Government insiders communicate in acronyms and abbreviations. You need to speak their language if you want to build relationships and win business.
One search for “PEO IWS” in Leadership Connect returns people and federal spending intelligence for the office. You won’t find that in Google or anywhere else.
Review government acronyms below or explore within the service.
| Acronym | Full Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ATO | Authority to Operate | Designated Approving Authority (DAA) authorizes operation of a Business Product and accepts the risk to agency operations |
| BAA | Broad Agency Announcement | A general announcement of an agency’s research interest including criteria for selecting proposals and soliciting the participation of all offerors capable of satisfying the Government’s needs |
| BAFO | Best and Final Offer | The last offer a contractor submits after negotiations |
| BOA | Basis of Award | The customer or customer class that most resembles the purchasing habits of the federal government upon which GSA pricing was negotiated |
| BPA | Blanket Purchase Agreement | An agreement between a government buyer and a contractor to fill repetitive needs for supplies or services. Under a BPA, administrative/paperwork costs are reduced because terms are established up-front for subsequent repeat orders. |
| CO | Contracting Officer | A person with the authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings. |
| COR | Contracting Officer's Representative | A person designated in writing and authorized by the contracting officer to perform technical and administrative functions in the management of contracts. CORs work alongside program managers and contracting officers to monitor contract operation and performance. ACOR is the alternate for the COR. |
| COTR | Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative | A person designated in writing and authorized by the contracting officer to perform technical and administrative functions in the management of contracts. CORs work alongside program managers and contracting officers to monitor contract operation and performance. |
| DAA | Designated Approving Authority | Senior official or executive with the authority to formally assume responsibility for operating a system at an acceptable level of risk to organizational operations |
| F/O | Full and Open | When companies of any size may respond to an RFP |
| FAR | Federal Acquisition Regulation | The primary document that codifies uniform policies and procedures for acquisition by all executive agencies. Additional agency-specific procedures are established in related documents such as DFARs for Defense federal acquisition. |
| FAS | Federal Acquisition Service | |
| FBO | FedBizOpps | FBO data moved to SAM and is now known as Contract Opportunities |
| FPDS | Federal Procurement Data System | All federal contracts worth over $10,000, and their modifications, are recorded in FPDS |
| FSS | Federal Supply Schedule | |
| GWAC | Governmentwide Acquisition Contract | A multiple award, multiple delivery contract in which multiple agencies can purchase goods and services on a rolling basis within an established timeframe. GWACs are most commonly used for the purchasing of technology solutions for the purpose of lowering cost and increasing efficiency |
| IAC | Information Analysis Center | |
| ICD | Interagency Contract Directory | A directory of all awarded IDVs |
| IDC | Indefinite Delivery Contract | Where the timing and quantities are unknown when the contract is awarded |
| IDIQ | Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quotient | Contract for an indefinite quantity of supplies or services during a fixed period of time |
| IDV | Indefinite Delivery Vehicle | Includes BPA, GWAC, and IDIQ; commonly used for service agreements and Interagency acquisitions |
| LPTA | Lowest Price Technically Acceptable | |
| MAS | Multiple Award Schedule | A type of long-term indefinite-quantity contract which is awarded to several contractors from a single solicitation, also known as Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) |
| NAICS | North American Industry Classification System | Federal agencies use NAICS codes as the standard for classifying businesses. The two digit version is most general, while the six digit version is the most specific. Businesses may be assigned multiple NAICS codes, especially when varied products or services are offered. |
| RFI | Request for Information | An agency asking for general information about how a problem can be solved |
| RFP | Request for Proposal | An agency asking for vendors to submit a formal document for how they can solve a problem, when many factors are under consideration |
| RFQ | Request for Quote | A quote is the estimated cost for meeting a specific need |
| SAM | System for Award Management | In beta until April 2021, SAM is the official U.S. government website for federal contract opportunities and awards |
| SBSA | Small Business Set Aside | When only small businesses may respond to an RFP |
| SOW | Statement of Work | The activities, deliverables, and timelines for a service |
| SS | Sources Sought | Similar to RFI, helps agency determine types of sources |
| SSJ | Sole Source Justification | The reason why a contract is sole source, which means it may be issued without a bidding process because there is only one possible vendor |
| VOSB | Veteran-Owned Small Business | Some contracts are set aside for these small businesses that are at least 51% owned and controlled by a veteran |
| CEA | Council of Economic Advisers |
| CEQ | Council on Environmental Quality |
