Solicitation Numbers – What Do They Mean?

Classify this information as not exactly essential, but good to know…

The solicitation number is made up of several parts.

• The first 6 digits (a mix of letters & numbers) identifies the specific department, agency and office issuing the solicitation. This is known as the Activity Address Code – AAC – or DoDAAC for Dept. of Defense contracts.
• The second two digits identify the fiscal year the bid is issued
• The next letter indicates if the solicitation is an Invitation for Bid (B); a Request for Proposal (R); a Request for Quote (Q), and so on.
• The final four numbers are specific to that particular solicitation

For example:

More detail, go to Federal Acquisition Regulation FAR 4.16 – Procurement instrument Identifiers