The Basics of Government Contract Numbers
A government contract number is a specific identifier assigned to a contract between a government agency and a contractor. It is generally used when a contract does not already have a number, such as a purchase order number. The contract number is typically broken into six separate parts that identify the agency, the type of contract, the contract number , and the year. Government contract numbers all share the same format, which often includes the DUNS number for the company in some part of the contract number. The contract number identifies the specific award made between the contracting entity and the contractor it selected for the job. The contract number is an incredibly important identifier for tracking the life cycle of the contract.
What Are the Parts of a Government Contract Number?
As you may have noted above, there is no "standard" format for government contract numbers. The most common components, however, will be some variation of the following:
Agency Identifier
The first part of the government contract number identifies the agency granting the contract. This may be a three-letter code referencing the department or an abbreviation for the specific program that falls within the department. You can find an interpretation of agency codes through the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS-NG).
Year of Award
The next segment of the government contract number is the calendar year in which the contract was awarded. This may be written as a four-digit number—such as "2018"—or as two digits (e.g. "18").
Contract Serial Number
The first part of a serial number usually identifies the location of the contract grantor, which may be state- or district-based. The second part of the serial number is likely to be a random number or an incremental figure that identifies the awarded contract within the agency.
Agency to Agency Nuances
The contract number format is not universal among all agencies. The number of characters in the string of letters and numbers for contracts from other agencies varies, with 13 or more being fairly common, and some agencies use hyphens. Here are a few examples:
Agency Contract Number
General Services Administration (GSA) GS-21F-0034K
Department of Defense (DOD) W91WAW-06-D-0001
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) HSTS06-08-J-C-00001
Department of Energy (DOE) DE-RW01-020
Department of Interior (DOI) A71521000018
Department of Transportation (DOT) DOTC89-09-C-0035
Department of Agriculture (USDA) 123AAB18F00035
Department of Labor (DOL) DOLU099A51507
EPA EPA-F-05B0040
ONR N00014-16-1-2106
NASA NNG11CA19B
These differences are meaningful to contractors because the contract number is key to contract management in many instances. And it can be challenging for contractors to identify contract specific actions to the individual contract if the contract number is not formatted uniformly.
How to Decipher a Government Contract Number
The format of a contract number has a unique look and feel that adheres to a strict structural pattern. In general, the first part of a contract number consists of a prefix. The second part consists of a serial number, the third part consists of a suffix, and the fourth part consists of the year contract was awarded. For example, a typical USACE MACC contact looks like the following: W91236-F-0028-0001. "W91236" is known as the prefix, "F-0028" is known as the serial number, "0001" is known as the suffix, and "2010" is known as the award year. In the above example, the prefix "W91236" designates the issuing office , which is typically the district. The serial number that follows the prefix "F-0028" is broken into two parts where the letter designates the "type" (F in this case designates the contract as a MACC IDIQ) and the number represents the fiscal year of the contract. "0001" is the suffix and represents the first contract awarded under this prefix and serial number. A simple tool to help decipher any government contract number can be found on the Federal Procurement Data System – Next Generation (FPDS-NG) website. FPDS-NG has a list of all prefixes corresponding to federal contracts.
Common Mistakes and Misconceptions
One common mistake that contractors make is failing to keep track of contract modifications and the subsequent changes to the contract number. When modifications are executed or reported to a contract, there is often a change in the contract number. Generally, the final modification to the contract is what governs and refers to the contract in any compliance discussion. The reliance on an old contract number can often be misleading for both compliance and reporting agencies that contractors have reporting obligations to, making monitoring the contract numbers vital. Another common problem with government contract numbers can include simple misreading and misunderstanding of contract numbers as well. Making the effort to enter the correct contract number into the appropriate data fields on your government compliance and reporting filings is critical. Maintaining organization and a compliance-first approach to government contracting will go far as far as avoiding pitfalls, mistakes, and misinformation when dealing with government contracts.
Resources for Government Contractors
Resources for contractors for understanding government contract numbers (including clause and order numbers) include the System for Award Management (SAM), FAPIIS and the Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (ESRS). For FAR 52.204-10 Supplier Contracts (especially for Small Businesses who are new to government contracting), these government databases can aid in the verification that the Small Business Contractors have the appropriate subcontracts with Small Business Subcontractors. These databases also allow for the efficient and timely filing of the required Small Business Subcontracting Plans including Contract Numbers, Order Numbers and Subcontract Clause Numbers.
Other governmental databases for contractors that will include contract numbers include FPDS-NG, the Excluded Parties List System, www.fbo.gov, www.usaspending . gov, GSA Advantage, the Federal Procurement Data Center and the Federal Awardee Performance & Integrity (FAPIIS). The list of available contract numbers will likely vary from website to website. For example, the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System shows whether the contractor’s immediate predecessor was debarred at the time of award and, if so, why.
Contractors should keep in mind that although the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) is a central listing of all vendors who do business with the U.S. Government (including both contractors and subcontractors), it does not contain a listing available to the general public of the contract number assigned by the government to the contract. For reporting heavy vehicle use, the applicable contract number(s) will be available in SAM, FPDS, and ESRS.