Guides for new government suppliers
Short, sourced explainers for manufacturers, distributors, journalists and researchers who are new to U.S. government parts purchasing. Each one answers a single question and links to the official instructions and to the live data.
What is an NSN?
How the 13-digit national stock number is built, who assigns it, and how to look one up.
Federal supply class (FSC) and group (FSG)
What the first digits of an NSN mean, with examples, and how classes appear in solicitations.
AMC and AMSC codes
Every acquisition method code and suffix code in plain English, and what a combination says about competition.
What is a CAGE code?
Who issues it, how it relates to SAM.gov and your Unique Entity ID, and where it appears on awards.
How to bid on DIBBS
The prerequisites in order, how to find a solicitation, where quotes go, and what happens next.
How to follow parts, suppliers and solicitations
Keep a watchlist and see which public records were added since you last looked.
Glossary
Short definitions of the terms you will see on a solicitation, an award or an item record.
Looking for the full path?
The supplier guide walks through the whole process, from registration to a quote. To see what the government is buying right now, go to Open demand. For how every number on this site is sourced, read the methodology.