DIBBS explained: how DLA bids, automated awards and approved sources work

DIBBS is the DLA Internet Bid Board System at dibbs.bsm.dla.mil, the Defense Logistics Agency's portal where vendors search, view and submit secure quotes on DLA requests for quotations (RFQs), and also see RFPs, invitations for bid and awards. If you make or distribute spare parts, hardware, electronics, textiles, medical items or other supplies the military uses, most of DLA's small-dollar buying happens there, much of it through an automated evaluation program that can issue an order with no buyer involved. This guide explains how that system decides who wins, what the RFQ PDF actually requires, how approved sources work, and how to watch DIBBS work without logging in every morning.

What is DIBBS?

DLA describes DIBBS as "a web-based application that provides the capability to search for, view, and submit secure quotes" on RFQs for DLA items of supply (DLA DIBBS application page). It also lets you search RFPs, IFBs, awards and other DLA procurement information. The current production release shown on the login banner is DIBBS version 6.3.2.

Three things set DIBBS apart:

• It is DLA only. DIBBS covers DLA buying, mostly supplies. Army, Navy and Air Force contracting offices post their own work on SAM.gov and other portals.
• It is code driven. You search by National Stock Number (NSN), Federal Supply Class (FSC), CAGE code, solicitation number or part number. Keyword search exists but is not where DIBBS shines.
• It is a transaction system. You type your quote into a structured web form, and for most small buys a computer, not a contracting officer, evaluates it.

Every page sits behind the DoD Notice and Consent Banner. You click OK once per session, and DIBBS needs browser cookies enabled for the banner to clear. The RFQ PDFs themselves are served behind the same banner, which is why links copied out of DIBBS or out of SAM.gov notices often seem broken when opened cold.

NSN lookup basics

An NSN is the 13-digit number that identifies a stocked item. The first four digits are the FSC and the last nine are the National Item Identification Number (NIIN). If you know your part number but not its NSN, DLA's free WebFLIS inquiry returns NSN, item name, reference part numbers and CAGE codes, and PUB LOG offers the same catalog data for offline use. Build your list of FSCs, NSNs and approved CAGE codes before you register, because you will paste them into your DIBBS notification profile.

Who buys on DIBBS: the DLA supply chains

DLA says it provided more than $51.8 billion in goods and services in fiscal 2025 and runs supply chains for food, clothing and textiles, fuel, construction material, medical material and repair parts for land, sea and air systems (About DLA). Most guides still use the old command names. DLA's own page now lists the two parts buyers as DLA Weapons Support (Columbus) and DLA Weapons Support (Richmond). SAM.gov office names and many solicitations still carry the legacy labels, so you will see both.

DLA command (current name)	Legacy name you will still see	Location	What it buys
DLA Weapons Support (Columbus)	DLA Land and Maritime	Columbus, Ohio	Ground and maritime weapon system repair parts, consumable hardware, small arms parts, fluid-handling systems
DLA Weapons Support (Richmond)	DLA Aviation	Richmond, Virginia	Aviation repair parts, flight safety equipment, maps, consumable hardware, environmental products, industrial plant systems
DLA Troop Support	Same	Philadelphia	Food, textiles, construction material, medical supplies and equipment including pharmaceuticals
DLA Energy	Same	Fort Belvoir, Virginia	Petroleum, lubricants, alternative and aerospace energy, fuel cards
DLA Distribution	Same	New Cumberland, Pennsylvania	Storage, distribution and transportation services
DLA Disposition Services	Same	Battle Creek, Michigan	Excess property reutilization, sale and demilitarization

Source: About DLA, retrieved 2026-10-07.

For DIBBS quoting, the Columbus, Richmond and Troop Support chains matter most.

How a DIBBS RFQ works under the simplified acquisition threshold

Most DIBBS RFQs are simplified acquisitions under FAR Part 13. The thresholds changed on October 1, 2025, and many older DIBBS guides still quote the old figures.

