Defense procurement terminology — Berry, DFARS, MIL-SPEC, and the terms primes actually cite at audit.
An alphabetized reference for the acronyms, statutes, and program names that show up on defense contracts, RFQ responses, and compliance statements. Each entry links to the matching page on the Redoubt site — Berry Compliance, DPA Title III, How to Buy, or Technical Resources — so you can move from a term to its full context in one click.
25 terms, alphabetized.
Definitions are concise. The See → link below each entry points to the full explainer or procurement guide on this site.
B
Berry Amendment
Statutory restriction (10 U.S.C. § 4862) on DoD purchases of covered clothing, textile, and footwear articles. Components — including zippers, hook-and-loop, and snap fasteners — must be domestic when the end-product is Berry-covered.
See → Berry Compliance explainerC
CAGE
Commercial and Government Entity code — a five-character identifier assigned by the Defense Logistics Agency that uniquely identifies a contractor at a specific location. Required on every defense shipment, packing list, and compliance statement.
See → How to Buy — registrationD
DFARS
Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement — the DoD-specific clause layer overlaid on the FAR. DFARS clauses (e.g., 252.225-7008, 252.225-7012) govern specialty-metals restrictions, Berry component-percentage tests, and country-of-origin restrictions for defense contracts.
See → Berry Compliance — DFARS contextDLA
Defense Logistics Agency — DoD’s combat logistics support agency. Manages the supply chain for consumable items, the CAGE assignment function, and the DLA Troop Support industrial-hardware programs many defense fastener contracts flow through.
See → How to Buy — procurement channelsDPA Title III
Title III of the Defense Production Act (50 U.S.C. § 4531) — the federal authority that funds domestic industrial-base expansion via purchases, loan guarantees, and grants to U.S. producers of defense-critical industrial resources.
See → DPA Title III explainerDPP
Defense Production Act — the parent statute (50 U.S.C. § 4501 et seq.) under which Title III, Title I priorities, and Title VII critical-supply allocation authorities sit. The umbrella term when a contract invokes any DPA authority.
See → DPA Title III — statutory backgroundF
First Article
The first production unit(s) of a contract lot, presented for government inspection against the technical data package. First Article Testing (FAT) verifies dimensional, material, and functional conformance before the rest of the lot is released.
See → Technical Resources — engineering referencesFOUO
For Official Use Only — a controlled-unclassified designation applied to information that is not classified but is sensitive enough to warrant distribution limitation. Replaced in many contexts by CUI but still appears in legacy defense documentation.
See → Berry Compliance — documentation chainI
IL-4 / IL-5
Inspection Levels IV and V from MIL-STD-1916 (or the ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 sampling tables they replace). Higher IL values tighten the acceptance-sampling plan — more pieces pulled from each lot — for critical defense articles where a defect escape is unacceptable.
See → Technical Resources — engineering standardsITAR
International Traffic in Arms Regulations — the U.S. State Department rules controlling the export of defense articles and services. Articles on the U.S. Munitions List require ITAR registration; shipments to foreign persons trigger licensing requirements.
See → Berry Compliance — regulatory scopeM
MIL-HDBK
Military Handbook — a guidance (non-mandatory) document issued by a DoD standardization office. MIL-HDBKs document accepted engineering practice for materials, processes, and inspection — referenced from MIL-SPECs but advisory rather than contractually binding.
See → Technical Resources — engineering referencesMIL-PRF
Military Performance specification — sets required performance characteristics for a material, part, or process and lists qualifying products. Unlike MIL-SPEC, MIL-PRF allows multiple approved sources provided they meet the performance envelope.
See → Technical Resources — MIL-PRFMIL-SPEC
Military Specification — a procurement document that defines the technical requirements for a defense article. MIL-SPECs may specify exact design (limiting approved sources) or performance (broader qualified-products lists) and are invoked in DFARS clauses.
