DC procurement data

The dollar lines

Where the rules change. Each row links to the section below that gives the source.

Who does the buying

The main law is the Procurement Practices Reform Act of 2010, D.C. Code § 2-351.01 and following. It sets up the Office of Contracting and Procurement (OCP), an independent agency run by the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO). Through the CPO, OCP has exclusive authority to administer the law, except where the law provides otherwise.

• The CPO may delegate contracting authority to agency employees ("The CPO may delegate contracting authority to employees of an agency"), and the agency decides what it needs and runs the contract once awarded (§ 2-352.01(a)(4)–(5)). OCP describes itself as managing "the purchase of $5.7 billion in goods, services and construction annually, on behalf of over 79 District agencies" (About OCP; the page gives no date for that figure).
• Some agencies follow the same law but buy on their own, outside the CPO's authority. The statute names, among others, the Chief Financial Officer, the Attorney General, UDC, the Housing Authority, the Public Library, DC Public Schools, the Child and Family Services Agency and the Department of General Services (§ 2-352.01(b)). DGS buys construction, facilities maintenance, real estate, utility and security services (§ 2-352.01(d)).
• Some bodies are outside the procurement law altogether, including the courts, the Public Defender Service, DC Water, the Washington Convention and Sports Authority, and grants and loans (§ 2-351.05(c)). The Council runs its own buying (§ 2-351.05(b)).
• The portal keeps its own list, Independent Agencies. It doesn't match the statute's lists exactly (it includes Lottery and Charitable Games, for example, which § 2-352.01(b) does not name), so check both.

Contracts by agencies outside OCP may be missing from the portal or only partly there. See About this source.

Technology purchases and OCTO

The statute for the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) tells it to review and approve all agency proposals, purchase orders and contracts for information technology and telecommunications, and to recommend approval or disapproval to the CPO.

• The $25,000 line. A regulation applies this to IT purchases "valued over $ 25,000", and anything over that amount OCTO hasn't reviewed "shall be deemed recommended for disapproval to the Chief Procurement Officer" (1 DCMR § 5602). That chapter "applies to all subordinate agencies" (1 DCMR § 5600).
• What counts as IT is broad: it includes "all technology services provided by vendors or contractors" and "all costs associated with developing, purchasing, licensing or maintaining software" (1 DCMR § 5601).
• OCTO is also to "Issue regulations governing the acquisition, use, and management of information technology" and "Review and approve the information technology and telecommunications budgets" of agencies (§ 1-1403(1), (3)).
• OCTO's own policy says IT projects "must be approved by the District Chief Technology Officer (CTO) before money can be spent", and that OCP issues purchase orders and contracts "only after the required CTO approval is obtained" (IT Procurement and IT Project Policy, approved February 2021, reviewed May 2024).
• DC's Inspector General found in April 2019 that the review depended on the commodity code an agency picked: OCTO's automated controls "allowed other District agencies to select non-ITTS commodity codes, which circumvented OCTO’s review. As a result, OCTO did not review and approve approximately $152 million in ITTS requisitions" (OIG Report No. 18-1-19TO). The commodity codes on this site are also chosen when a record is entered, so a filter on them can miss IT purchases too.
• Software maintenance can skip competition. The law exempts "Maintenance and support of existing software and technology to the extent that the creator of the intellectual property is still protected and is the only source" (§ 2-354.13(8)), and the regulation says this "applies to renewal of existing software licenses purchased either directly from the creator or from an authorized dealer" (27 DCMR § 1703.6).

When the Council must approve a contract

Under the Home Rule Act, a contract involving more than $1,000,000 in spending during a 12-month period can't be made unless the Mayor sends it to the Council and the Council approves it.