Threshold	Current value	What it means on DIBBS
Micro-purchase threshold	$15,000	RFQs estimated at or below it, and not set aside, can be Fast Auto Evaluation buys awarded before the return date
Synopsis on SAM.gov	Over $25,000	FAR 5.101 requires these to be synopsized on SAM.gov, which is why many DIBBS RFQs also appear there
Simplified acquisition threshold (SAT)	$350,000	Ceiling for DLA's automated evaluation and for the DLA Master Solicitation for Automated Simplified Acquisitions
Fast payment procedure cap	$45,000	FAR 13.402 limit for orders that use fast payment, when the order includes FAR 52.213-1

Sources: FAR 2.101, FAR 5.101, FAR 13.402.

Every automated RFQ incorporates the DLA Master Solicitation for Automated Simplified Acquisitions, Revision 105 dated May 20, 2026. DLA tells suppliers to read Parts I, II and III, and you are bound by the version in effect at the time of award. Key rules from it:

• Return time. Quotes are due by 3:00 p.m. Eastern on the return date. Weekend and holiday dates roll to the next business day.
• Late quotes. On RFQs, the return date is not a hard close. The quote button stays live until award or cancellation, and late quotes are considered only if the contracting officer decides it is in the government's interest.
• Revisions. You can revise a quote until award. Each revision overlays the previous one, and a "No-Bid" revision withdraws it.
• Set-asides. RFQs above the micro-purchase threshold and up to the SAT are set aside for small business or a socioeconomic program when the solicitation says so. DIBBS carries small business, HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB and EDWOSB set-asides, and socioeconomic set-asides require compliance with the nonmanufacturer rule and limitations on subcontracting.
• Automated contracts. A "U" solicitation can produce an Automated Indefinite Delivery Contract with delivery orders over time, and quotes on those need at least a 90-day validity period.

Fast pay, payment and invoicing

DLA's DIBBS FAQ says DLA contracts are typically paid within 30 days of a proper invoice under the Prompt Payment Act, and most contracts require invoicing through Wide Area Workflow (WAWF) under DFARS 252.232-7003 and 252.232-7006. "Fast pay" is a separate FAR procedure: when an order includes FAR 52.213-1, the government pays on your delivery to a carrier rather than on acceptance, and you carry the risk of loss in transit. Check the order before you assume it applies. Set up your PIEE and WAWF access before your first award, not after.

Automated evaluation: how DLA picks a winner without a buyer

Vendors still call it PACE, the name of DLA's original automated contract evaluation system (DLA Land and Maritime Hall of Fame). The current master solicitation calls it the Automated Evaluation program. It "uses price reasonableness logic and other automated filters to make fully automated and buyer assisted automated awards valued at the SAT or less," and it only considers qualified quotations: exact compliance, bid type "bid without exception," submitted on DIBBS.

The program evaluates qualified quotes on price alone and ignores quantity price breaks. This list decides more DIBBS outcomes than price does:

Not an exception (still eligible for automated award)	An exception (removes you from automated award)
Quoting delivery days different from the required delivery	Quoting an alternate product or taking exception to the item description
Quoting a superseding or previously approved CAGE and part number	Exceptions to packaging requirements
Quoting used, reconditioned, remanufactured or unused government surplus	Exceptions to FOB terms
Quoting other than a domestic end product on an unrestricted RFQ	Exceptions to inspection requirements
Quoting a hazardous item	Exceptions to quantity, or a quantity variance above the RFQ
Quoting "Other" when a higher-level quality requirement applies	Quoting "None" when a higher-level contract quality requirement applies
	Quoting child labor, or entering anything in Remarks

Source: DLA Master Solicitation for Automated Simplified Acquisitions, Rev. 105, Part I, section 3.

The Remarks line is the trap. A note as harmless as a price break offer moves the quote out of automated award.

Price evaluation factors and ties

The program adds evaluation factors to some quotes. Unused former government surplus gets a $200 factor per the master solicitation, and DLA's FAQ cites $200 on non-critical and $700 on critical items under DLAD 52.211-9003. Buy American and Balance of Payments adjustments apply where cited. If qualified quotes tie, the order of preference is a domestic end product, then small business over large, then the shortest delivery, then the first quote submitted.

When the computer hands off to a buyer

Solicitations with first article testing (FAT) or production lot testing (PLT) are never awarded automatically. If the program cannot make a fully automated award, the buy drops to manual evaluation, where price, delivery and past performance count, quantity price breaks can be used, and contracting officers must consider item, price and supplier risk from SPRS under DFARS 252.204-7024. Quoting more delivery days than requested can keep a manual quote from being considered at all.