| DPC | Domestic Policy Council |
| EOP | Executive Office of the President |
| HSC | Homeland Security Council |
| NEC | National Economic Council |
| NSC | National Security Council |
| OA | Office of Administration |
| OFL | Office of the First Lady |
| OFPP | Office of Federal Procurement Policy |
| OMA | Office of Management and Administration |
| OMB | Office of Management and Budget |
| ONDCP | Office of National Drug Control Policy |
| OSTP | Office of Science and Technology Policy |
| OVP | Office of the Vice President |
| PIAB | President’s Intelligence Advisory Board |
| USDS | United States Digital Service |
| USTR | Office of the United States Trade Representative |
| WHMO | White House Military Office |
| WHO | White House Office |
| DHS | United States Department of Homeland Security |
| DOC | United States Department of Commerce |
| DOD | United States Department of Defense |
| DOE | United States Department of Energy |
| DOI | United States Department of the Interior |
| DOJ | United States Department of Justice |
| DOL | United States Department of Labor |
| DOS | United States Department of State |
| DOT | United States Department of Transportation |
| ED | United States Department of Education |
| HHS | United States Department of Health and Human Services |
| HUD | United States Department of Housing and Urban Development |
| TREAS | United States Department of the Treasury |
| USDA | United States Department of Agriculture |
| VA | United States Department of Veterans Affairs |
| Acronym | Full Name |
|---|---|
| AbilityOne | Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled |
| ABMC | American Battle Monuments Commission |
| ACHP | Advisory Council on Historic Preservation |
| ACUS | Administrative Conference of the United States |
| AMTRAK | National Railroad Passenger Corporation |
| ARC | Appalachian Regional Commission |
| ATBCB | United States Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) |
| CCJJDP | Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention |
| CFA | United States Commission of Fine Arts |
| CFTC | Commodity Futures Trading Commission |
| CNCS | Corporation for National and Community Service |
| CPSC | United States Consumer Product Safety Commission |
| CSB | United States Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board |
| CSOSA | Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia |
| DNFSB | Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board |
| DRBC | Delaware River Basin Commission |
| EAC | United States Election Assistance Commission |
| EEOC | United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission |
| EPA | United States Environmental Protection Agency |
| EXIM | Export-Import Bank of the United States |
| FAI | Federal Acquisition Institute |
| FASAB | Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board |
| FCA | Farm Credit Administration |
| FCC | Federal Communications Commission |
| FCSIC | Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation |
| FDIC | Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation |
| FEC | United States of America Federal Election Commission |
| FHFA | Federal Housing Finance Agency |
| FLC | Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer |
| FLRA | United States Federal Labor Relations Authority |
| FMC | Federal Maritime Commission |
| FMCS | Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service |
| FMSHRC | Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission |
| FRS | Federal Reserve System |
| FRTIB | Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board |
| FTC | Federal Trade Commission |
| GSA | United States General Services Administration |
| HMC | United States Holocaust Memorial Museum |
| IAF | Inter-American Foundation |
| JMMFF | James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation |
| JUSFC | Japan - United States Friendship Commission |
| LSC | Legal Services Corporation |
| MCC | Millennium Challenge Corporation |
| MMC | Marine Mammal Commission |
| MSPB | United States Merit Systems Protection Board |
| NARA | United States National Archives and Records Administration |
| NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| NCD | National Council on Disability |
| NCPC | National Capital Planning Commission |
| NCUA | National Credit Union Administration |
| NeighborWorks® America | Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation |
| NFAH | National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities |
| NLRB | National Labor Relations Board |
| NMB | National Mediation Board |
| NRC | United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission |
| NSF | National Science Foundation |
| NTSB | National Transportation Safety Board |
| NWTRB | United States Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board |
| ODNI | Office of the Director of National Intelligence |
| OGE | United States Office of Government Ethics |
| OPIC | Overseas Private Investment Corporation |
| OPM | United States Office of Personnel Management |
| OSC | United States Office of Special Counsel |
| OSHRC | United States Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission |
| PBGC | Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation |
| PC | Peace Corps |
| PCLOB | Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board |
| PRC | Postal Regulatory Commission |
| RRB | United States Railroad Retirement Board |
| SBA | United States Small Business Administration |
| SEC | United States Securities and Exchange Commission |
| SI | Smithsonian Institution |
| SIGAR | Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction |
