Defense procurement glossary

Plain-English definitions for the 38 terms a NATO defense procurement professional encounters most. Each entry includes a quotable definition, etymology, where you find the term in practice, related terms, and worked examples drawn from the WULFRN database.

• 01

  Tenders Electronic Daily (TED)

  EU's official platform for above-threshold defense and public procurement notices from 27 member states plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.

• 02

  Doffin

  Norway's national procurement portal, the primary source for below-threshold Norwegian defense tenders that never reach TED.

• 03

  NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA)

  NATO's executive agency for multinational procurement, logistics, and lifecycle management — operates outside the EU TED system.

• 04

  NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA)

  NATO's executive agency for C4ISR and IT procurement, the supranational counterpart to NSPA for communications and information systems.

• 05

  Forskrift om forsvars- og sikkerhetsanskaffelser (FOSA)

  Norway's defense and security procurement regulation, transposing EU Directive 2009/81/EC into Norwegian law.

• 06

  Anskaffelsesloven (Norwegian Public Procurement Act)

  Norway's general public procurement act, the legal foundation governing all public contracts including most defense purchases.

• 07

  European Defence Fund (EDF)

  EU funding instrument for collaborative defense research and capability development, requiring consortia across three or more member states.

• 08

  European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS)

  March 2024 EU strategy reshaping defense industrial policy around joint procurement, supply security, and a 50% intra-EU defense spend target by 2030.

• 09

  Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO)

  Treaty-based EU framework allowing willing member states to make binding commitments on defense capability development and joint projects.

• 10

  Forsvarsmateriell (Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency)

  Norway's central defense materiel agency, the primary contracting authority for Norwegian Armed Forces equipment and sustainment.

• 11

  Forsvarets forskningsinstitutt (FFI)

  Norway's defense research establishment, supplier of independent research and technology advice to Norwegian defense planning.

• 12

  Försvarets materielverk (FMV)

  Sweden's defense materiel administration, primary contracting authority for Swedish Armed Forces equipment and systems.

• 13

  Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO)

  Denmark's defense acquisition and logistics agency, central contracting authority for Danish Armed Forces equipment and sustainment.

• 14

  SAM.gov (System for Award Management)

  US federal government's official procurement portal, the single source for US Department of Defense contracting opportunities.

• 15

  FAR / DFARS

  Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and its Defense supplement (DFARS), the regulatory framework governing all US federal and DoD contracting.

• 16

  Below-threshold procurement

  Public-sector contracts below the EU procurement directive thresholds, published only on national portals — invisible on TED.

• 17

  NATO 3.5% GDP defense spending target

  The post-2024 NATO commitment of 3.5% of GDP on core defense plus 1.5% on broader security, replacing the prior 2% benchmark.

• 18

  Foreign Military Sales (FMS)

  US government-to-government defense sales programme, administered by DSCA — non-US allies' primary path to US-made defense equipment.

• 19

  International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)

  US regulations controlling the export of defense articles and services on the US Munitions List — a core compliance constraint for all US-touched defense work.

• 20

  IL5 / FedRAMP

  US federal cloud authorization tiers — FedRAMP for general federal civilian and IL5 for DoD's highest unclassified workload tier.

• 21

  C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance)

  Umbrella term for the integrated systems that turn battlefield data into commander decisions — networks, software, sensors, and analytics.

• 22

  Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR)

  The collection, processing, and dissemination of information about adversaries and operating environments — the three letters at the end of C4ISR.

• 23

  Electronic Warfare (EW)

  Use of the electromagnetic spectrum to attack, protect, and support military operations — jamming, spoofing, signal intelligence, and counter-EW.

• 24

  Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul (MRO)

  The sustainment side of defense procurement — keeping fielded equipment operational across its service life.

• 25

  Framework agreement

  A multi-year umbrella contract setting terms under which subsequent call-off contracts are awarded — common for sustainment and high-volume defense procurement.

• 26

  Call-off contract

  An individual order placed under an existing framework agreement — common for repeat sustainment purchases.

• 27

  Prequalification

  The gating round where suppliers prove they can perform — financial stability, references, clearances, technical capacity — before submitting a priced bid.

• 28

  Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)

  A perpetually-open electronic procurement framework that suppliers can join at any time during its validity period.

• 29

  Competitive dialogue

  A multi-round procurement procedure where the buyer engages selected bidders in iterative dialogue to develop solutions for complex requirements.

• 30

  Negotiated procedure

  A procurement procedure permitting the buyer to negotiate terms with selected bidders — used for sensitive, complex, or urgent defense contracts.

• 31

  Contract award notice (CAN)

  The legally-mandatory notice published after a contract is awarded — names the winner, value, and award rationale.

• 32

  Prior Information Notice (PIN)

  An advance notice signalling intent to procure — typically 6-12 months before the formal contract notice, used to alert suppliers and run market consultation.

• 33

  European Defence Agency (EDA)

  EU agency coordinating defense capability development, R&T, and procurement across 26 participating member states — convener rather than buyer.

• 34

  Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR)

  Inter-governmental organisation that manages collaborative defense procurement programmes for six European member states plus participating partner nations.

• 35

  Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO)

  Intergovernmental framework for defense cooperation between Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden — convening capability work without consolidating procurement.

• 36

  Forsvarsbygg

  Norwegian Defence Estates Agency — manages and procures construction, refurbishment, and facility-management for all Norwegian military estates.

• 37

  Heimevernet (Norwegian Home Guard)

  The Norwegian Home Guard — territorial-defense reserve force; procures via Forsvarsmateriell and Forsvarsbygg rather than self-publishing.

• 38

  Cyberforsvaret (Norwegian Cyber Defence Force)

  Norway's military cyber operations branch — established 2012; procures cyber and ICT capability primarily through Forsvarsmateriell.