How fast awards happen

• Fast Auto Evaluation. These RFQs carry a Fast Auto Evaluation icon in DIBBS search results. Evaluation starts at 3:00 p.m. Eastern three business days after issue and repeats every business day until the return date, so an early low quote can win before the RFQ closes.
• Early award on long RFQs. When the response period is 30 days or more, DLA can award before the return date once a responsive quote arrives at least 11 days after issue.
• Price negotiation extension. Auto Evaluation can extend the return date by three business days to invite revised prices from qualified quotes in the competitive range. DLA emails the quoter and, for third-party quotes, the Super User too.
• Award delivery. Automated awards are posted on DIBBS and emailed as a link to a DD Form 1155. If you cannot perform, DLA asks you to say so within 14 days, or a later cancellation counts against your past performance.

One more rule new vendors rarely hear about: quotes from firms registered in DIBBS within the past 60 days, in volumes "significantly exceeding the historical average for newly registered firms," are excluded from both automated and manual awards. Start small.

What is inside a DIBBS solicitation PDF

The RFQ PDF, not the search results line, is the contract you are agreeing to. DLA's FAQ points to the blocks and sections that matter most. Read these before you price:

• Block 5, buyer of record. The person to contact before award. After award, the administrator in block 6 of the order handles questions.
• Item description (PID). NSN, nomenclature, unit of issue and, on part-numbered items, the approved CAGE codes and part numbers. A drawings icon in DIBBS means the technical data is in cFolders.
• Quantity and required delivery days. Delivery is a factor in manual awards, and a delivery date you miss becomes a delinquency on your record.
• FOB and inspection. Origin or destination, and where acceptance happens. Exceptions to either disqualify an automated quote.
• Quality requirements. Higher-level contract quality requirements, FAT or PLT, and Qualified Products or Manufacturers List requirements.
• Section B, prep for delivery. DLA's packaging process tells vendors to record the preservation, packaging, packing, marking and palletization codes here (DLA vendor PPP&M process). Military packaging follows MIL-STD-2073-1E, marking follows MIL-STD-129, and palletization follows MIL-STD-147. Commercial ASTM D3951 packaging is allowed only when Section B says so. Section D carries packaging and marking text.
• IUID. DFARS 252.211-7003 item unique identification applies when the item description says "IUID MARKING IS REQUIRED," and by default when the unit cost is $5,000 or more and the description is silent, per the master solicitation.
• Export control. Items with export-controlled data require active JCP certification and DLA approval for both you and your source of supply. DLA will not delay award while you apply.
• Shipping. DLA requires the Vendor Shipment Module (VSM) for labels on FOB destination orders and for labels and shipping arrangements on FOB origin orders, no more than two days before shipment.
• Traceability. If you are not the manufacturer, procurement note C03 requires documented supply chain traceability back to the approved manufacturer, kept for six years after final payment.

Approved sources and source approval requests

On many DLA parts, price is not the first filter. The solicitation tells you when approved sources are required, through procurement notes such as L04, Offers for Part Numbered Items, and M06, Evaluation of Offers of Alternate Product for Part Numbered Items. If the item description names approved CAGE codes and part numbers and yours is not among them, a "bid without exception" from you is not possible.

If you are already approved but not listed, the FAQ says to select "Previously Evaluated and Awarded" in the part number offered field, enter the approved CAGE and part number, and submit as bid without exception.

To become an approved source, DLA uses two routes, described in the DLA SAR and AO Guide:

• Source Approval Request (SAR). Submitted any time for an NSN bought on other than full and open competition: Acquisition Method Suffix Code (AMSC) B (source controlled), C (source restricted) or D (CAGE and part number). AMSC G items are already full and open and are not evaluated.
• Alternate Offer (AO). Submitted against an active solicitation. Alternate offers on automated solicitations, those with a "T" or "U" in the ninth position of the solicitation number, count only for future buys. On manual solicitations the contracting officer may consider them.