| SJI | State Justice Institute |
| SRBC | Susquehanna River Basin Commission |
| SSA | Social Security Administration |
| SSAB | Social Security Advisory Board |
| SSS | Selective Service System |
| TVA | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| USADF | United States African Development Foundation |
| USAGM | United States Agency for Global Media |
| USAID | United States Agency for International Development |
| USARC | United States Arctic Research Commission |
| USCCR | United States Commission on Civil Rights |
| USICH | United States Interagency Council on Homelessness |
| USIP | United States Institute of Peace |
| USITC | United States International Trade Commission |
| USPS | United States Postal Service |
| USTDA | United States Trade and Development Agency |
| VEF | Vietnam Education Foundation |
| AMS | Agricultural Marketing Service |
| APHIS | Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service |
| ARS | Agricultural Research Service |
| CNPP | Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion |
| ERS | Economic Research Service |
| FAS | Foreign Agricultural Service |
| FNS | Food and Nutrition Service |
| FS | Forest Service |
| FSA | Farm Service Agency |
| FSIS | Food Safety and Inspection Service |
| NASS | National Agricultural Statistics Service |
| NIFA | National Institute of Food and Agriculture |
| NRCS | Natural Resources Conservation Service |
| RBS | Rural Business-Cooperative Service |
| RHS | Rural Housing Service |
| RMA | Risk Management Agency |
| RUS | Rural Utilities Service |
| BEA | Bureau of Economic Analysis |
| BIS | Bureau of Industry and Security |
| EDA | Economic Development Administration |
| ESA | Economics and Statistics Administration |
| ITA | International Trade Administration |
| MBDA | Minority Business Development Agency |
| NESDIS | National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service |
| NIST | National Institute of Standards and Technology |
| NMFS | National Marine Fisheries Service |
| NOAA | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| NOS | National Ocean Service |
| NTIA | National Telecommunications and Information Administration |
| NTIS | National Technical Information Service |
| NWS | National Weather Service |
| USPTO | U.S. Patent and Trademark Office |
| BUMED | Bureau of Medicine and Surgery |
| CNR | Chief of Navy Reserve |
| DARPA | Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency |
| DAU | Defense Acquisition University |
| DCAA | Defense Contract Audit Agency |
| DCMA | Defense Contract Management Agency |
| DeCA | Defense Commissary Agency |
| DFAS | Defense Finance and Accounting Service |
| DHA | Defense Health Agency |
| DHRA | Defense Human Resources Activity |
| DIA | Defense Intelligence Agency |
| DISA | Defense Information Systems Agency |
| DLA | Defense Logistics Agency |
| DLSA | Defense Legal Services Agency |
| DMA | Defense Media Activity |
| DMEA | Defense Microelectronics Activity |
| DODEA | Department of Defense Education Activity |
| DSCA | Defense Security Cooperation Agency |
| DSS | Defense Security Service |
| DTRA | Defense Threat Reduction Agency |
| DTSA | Defense Technology Security Administration |
| JCS | Joint Chiefs of Staff |
| MDA | Missile Defense Agency |
| NGA | National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency |
| NGB | National Guard Bureau |
| NRO | National Reconnaissance Office |
| NSA/CSS | National Security Agency/Central Security Service |
| OSD | Office of the Secretary of Defense |
| PFPA | Pentagon Force Protection Agency |
| WHS | Washington Headquarters Services |
| FSA | Office of Federal Student Aid |
| IES | Institute of Education Sciences |
| OCTAE | Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education |
| OELA | Office of English Language Acquisition |
| OESE | Office of Elementary and Secondary Education |
| OII | Office of Innovation and Improvement |
| OPE | Office of Postsecondary Education |
| OSERS | Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services |
| AITO | Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office |
| ARPA-E | Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy |
| CI | Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs |
| EERE | Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy |
| EIA | U.S. Energy Information Administration |
| EM | Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management |
| FERC | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission |
| NNSA | National Nuclear Security Administration |
| OICI | Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence |
| OSDBU | Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization |
| ACF | Administration for Children and Families |
| ACL | Administration for Community Living |
| ACYF | Administration on Children, Youth and Families |
| AHRQ | Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality |
| AIDD | Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities |
| ANA | Administration for Native Americans |
| AoA | Administration on Aging |
| ASA | Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration |
| ASFR | Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources |
| ASL | Office of the Assistant Secretary for Legislation |
| ASPA | Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs |
| ASPE | Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation |
| ASPR | Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response |
| CDC | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
| CMS | Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services |
