Federal glossary · Metric
Country of Origin in government procurement determines compliance with the Buy American Act and Trade Agreements Act. For manufactured products, the country of origin is where the item was substantially transformed into a new article of commerce. Critical for GSA Schedule products (must be TAA-compliant) and DoD purchases (Berry Amendment items must be domestic).
Example: The Simplified Acquisition Threshold or a fiscal-year budget measure.
Reference record · Sources: OMB budget guidance · Verified Jul 2, 2026 · Covers definition, governing source
Also known as
Country of Origin in government procurement determines compliance with the Buy American Act and Trade Agreements Act. For manufactured products, the country of origin is where the item was substantially transformed into a new article of commerce. Critical for GSA Schedule products (must be TAA-compliant) and DoD purchases (Berry Amendment items must be domestic).
is a metric concept federal contractors and grant writers run into across solicitations, regulations, and award filings
Country of Origin is a measurement used in federal contract evaluation, source selection, oversight, or performance management. For example: Example: The Simplified Acquisition Threshold or a fiscal-year budget measure. Understanding Country of Origin matters because evaluators use metrics like it to compare proposals quantitatively, score past performance, set award-fee outcomes, and decide who gets the next option year. Contractors who track how Country of Origin is calculated — and what target values look like in their NAICS or service area — write proposals that are concrete and defensible instead of generic and easily dismissed. Country of Origin also has implications for contract administration: getting the calculation methodology wrong post-award is a common source of disputes and contracting-officer modifications. Pair Country of Origin with the related metrics above to see how the federal government composes evaluation criteria into source-selection narratives.
Example: The Simplified Acquisition Threshold or a fiscal-year budget measure.
Meaning in practice
Country of Origin is a measure used to score, compare, or track government activity.
Where you’ll see it
You will see it in evaluation criteria, dashboards, scorecards, reports, and oversight reviews. Example: Example: The Simplified Acquisition Threshold or a fiscal-year budget measure..
Common confusion
People often confuse the metric with the threshold or decision rule attached to it.
What to do next
Check how the metric is calculated before you compare records or opportunities.
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