• Over $1 million in any 12 months: approved automatically if no Councilmember introduces a resolution within 10 days of the Council receiving it, or if one is introduced and the Council doesn't disapprove within 45 days (§ 2-352.02(b)(2)).
• Multiyear contracts (a single contract longer than 12 months paid from annual money) work the other way: the Council has to vote yes within 45 days or the contract is "deemed disapproved" (§ 1-204.51(c)(3)). Without approval, a contract "shall not be entered into for periods which extend beyond 12 months" (§ 2-355.04(a)).
• Over 5 years on multi-year money takes a two-thirds Council vote (§ 1-204.51(a)).
• Option years count again. Approval of the base contract "shall not constitute Council approval of the exercise of the option", so each option year over the threshold goes back to the Council (§ 2-352.02(b)(3)(B)).
• The submission must give the contract type, the source selection method, the amount for the base and each option period, and, for a sole-source award, "a detailed explanation of why a competitive procurement is not feasible" (§ 2-352.02(c)).
• A contractor who knowingly works on a $1 million-plus contract without approval can't be paid more than $1 million, and staff who sign one face discipline (§ 2-352.02(f)–(g)).

How a contract gets awarded

The law lists the allowed methods (§ 2-354.01(a)(1)). Sole-source, emergency and special pilot awards need a written determination and findings (D&F): "a form of written approval and detailed explanation as a prerequisite to taking certain contract actions" (§ 2-351.04(28)).

The law also lists reverse auctions and infrastructure methods, not covered here. The CPO must "publish annually on the Internet a report on the number of and dollar value of contracts executed under each source selection method" (§ 2-354.01(a)(2)). The portal's "market type" field does not record the method reliably; see the column note on the contracts page.

Options, extensions and letter contracts

• Option: "a unilateral right in a contract under which, for a specified time, the District may elect to extend the term of a contract" (27 DCMR § 2099). On this site each option period is its own row.
• Limits. The base period "shall not exceed one (1) year" unless paid from multi-year money or a multiyear contract, and base plus options "shall not exceed five (5) years" unless the CPO decides otherwise in writing. To go past the contract's last option, the CPO must find it in the District's interest and the contracting officer must justify "a sole source modification" (27 DCMR § 2005.2). An option can't be exercised "after the contract term has expired" (§ 2005.1).
• Letter contract: "a written preliminary contractual instrument that authorizes the contractor to begin immediately [...] prior to the execution of a definitive contract" (§ 2-351.04(39)). Allowed when work must start now and a full contract can't be signed in time. The full contract must follow within 120 days or before half the work is done, whichever is first, and the District's liability is capped at 50% of the price ceiling (27 DCMR § 2425, as amended effective 15 May 2026).
• Modification means "any written alteration in the specifications, delivery point, rate of delivery, contract period, price, quantity, or other contract provisions"; a change order is one the contracting officer can order "without the consent of the contractor" (§ 2-351.04(15), (9)).

Small and local business rules

A certified business enterprise (CBE) is a local business certified by the Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) (§ 2-218.02). A small business enterprise (SBE) must also be a local business enterprise and meet a size test (§ 2-218.32).

• $250,000 or less: set aside. "each agency shall set aside contracts or procurements of $250,000 or less for qualified small business enterprises." If the agency finds in writing that there aren't at least two qualified SBEs, any CBE can fill it. The agency can go to the open market if the set-aside bids are "12% or more above the likely price on the open market" (§ 2-218.44; the same rule for the DC Supply Schedule is § 2-218.45).
• Follow-on work stays set aside. When an SBE or CBE wins a contract, "its follow-on or renewable acquisition shall be set aside" unless DSLBD's Director approves a waiver in writing (§ 2-218.45a).
• Over $250,000: subcontract 35%. Contracts over $250,000 must have "At least 35% of the dollar volume of the contract [...] subcontracted to small business enterprises" (or CBEs, if there aren't enough SBEs), unless waived. A CBE that wins as the prime must do at least 35% of the work itself (§ 2-218.46(a), (b); this section carries temporary amendments that expire 27 March 2027, which don't change these figures). An option or extension on a contract out of compliance "shall be void" (§ 2-218.46(f)).
• Preferences in open competition. CBEs get extra points on proposals or a price reduction on bids, capped at "12 points or a reduction in price of more than 12 percent" (§ 2-218.43).
• Agency goal: 50% of each agency's "expendable budget" to SBEs each year (§ 2-218.41(a)).

"Set Aside" is a value in the portal's market type field, typed by the District (a few periods spell it "Set-Aside"). Both spellings are shown on the contracts page as entered and not checked against these rules.

