Glossary
Plain-English meanings of the terms, abbreviations, and status labels used in the system
The site has this same glossary built in: click Help in the top-right corner of any page, then Glossary of terms.
| Term | What it means |
|---|
| CAGE code | A 5-character ID the government assigns to organizations that do business with it. If you have one, enter it — if not, leave it blank. |
| UEI | Unique Entity ID — a 12-character ID from SAM.gov that identifies your organization to the federal government. Optional if you do not have one yet. |
| Technology tags | Short keywords (like ai/ml or cyber) describing a technology area. The system uses them to connect industry submissions with the right Navy experts. |
| PAE / Portfolio | Portfolio Acquisition Executive. The Navy groups related technology areas into "portfolios," each with assigned experts. Submissions are routed to the portfolio that best matches their topic. |
| Nontraditional | An organization that does not usually do business with the Department of Defense. The Navy is especially interested in hearing from these organizations. |
| Command | A Navy organizational unit (such as a systems command or lab) that takes part in industry engagement. |
| Echelon | A level in the Navy's organizational structure — higher echelons oversee lower ones. |
| Call for Technology | An open request from the Navy asking industry to share solutions on a specific topic, usually with a closing date. |
| Engagement | A recorded interaction between a Navy command and an industry organization — a meeting, conference, or site visit. |
| Capability Statement | A short document describing what your organization can do: products, services, expertise. |
| White Paper | A short technical write-up describing a specific idea or solution, often in response to a Call for Technology. |
| POC | Point of Contact — the government person responsible for a topic area who reviews matched submissions. |
| TRL | Technology Readiness Level — a 1–9 scale for how mature a technology is. 1 is early research; 9 is proven in real operations. |
| FFRDC | Federally Funded Research and Development Center — a research organization funded by the government but run by a university or nonprofit. |
| UARC | University Affiliated Research Center — a university research organization with a long-term relationship with the Department of Defense. |
| Source selection information | Material related to a competitive contract award, such as proposals responding to a solicitation. It must never be submitted through this system. See What you may and may not send. |
| Small business | A business that meets the federal small-business size standard for its industry. Tick the box on your profile if this applies to you. |
You will see one of these coloured labels on every submission you send. Hover over the label on screen to see the same explanation.
| Status | What it means |
|---|
SUBMITTED | Received. Your submission is in the system and waiting to be matched with the right Navy team. |
ROUTED | In progress. It has been matched and sent to Navy experts in the relevant technology area for review. |
REVIEWED | Reviewed. A Navy team has looked at it. They will reach out if there is a fit. |
ARCHIVED | Closed. Kept on record but no longer under active review. |
Government reviewers set this on your organization record. It is shown on your profile page.
| Status | What it means |
|---|
NEW | Just registered. The profile has not been reviewed yet. |
UNDER REVIEW | Government staff are verifying the organization's information. |
ACTIVE | Verified and in good standing. Full participation is enabled. |
WATCHLIST | Flagged for closer attention. Interactions get extra review. |
INACTIVE | No longer participating. The record is kept but dormant. |
Used on the government side for meetings and events.
| Status | What it means |
|---|
PLANNED | Scheduled. It has not happened yet. |
COMPLETED | Done. The engagement took place and its record is complete. |
FOLLOW UP | The engagement happened and someone owes a next step. |
CLOSED | Closed out. No further action is expected. |
| Status | What it means |
|---|
OPEN | Accepting responses. Industry can submit until the closing date. |
CLOSED | No longer accepting responses. |
| Type | What it tells you |
|---|
| Submission Match | A new industry submission was routed to your portfolio or interest profile. (Government users.) |
| Announcement | A program-wide announcement was published. |
| Call for Technology | A new Call for Technology was opened. |
| Engagement Update | An engagement involving your organization or command changed. |
| System | System and account notices. |