple-award IDIQ the holders compete for each order.
Full definitionA task order is an order for services placed against an existing contract, usually an IDIQ or GWAC; an order for supplies is called a delivery order. On multiple-award contracts, holders compete for each order under fair opportunity rules, often with shorter deadlines and smaller proposals than the original contract competition.
Full definitionA CAGE code (Commercial and Government Entity code) is a five-character identifier assigned to a contractor's facility at a specific location. US entities get one automatically through SAM.gov registration, and it is used on contracts, facility security clearances, payments and standard forms to identify where and who you are.
Full definitionA NAICS code is a six-digit industry code from the North American Industry Classification System. Contractors list the codes that describe their work in SAM.gov, and each federal solicitation is assigned one NAICS code, which sets the size standard a company must meet to count as small for that contract.
Full definitionA product service code (PSC) is a four-character code that describes what the federal government is buying in a contract action: a product, a service or research and development. Contracting officers assign a PSC to each solicitation and award, and contractors use PSCs alongside NAICS codes to find opportunities and research agency spending.
Full definitionThe Unique Entity ID (UEI) is the 12-character alphanumeric identifier that SAM.gov assigns to every company or organization that does business with the federal government. It replaced the DUNS number in April 2022, and it appears on proposals, forms, awards and subcontracting reports to identify your entity.
Full definitionThe 8(a) Business Development program is a nine-year SBA program for small businesses at least 51 percent owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged US citizens. Participants can receive sole-source contracts up to set thresholds, compete for 8(a) set-asides, and get business development support from the SBA.
Full definitionHUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone) is an SBA program for small businesses whose principal office is in a designated HUBZone and at least 35 percent of whose employees live in one. Certified firms can compete for HUBZone set-asides and sole-source awards and receive a 10 percent price evaluation preference in full and open competitions.
Full definitionAn SBA size standard is the maximum average annual receipts or number of employees a company, together with its affiliates, can have and still count as small under a given NAICS code. Each federal solicitation names one NAICS code, so the same company can be small for one contract and other than small for another.
Full definitionAn SDVOSB is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business: at least 51 percent owned and controlled by one or more veterans with a service-connected disability. Since 2023 the SBA certifies SDVOSBs for all federal agencies, and certified firms can compete for SDVOSB set-asides and sole-source awards government-wide.
Full definitionA set-aside reserves a government contract, or part of one, for competition among small businesses or a specific group of them, such as 8(a), HUBZone, service-disabled veteran-owned or women-owned small businesses. Only offerors that qualify under the solicitation's NAICS size standard and program rules can compete.
Full definitionA WOSB is a women-owned small business: at least 51 percent owned and controlled by women who are US citizens. An EDWOSB also meets economic disadvantage limits. Certified firms can compete for WOSB and EDWOSB set-asides in NAICS codes where the SBA has found women-owned businesses underrepresented.
Full definitionDFARS, the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, is the Department of Defense's addition to the FAR. Published as Title 48, Chapter 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations, it adds rules and contract clauses for defense purchases, covering topics such as cybersecurity, specialty metals, domestic sourcing and contract financing.
Full definitionThe Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is the primary set of rules that executive agencies follow when they buy supplies and services. Published as Title 48, Chapter 1 of the Code of Federal Regulations, it covers planning, competition, contract types, evaluation, small business programs and contract clauses, and agencies add their own supplements.
Full definitionLooking for a term that is not here? The government contracting glossary guide lists 120 terms in one page, and the product glossary explains the words used inside ProposalWorkspace. To see the terms at work, start with Section L, M and C explained or government proposal software.
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