See → Technical Resources — MIL-SPECMOQ
Minimum Order Quantity — the smallest lot a supplier will run for a given part. Defense MOQs are typically higher than commercial because per-lot fixed costs (CAGE paperwork, certifications, FAI) do not scale with quantity.
See → How to Buy — MOQ guidanceN
NAICS
North American Industry Classification System — the six-digit code that identifies a contractor’s primary industry for small-business set-aside determinations and SAM.gov registration. Common defense fastener NAICS include 332722 (bolt/screw) and 339993 (fastener manufacturing).
See → How to Buy — registrationNDC
National Drug Code (medical/Pharma context) or, in defense-fastener usage, a part-numbering identifier on the lot-coded CAGE shipment. In fastener procurement, NDC is most often encountered as a manufacturer- or program-specific identifier on the packing list.
See → How to Buy — documentationNET-30
Net-30 payment terms — invoices are due 30 days from the invoice acceptance date. Standard for defense procurement accounts subject to DCAA-compliant invoicing. Government Purchase Card (GPC / IMPACT) accepted up to the micro-purchase threshold.
See → How to Buy — payment termsNSN
National Stock Number — a 13-digit identifier (FSC + NIIN) assigned by the DLA to every item of supply in the federal logistics system. The NSN on a contract flows through to the packing list and the Berry-compliance statement.
See → Technical Resources — engineering referencesP
PPAP
Production Part Approval Process — the AIAG-derived framework (frequently invoked in MIL-SPEC contexts) for qualifying a new part or a process change before serial production. Eighteen PPAP elements cover design records, material certs, dimensional studies, and initial process studies.
See → Technical Resources — engineering referencesR
RFQ
Request for Quote — the formal inquiry a buyer sends to one or more suppliers to obtain pricing and lead-time on a defined part or program. Defense RFQs typically include the NSN, MIL-SPEC, DFARS clauses invoked, target delivery, and required certifications.
See → How to Buy — RFQ channelsS
SAM.gov
System for Award Management — the federal contractor registry a supplier must be active in to receive contract awards. Registration includes UEI assignment, NAICS codes, CAGE linkage, and representations on size, status, and country of manufacture.
See → How to Buy — registrationSpecialty Metals
Defined in DFARS 252.225-7014 — covers stainless, alloy, and tool steels; certain copper and nickel alloys; titanium; and zirconium. Melt/pour and forging must occur in qualifying covered countries (U.S. or designated allies) for any article containing them shipped to DoD.
See → Berry Compliance — specialty metalsT
Trade Agreements Act
TAA — restricts U.S. government purchases of "designated country end products" to articles from approved trading partners. Closely related to, but distinct from, Berry: TAA governs trade-partner status while Berry governs domestic content.
See → Berry Compliance — regulatory scopeTitle III (DPA)
See DPA Title III. The capacity-expansion lever of the Defense Production Act — funds plant, tooling, supplier development, and workforce to add or preserve the U.S. industrial base DoD documents as required for national defense.
See → DPA Title III explainerU
UEI
Unique Entity ID — the federal contractor identifier assigned at SAM.gov registration. Replaced the DUNS as the primary contractor ID on federal awards after the 2022 DUNS sunset. Every defense invoice and contract references the supplier’s UEI.
See → How to Buy — registrationThe full explainers behind the glossary.
The four pages below carry the regulatory, procurement, and engineering context each acronym points to. Pick the one that matches the question on the table.
Berry Compliance
Berry Amendment, DFARS, specialty metals, and the per-lot compliance statement.
Open Berry ComplianceDPA Title III
Industrial-base expansion, eligibility, and what an award means for primes.
Open DPA Title IIITechnical Resources
Per-alloy datasheets, torque / tensile references, thread standards, and install prep.
Open Technical ResourcesMove from the glossary to the shop floor.
Samples ship ahead of a formal quote so engineering and QA can verify grade, finish, and dimensional conformance against the terms above.