SAR category	Who it fits	Extra sections required
I, Actual item	You made the exact part for an OEM, its subcontractor, DoD or DLA within the last 3 to 5 years and have rights to the data	Actual part shipping documents
II, Similar item	You made items similar in complexity, design, criticality, materials and application	Similar part drawings, shipping documents, manufacturing plan, vendor list, comparative analysis, quality deficiency summary
III, New manufacturer	You legally hold the OEM technical data and have equal or greater manufacturing capability	Technical briefing if requested
IV, Reverse engineered	You do not have the data and will reverse engineer at your own cost	Reverse engineering manufacturing plan, quality deficiency summary, technical briefing if requested

Every category also needs a cover letter, actual part drawings, a detailed manufacturing plan, master tooling and data certifications, a vendor list, test plans, inspection method sheets and a value-added statement. DLA says review "will generally take a minimum of 90 days, and possibly up to 180 days or longer," awards are not delayed for pending packages, and approval "does not guarantee future contracts." Pick NSNs with real recurring demand before you spend that effort. DIBBS's Supplier Requirements Visibility Application (SRVA), available after login, shows DLA's forecasted demand by FSC or NIIN.

How to register for DIBBS and log in

DLA's DIBBS vendor registration article lays out the sequence:

1. Finish SAM.gov. You need an active registration and CAGE code. DIBBS copies your company name and address from SAM.gov, you cannot edit them in DIBBS, and updates flow from SAM.gov daily.
2. Open DIBBS, accept the banner and click Vendor Registration. Enter your five-character CAGE code.
3. Verify the physical address. If it is wrong, stop and fix it through the SAM.gov Federal Service Desk.
4. Name the Super User. There is one Super User per CAGE, the only person who can change the account or add users.
5. Enter the emailed PIN.
6. Request the postcard. DLA mails a Physical Address Verification Number that arrives in about 10 days. Registration pauses until you enter it.
7. Accept the user agreement, create a password and set three challenge questions.
8. Set supplier defaults. Quote validity defaults to 90 days. Choose discount terms, award and solicitation notification emails, and your vendor directed notifications: up to 3,000 FSCs, NSNs and approved manufacturer CAGEs per category.
9. Submit. Your Super User ID is your CAGE code plus 01. The Super User can create users 02 through 99.

Passwords must be at least 15 characters with upper case, lower case, numbers and special characters, no more than four letters or numbers in sequence, different from your last 10 passwords, and they expire every 60 days. Lockouts are self-service through "forgot my password" and usually clear within 30 minutes. Login issues go to DibbsBSM@dla.mil.

cFolders, JCP and EJCP

Technical drawings for open DLA solicitations live in cFolders, which you set up from the DIBBS home page after your DIBBS account exists. Export-controlled data also needs Joint Certification Program (JCP) certification, filed on DD Form 2345, and DLA's Enhanced JCP (EJCP) approval. DLA's FAQ says the EJCP certificate is valid for three years and recommends filing renewal documentation 30 days before it expires. Questions go to jcp-admin@dla.mil. If you only quote CAGE and part-numbered commercial items with no drawings icon, you may not need cFolders at all.

DLA bids by the numbers

DLA is the single largest source of open federal solicitations in RFPFinder's data, and most of those notices point back to a DIBBS RFQ. As of 2026-10-07:

Measure (open notices, 2026-10-07)	Count	Share
Open DLA notices on SAM.gov	3,105	54.2% of 5,731 open federal notices
DLA notices with a resolved DIBBS RFQ document	2,556	82.3% of open DLA notices
Open Department of Defense notices	4,993	DLA is 62.2% of them
All open notices tracked (federal, state, local)	8,018	DLA is 38.7%
Open notices in Supplies & Equipment	4,784	Largest category on the site

Sources: RFPFinder stats pack (dla_open, dibbs_open, dod_open, open_by_level, open_by_category), as of 2026-10-07.

The NAICS codes that lead open notices across the whole site are DLA parts codes. The table below counts every open notice under each code, not just DLA's, but the parts-manufacturing codes in it are where DIBBS volume concentrates.

