Glossary
Tender and procurement glossary
The terminology used across public, private and multilateral procurement — defined once, plainly.
- CPV
- Common Procurement Vocabulary — the EU classification used to code the subject of a contract.
- NAICS
- North American Industry Classification System, used by US federal buyers on SAM.gov.
- UNSPSC
- United Nations Standard Products and Services Code, common in multilateral procurement.
- ITT
- Invitation to Tender — the formal request for priced offers against a specification.
- RFP
- Request for Proposal — a solicitation where methodology is scored alongside price.
- EOI
- Expression of Interest — an early-stage response used to shortlist candidates.
- PQQ
- Pre-Qualification Questionnaire assessing capacity, finances and compliance.
- Framework agreement
- A multi-supplier arrangement enabling repeat call-off contracts without re-tendering.
- Contract award notice
- The published record of who won, at what value, and against how many bidders.
- Standstill period
- The mandatory pause after award during which unsuccessful bidders may challenge.
- TED
- Tenders Electronic Daily, the official EU procurement journal.
- Open procedure
- A one-stage procedure in which any interested supplier may submit a tender.