| DAB | Departmental Appeals Board |
| FDA | Food and Drug Administration |
| HRSA | Health Resources and Services Administration |
| IHS | Indian Health Service |
| NIH | National Institutes of Health |
| NITAAC | NIH Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center |
| OASH | Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health |
| OMHA | Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals |
| ONC | Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology |
| ORR | Office of Refugee Resettlement |
| SAMHSA | Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration |
| CBP | United States Customs and Border Protection |
| CISA | Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency |
| FEMA | Federal Emergency Management Agency |
| FLETC | Federal Law Enforcement Training Center |
| ICE | United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement |
| TSA | Transportation Security Administration |
| USCG | United States Coast Guard |
| USCIS | United States Citizenship and Immigration Services |
| USSS | United States Secret Service |
| CPD | Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development |
| FHA | Assistant Secretary for Housing - Federal Housing Administration |
| FHEO | Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity |
| Ginnie Mae | Government National Mortgage Association |
| OHHLHC | Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control |
| PD&R | Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research |
| PIH | Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing |
| BIA | Bureau of Indian Affairs |
| BIE | Bureau of Indian Education |
| BLM | Bureau of Land Management |
| BOEM | Bureau Ocean Energy Management |
| BSEE | Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement |
| FWS | United States Fish and Wildlife Service |
| NPS | National Park Service |
| OSMRE | Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement |
| USBR | Bureau of Reclamation |
| USGS | United States Geological Survey |
| ATF | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives |
| BOP | Federal Bureau of Prisons |
| DEA | Drug Enforcement Administration |
| EOIR | Executive Office for Immigration Review |
| EOUSA | Executive Office for United States Attorneys |
| FBI | Federal Bureau of Investigation |
| OPA | Office of the Pardon Attorney |
| USMS | United States Marshals Service |
| USPC | United States Parole Commission |
| BLS | Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| EBSA | Employee Benefits Security Administration |
| ETA | Employment and Training Administration |
| ILAB | Bureau of International Labor Affairs |
| MSHA | Mine Safety and Health Administration |
| OSHA | Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
| VETS | Veterans' Employment and Training Service |
| WB | Women's Bureau |
| A | Bureau of Administration |
| AF | Bureau of African Affairs |
| AVC | Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance |
| BP | Bureau of Budget and Planning |
| CA | Bureau of Consular Affairs |
| DRL | Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |
| DS | Bureau of Diplomatic Security |
| EAP | Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs |
| EB | Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs |
| ECA | Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs |
| ENR | Bureau of Energy Resources |
| EUR | Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs |
| FSI | Foreign Service Institute |
| HR | Bureau of Human Resources |
| IIP | Bureau of International Information Programs |
| INL | Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs |
| INR | Bureau of Intelligence and Research |
| IO | Bureau of International Organization Affairs |
| IRM | Bureau of Information Resource Management |
| ISN | Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation |
| MED | Bureau of Medical Services |
| NEA | Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs |
| OBO | Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations |
| OES | Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs |
| PA | Bureau of Public Affairs |
| PM | Bureau of Political-Military Affairs |
| PRM | Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration |
| SCA | Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs |
| WHA | Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs |
| BTS | Bureau of Transportation Statistics |
| FAA | Federal Aviation Administration |
| FHWA | Federal Highway Administration |
| FMCSA | Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration |
| FRA | Federal Railroad Administration |
| FTA | Federal Transit Administration |
| MARAD | Maritime Administration |
| NHTSA | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |
| OST-R | Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology |
| PHMSA | Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration |
| SLSDC | Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation |
| STB | Surface Transportation Board |
| BEP | Bureau of Engraving and Printing |
| BFS | Bureau of the Fiscal Service |
| IRS | Internal Revenue Service |
| OCC | Office of the Comptroller of the Currency |
| SIGPR | Office of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery |
| SIGTARP | Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program |
| TIGTA | Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration |
| TTB | Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau |
| NCA | National Cemetery Administration |
| OSDBU | Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization |
| VBA | Veterans Benefits Administration |
| VHA | Veterans Health Administration |