NAICS	Title	Open notices
336413	Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing	383
333998	All Other Miscellaneous General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing	227
334417	Electronic Connector Manufacturing	186
332911	Industrial Valve Manufacturing	134
334412	Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing	124
332510	Hardware Manufacturing	110
335312	Motor and Generator Manufacturing	100
332919	Other Metal Valve and Pipe Fitting Manufacturing	94
336412	Aircraft Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing	85

Source: RFPFinder stats pack (top_naics_open), as of 2026-10-07.

For perspective, in RFPFinder's USAspending award data the Department of Defense accounts for 62,308 awards worth $201.7 billion, led by primes such as Lockheed Martin ($48.2 billion across 293 awards) and Boeing ($13.6 billion across 859 awards). DIBBS is the other end of that market: small, fast, mostly automated orders where a machine shop or parts distributor competes on price and delivery.

How to track DIBBS solicitations without logging in every day

DIBBS gives you three native ways to watch for work, and each has a gap.

• Vendor directed notifications. Load your FSCs, NSNs and approved CAGEs into your supplier profile and DIBBS emails you when matching RFQs post. This is the best native tool, but it is only as good as your code list, and it sends to one primary address.
• DIBBS RFQ search. You can search without logging in by NSN, FSC, part number or solicitation number. It is precise and slow, and there is no saved keyword search across all of DLA.
• SAM.gov. DLA actions expected to exceed $25,000 must be synopsized on SAM.gov under FAR 5.101, so many DIBBS RFQs show up there with a link back to DIBBS. The SAM.gov notice usually does not host the RFQ PDF, and the DIBBS link opens to the consent banner.

DIBBS also goes down. BidLink reported DIBBS web servers unresponsive for a second straight day in August 2026. An outside copy of the solicitation list and documents lets you price while the portal is offline, though you still need DIBBS itself to submit.

A practical routine: keep DIBBS notifications on for your exact NSNs, run a broader daily feed by NAICS, PSC and keyword for everything over $25,000, and log in only when you are ready to quote. Log in at least monthly anyway, so the 60-day password cycle does not catch you on a deadline.

Common mistakes

• Typing anything in Remarks. It is an exception, and it removes you from automated award.
• Quoting from the search line. The RFQ PDF holds the packaging codes, FOB, inspection point and quality clauses that drive your cost.
• Ignoring Section B packaging. MIL-STD-2073-1E preservation, MIL-STD-129 marking and pallet rules are contract terms, and failures get material rejected at the depot.
• Quoting a part number you are not approved for. On L04 and M06 items, an unapproved part becomes an alternate offer, which never wins an automated award.
• Flooding quotes in your first 60 days. The master solicitation excludes unusually high quote volumes from newly registered firms.
• Letting the postcard or the password stall you. Request the PAVN postcard on day one, and set a 50-day password reminder.
• Waiting for the return date. Fast Auto Evaluation and early award rules mean the first good quote can win before the close.
• Promising delivery you cannot hit. Delinquencies feed SPRS, and SPRS feeds every manual award decision after that.
• Skipping WAWF setup. You cannot invoice until your PIEE and WAWF roles are active.

What RFPFinder shows you

RFPFinder pulls every DLA notice from SAM.gov and fixes the step that frustrates DIBBS users most: the document link.

• The real RFQ PDF, not a dead link. When a SAM.gov notice points to a DIBBS record, RFPFinder resolves it to the actual RFQ PDF and lists it on the notice page. As of 2026-10-07 that covers 2,556 open notices.
• Supplies in one feed. DIBBS RFQs sit in Supplies & Equipment, alongside 5,876 open federal notices and 9,682 open notices in total, with set-aside filters (49% (2,899 of 5,876) of open federal notices carry one).
• DLA office pages. Browse open notices by buyer: DLA Land and Maritime, DLA Aviation and DLA Troop Support.
• NAICS pages. Start from your code, such as 336413 or 334417, to see open parts buys and the offices issuing them, or browse all NAICS codes.
• Alerts. Pro alerts email new matches by NAICS, PSC, keyword and set-aside, so you only open DIBBS to quote. See pricing.
• Recompetes and coverage. The recompete radar shows expiring federal contracts, and coverage lists every source we monitor.

One limit to know: RFPFinder sees DIBBS work that DLA also posts to SAM.gov. RFQs at or below $25,000 may live only on DIBBS, so keep DIBBS notifications on for your NSNs if you quote small parts.