Contract types

The contract type says how the price works. The law lets the District use "any type of contract which will promote the best interests of the District", within limits (§ 2-355.03), and bans one outright: "An agency shall not enter into a cost-plus-a-percentage-of-cost contract" (§ 2-355.01). Definitions below are from 27 DCMR § 2499 unless another source is given. Each name links to the contracts with that value in the portal's contract type field.

The type is whatever the District entered on each contract's portal page. A contract's type here is not checked against its paperwork.

The "Of interest" badges on this site

The contracts page marks a few contracts whose posted paperwork shows they weren't bid out the usual way. These are read by hand from the documents and recorded in of_interest.yaml. They are not findings of wrongdoing. We read the paperwork only for current contracts whose attached file names mention a sole source, emergency, letter contract or extension, or whose record looked unusual, so a contract with no badge may simply not have been read. Each badge links to the contracts that carry it.

What the portal has to publish

The CPO must run a public procurement website (§ 2-361.04). At a minimum it must include:

• The statutes and rules that govern procurement, "including those exempt from the authority of the CPO".
• Links to every District website with active solicitations over $100,000.
• A database of every contract of $100,000 or more, "including each such contract made by a District agency exempt from the authority of the CPO", with a unique identifier, "A copy of the executed contract", "All determinations and findings", "All contract modifications, change orders, or amendments", the solicitation documents, the summary sent to the Council, and whether the vendor is a "covered contractor" under the campaign-finance rules.
• For contracts under $100,000, a list with "the vendor name, a description of the goods or services purchased, and the dollar amount of the contract".

Agencies outside the CPO's authority "shall transmit the information required by this section to the CPO for posting" (§ 2-361.04(c)). Separate posting deadlines apply to sole-source awards (contract online within 7 days, § 2-354.04(d)) and emergency awards (notice with D&F and contract within 7 days, § 2-354.05(f)).

This page says what the law requires, not whether the portal meets it. For what the portal holds, as we pulled it, see About this data.

Glossary

CBE

Certified business enterprise: a local business certified by DSLBD (§ 2-218.02). See small and local business rules.

Change order

A change the contracting officer can order under the contract's changes clause "without the consent of the contractor" (§ 2-351.04(9)).

Contracting officer

"the Mayor, the CPO, or the CPO’s designee vested with the authority to execute contracts on behalf of the District" (§ 2-351.04(16)).

CPO

Chief Procurement Officer, "the director of the Office of Contracting and Procurement" (§ 2-351.04(11)).

D&F

Determination and findings: the written justification required for a sole-source, emergency, pilot or cost-reimbursement award, among others (§ 2-351.04(28)).

DCMR

District of Columbia Municipal Regulations. Title 27 holds the procurement rules (OCP, Laws & Regulations).

DCSS

District of Columbia Supply Schedule, the District's schedule of contracts with CBEs (§ 2-354.12).

Definitive contract

The full contract that replaces a letter contract (§ 2-351.04(22)).

DSLBD

Department of Small and Local Business Development, which certifies CBEs (§ 2-218.02(3)).

IFB

Invitation for Bids: the solicitation for competitive sealed bids (§ 2-351.04(38)).

Multiyear contract

"a contract for a period longer than twelve (12) months that is funded by annual appropriations" (27 DCMR § 2099). Needs Council approval.

OCP

Office of Contracting and Procurement (§ 2-352.01).

OCTO

Office of the Chief Technology Officer (§ 1-1401). Reviews agencies' IT purchases over $25,000 (1 DCMR § 5602).

Option period

An extra period the District may add at its choice under the contract's terms (27 DCMR § 2099). Listed as its own row on this site.

PPRA

Procurement Practices Reform Act of 2010, D.C. Code § 2-351.01 and following.

RFP

Request for Proposals: the solicitation for competitive sealed proposals (§ 2-351.04(52)).

RFQ

Request for Qualifications: asks for vendors' qualifications only (§ 2-351.04(53)). DC's solicitation list also uses RFQ for a request for quotations, and that is the more common meaning there: titles that spell it out say quotation or quote about three times as often as qualifications.

SBE

Small business enterprise: a local business enterprise that also meets a size test (§ 2-218.32).

Sole source

"a single source in a competitive marketplace can fulfill the specifications of a contract" (§ 2-351.04(59)).