GovCon Acronym Decoder

Browse 500+ federal contracting acronyms or paste an RFP and decode every acronym inline.

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202 of 202 acronyms
ACATAcquisition Category
ACOAdministrative Contracting Officer
ADPEAutomated Data Processing Equipment
AORArea of Responsibility
APFOAcquisition Plan Finalization Office
APRAcquisition Plan Review
ATAnti-Terrorism
ATOAuthorization to Operate
B&PBid and Proposal
BAABroad Agency Announcement
BAFOBest and Final Offer
BCABusiness Case Analysis
BICBest in Class
BOABasic Ordering Agreement
BPABlanket Purchase Agreement
C&ACertification and Accreditation
CAGECommercial and Government Entity code
CAOContract Administration Office
CASCost Accounting Standards
CBACost Benefit Analysis
CCRCentral Contractor Registration (legacy — now SAM.gov)
CDRCritical Design Review
CDRLContract Data Requirements List
CFRCode of Federal Regulations
CICACompetition in Contracting Act
CIOChief Information Officer
CLINContract Line Item Number
CMMCCybersecurity Maturity Model Certification
CMMICapability Maturity Model Integration
COContracting Officer
CORContracting Officer's Representative
COTRContracting Officer's Technical Representative
COTSCommercial Off-The-Shelf
CPARContractor Performance Assessment Report
CPARSContractor Performance Assessment Reporting System
CPFFCost Plus Fixed Fee
CPICritical Program Information
CPIFCost Plus Incentive Fee
CPSRContractor Purchasing System Review
CRContinuing Resolution
DARDefense Acquisition Regulation
DAUDefense Acquisition University
DBADavis-Bacon Act
DCAADefense Contract Audit Agency
DCMADefense Contract Management Agency
DDDepartment of Defense (DD form series)
DFARSDefense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement
DHADefense Health Agency
DHSDepartment of Homeland Security
DISADefense Information Systems Agency
DLADefense Logistics Agency
DoDDepartment of Defense
DOEDepartment of Energy
DOJDepartment of Justice
DOLDepartment of Labor
DOTDepartment of Transportation
DPASDefense Priorities and Allocations System
DRFPDraft Request for Proposal
DSBSDynamic Small Business Search
DTICDefense Technical Information Center
EACEstimate at Completion
EDWOSBEconomically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business
EINEmployer Identification Number
EPAEnvironmental Protection Agency / Economic Price Adjustment
ESAEnterprise Software Agreement
ETCEstimate to Complete
EVMEarned Value Management
EVMSEarned Value Management System
FAAFederal Aviation Administration
FAPIISFederal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System
FARFederal Acquisition Regulation
FBIFederal Bureau of Investigation
FBOFedBizOpps (legacy — now SAM.gov Contract Opportunities)
FCAFalse Claims Act
FedRAMPFederal Risk and Authorization Management Program
FEMAFederal Emergency Management Agency
FFPFirm Fixed Price
FFRDCFederally Funded Research and Development Center
FIPSFederal Information Processing Standard
FISMAFederal Information Security Modernization Act
FOIAFreedom of Information Act
FOUOFor Official Use Only
FPDSFederal Procurement Data System
FPIFederal Prison Industries
FPRAForward Pricing Rate Agreement
FSSFederal Supply Schedule
FTEFull-Time Equivalent
FYFiscal Year
GAOGovernment Accountability Office
GFEGovernment Furnished Equipment
GFIGovernment Furnished Information
GFPGovernment Furnished Property
GSAGeneral Services Administration
GWACGovernment-Wide Acquisition Contract
HHSDepartment of Health and Human Services
HUBZoneHistorically Underutilized Business Zone
IAWIn Accordance With
IBRIntegrated Baseline Review
ID/IQIndefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity
IDIQIndefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity
IFBInvitation for Bid
IGCEIndependent Government Cost Estimate
IMSIntegrated Master Schedule
IPIntellectual Property
IPTIntegrated Product Team
