Glossary
This glossary should help you with some of the more commonly used abbreviations and acronyms encountered within the public sector procurement process. If you come across anything which is not explained in our glossary please email contraxweekly@bipsolutions.com and we will email you back with the explanation where possible, and also consider adding it to the list below:
A
- abc – Authorities Buying Consortium
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B
- BEM – Business Excellence Model
- BiP – BiP Solutions Ltd
- BQF – British Quality Foundation
- BQS – Better Quality Services
- BV – Best Value
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C
- CBC – Central Buying Consortium
- CBI – Confederation of British Industry
- CFQ – Competing for Quality
- CIPFA – Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy
- CIPS – Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply
- CN – Combined Nomenclature
- COI – Central Office of Information
- CPC – Central Product Classification (Codes)
- CPD – Consortium for Purchasing and Distribution
- CPV – Common Procurement Vocabulary (Codes)
- CRE – Commission for Racial Equality
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D
- DCA – Department for Constitutional Affairs
- DCLG – Department for Communities and Local Government
- DCMS – Department for Culture, Media and Sport
- DE – Defence Estates
- DECS – Defence Electronic Commerce Service
- Defra – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Delta – Direct Electronic Links for Tender Administration
- DfES – Department for Education and Skills
- DfID – Department for International Development
- DfT – Department for Transport
- DH – Department of Health
- DLO – Defence Logistics Organisation
- DPA – Defence Procurement Agency
- DSS – Defence Suppliers Service
- DStan – Defence Standardization
- DTI – Department of Trade and Industry
- DWP – Department for Work and Pensions
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E
- ECJ – European Court of Justice
- EEC – European Economic Community
- EFQM – European Foundation for Quality Management
- ELTON – Electronic Tendering Online
- ESPO – Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation
- EU – European Union
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F
- FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions
- FCO – Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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G
- GATT – General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
- GCat – Government IT Catalogue
- GPA – Government Procurement Agreement; Government Purchasing Agency (Northern Ireland)
- GTC – Government Telecommunications Contract
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H
- HMC&E – HM Customs and Excise
- HSE – Health and Safety Executive
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I
- IDeA – Improvement and Development Agency
- IIP – Investors in People
- IPF – Institute of Public Finance
- ISO – International Standards Organization
- ITT – Invitation to Tender
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L
- LCSG – London Contracts and Supplies Group
- LEC – Local Enterprise Company
- LGA – Local Government Association
- LGCQ – Local Government Competing for Quality
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M
- MEAT – Most Economically Advantageous Tender
- MOD – Ministry of Defence
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N
- NAfW – National Assembly for Wales
- NAMSA – NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency
- NAO – National Audit Office
- NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
- NCAGE – NATO Commercial and Government Entity (Codes)
- NHS – National Health Service
- NHS PASA – NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency
- NIO – Northern Ireland Office
- NIPRO – Nomenclature of Industrial Products (Codes)
- NPSLG – National Procurement Strategy for Local Government
- NSV – National Supplier Vocabulary (Codes)
- NUTS – Nomenclature of Statistical Territorial Units
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O
- ODPM – Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
- OGC – Office of Government Commerce
- OGCbs – OGCbuying.solutions
- OJEU – Official Journal of the European Union (formerly OJEC)
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P
- PFI – Private Finance Initiative
- PIN – Periodic Indicative Notice: Prior Information Notice
- PPP – Public Private Partnership
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R
- RAF – Royal Air Force
- RN – Royal Navy
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S
- SBS – Small Business Service
- SMEs – Small and Mediumsized Enterprises
- SOLACE – Society of Local Authority Chief Executives
- SOPO – Society of Procurement Officers in Local Government
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T
- TEC – Training and Enterprise Council
- TTA – Teacher Training Agency
- TUPE – Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment)
- TURER – Transfer of Undertakings (Retention of Employment Rights)
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W
- WEAG – Western European Armaments Group
- WTO – World Trade Organization
- W3C – World Wide Web Consortium
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