RDTE

Definition

RDT&E (Research, Development, Test & Evaluation) is a two-year appropriation for research and development activities. Used for developing new systems and capabilities before production.

Where this matters in federal contracting

RDTE is a measurement used in federal contract evaluation, source selection, oversight, or performance management. Understanding RDTE 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 RDTE 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. RDTE also has implications for contract administration: getting the calculation methodology wrong post-award is a common source of disputes and contracting-officer modifications. Pair RDTE with the related metrics above to see how the federal government composes evaluation criteria into source-selection narratives.

More metric terms