IR&DIndependent Research and Development
ITInformation Technology
JVJoint Venture
KOContracting Officer (alternate)
LCATLabor Category
LOELevel of Effort
LPTALowest Price Technically Acceptable
MACMultiple Award Contract
MASMultiple Award Schedule
MATOCMultiple Award Task Order Contract
MDAMilestone Decision Authority / Missile Defense Agency
MOAMemorandum of Agreement
MOUMemorandum of Understanding
MRPMaterial Requirements Planning
NAICSNorth American Industry Classification System
NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
NDANon-Disclosure Agreement
NDAANational Defense Authorization Act
NIGPNational Institute of Governmental Purchasing
NIHNational Institutes of Health
NISTNational Institute of Standards and Technology
NOAANational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NSANational Security Agency
NTENot to Exceed
NTPNotice to Proceed
ODCOther Direct Costs
OEMOriginal Equipment Manufacturer
OFPPOffice of Federal Procurement Policy
OGCOffice of General Counsel
OIGOffice of Inspector General
OMBOffice of Management and Budget
OPMOffice of Personnel Management
OTOther Transaction
OTAOther Transaction Authority / Agreement
PALTProcurement Administrative Lead Time
PCOProcuring Contracting Officer
PDRPreliminary Design Review
PEOProgram Executive Office
PIIPersonally Identifiable Information
PIIDProcurement Instrument Identifier
PIVPersonal Identity Verification
PMProgram Manager / Project Manager
PMOProgram Management Office
PMRProgram Management Review
POPurchase Order
POCPoint of Contact
POPPeriod of Performance
PORProgram of Record
PRPurchase Request
PSCProduct Service Code
PWSPerformance Work Statement
QAQuality Assurance
QASPQuality Assurance Surveillance Plan
QCQuality Control
RARRisk Assessment Report
RDT&EResearch, Development, Test and Evaluation
RFIRequest for Information
RFPRequest for Proposal
RFQRequest for Quotation
ROMRough Order of Magnitude
SaaSSoftware as a Service
SAMSystem for Award Management
SAPSimplified Acquisition Procedures
SATSimplified Acquisition Threshold
SBASmall Business Administration
SBIRSmall Business Innovation Research
SCAService Contract Act
SDBSmall Disadvantaged Business
SDVOSBService-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business
SETASystems Engineering and Technical Assistance
SFStandard Form
SLAService Level Agreement
SLEDState, Local and Education
SOOStatement of Objectives
SOPStandard Operating Procedure
SOWStatement of Work
SSEBSource Selection Evaluation Board
SSPSystem Security Plan / Source Selection Plan
STIGSecurity Technical Implementation Guide
STTRSmall Business Technology Transfer
T&MTime and Materials
TBDTo Be Determined
TDPTechnical Data Package
TINATruth in Negotiations Act
TOTask Order
TORTask Order Request
TSTop Secret
UCAUndefinitized Contract Action
UEIUnique Entity Identifier
USACEUnited States Army Corps of Engineers
USCUnited States Code
USDAUnited States Department of Agriculture
VADepartment of Veterans Affairs
VOSBVeteran-Owned Small Business
WAWFWide Area Workflow
WBSWork Breakdown Structure
WOSBWoman-Owned Small Business

How it works

  1. 1Use the Browse tab to search the full dictionary of 500+ acronyms by code or keyword.
  2. 2Use the Decode RFP tab to paste any RFP text and have every known acronym highlighted inline.
  3. 3Hover any highlighted acronym to see its full definition.

Why it matters

Federal RFPs are dense with acronyms — a typical Section L runs 30+ unique abbreviations across FAR, agency-specific and program-specific terms. Misreading one (CDRL vs CLIN, IDIQ vs IDV) costs evaluator points and, in worst cases, compliance.

This decoder gives every team member instant context. Inside OptiRFP, the same dictionary auto-expands acronyms while writers draft, and your organisation can layer on private agency-specific glossaries.

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