DEAR Part 902 covers definitions of words and terms. Define the Term Before You Assign Responsibility.
One undefined word can send a contract decision to the wrong person. Your team may agree that someone is the director, representative, or customer while assigning very different meanings to that label. Before assigning responsibility, determine what the governing document actually means.
Watch the DEAR Part 902 lesson
How DEAR Part 902 defines the context
DEAR is the Department of Energy Acquisition Regulation, which supplements the federal acquisition framework for DOE and NNSA. Part 902 supplies department specific definitions and a definitions clause prescription. Definitions elsewhere in the regulation may also govern a particular subject.
Start with current codified text in the electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Acquisition.gov’s July 2025 index baseline is a navigation aid, not a complete currency guarantee.
Check DOE and NNSA deviations separately. Federal rule adoption does not automatically amend every department definition or existing contract. Distinguish operative text from announcements, historical markup, and other agencies’ materials.
A definition is a reading instruction. Ask where the term appears, what source defines it, and whether a specific provision changes its meaning. Preserve that context when assigning internal responsibilities.
For example, the codified department definition of DOE includes NNSA unless otherwise specified. That helps interpret references across the supplement. It does not mean every DOE office and every NNSA office share identical decision authority, contacts, security processes, or contractual responsibilities.
Match the term to the right role
The definition of agency head identifies specified senior officials for DOE and NNSA. It does not turn your customer’s local project lead into the agency head. A contractor should identify the defined role and then verify the applicable authority for the particular action.
The supplement also defines Senior Procurement Executive, a specific acquisition role, not simply the most senior person attending a meeting. Confirm current language and applicable delegations instead of using an old directory.
Keep the contracting officer separate from a technical representative and from your own project manager. An internal title can assign company responsibilities, but it cannot expand government authority. The relevant contract and written designation determine what a representative is authorized to do.
Context also matters for the word contractor. Your company might contract directly with the government, with a DOE management and operating contractor, or with another subcontractor. A specialized clause may define the term for its own purposes; trace that definition before assigning duties.
Read the prescription and incorporated clause
Part 902 includes section 902 point two zero one, the prescription for the department’s Definitions clause. The associated clause is nine fifty two point two zero two dash one. Review both the prescription and the actual incorporated text together.
The codified prescription directs use in solicitations and contracts exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold. Read that insertion instruction separately from the clause’s wording. When incorporated, the clause connects defined terms to department definitions, including relevant subject specific definitions, with stated contextual exceptions.
Review the applicable federal Definitions clause as well as the department addition. Check the solicitation’s issue context, incorporated versions, and any applicable deviation. Confirm applicable instructions and incorporated terms with the contracting officer instead of choosing whichever wording appears more convenient.
A fictional site director request
Consider a clearly fictional example. Mesa Analytics receives a task request from someone called the site director. Its operations manager assumes that title permits approval of extra work and assigns staff before checking the person’s contractual role or the actual written authority.
Mesa corrects its process by tracing the term, identifying the contracting parties, and asking the contracting officer about the request. Its internal manager remains responsible for coordination, but no employee title is treated as unlimited authority. Mesa follows the confirmed contract process rather than assumptions about seniority.
Build a definitions record
Field one is Term and Location. Copy the exact word or phrase and identify the paragraph where it appears. Include enough surrounding language to show the issue. Similar words used in different clauses may require separate entries because their contexts differ.
Field two is Governing Definition. Identify the applicable federal, department, or clause specific definition. Record its citation and operative language. Do not substitute a website summary, ordinary workplace usage, or a convenient internal job description for an applicable defined meaning.
Field three is Version and Deviation. Record the solicitation or contract context, source review date, and relevant deviation status. Distinguish confirmed information from open questions. Avoid assuming a newer online definition automatically rewrites the meaning already established by an existing agreement.
Field four is Applicability and Exceptions. Note any limiting language, special subject matter, and contextual exceptions. Identify whether a definition governs an agency procedure, an offeror representation, or an actual contractor duty. Those categories can lead to very different internal assignments.
Field five is Responsible Role. Identify the role named by the governing text. Field six is Authority Evidence. Link the relevant designation or delegation. A responsibility chart becomes more useful when it shows not only who participates, but what that person may decide.
Field seven is Required Action. Describe the obligation supported by the definition and contract language, without adding duties by inference. Field eight is Clarification and Owner. Record the unresolved question, responsible internal coordinator, and written answer when received through the appropriate channel.
Preparation checklist
Use these eight fields to organize the review. Assign an owner and retain the supporting evidence.
- Term and Location
- Governing Definition
- Version and Deviation
- Applicability and Exceptions
- Responsible Role
- Authority Evidence
- Required Action
- Clarification and Owner
Three operating questions
Ask three operating questions before assigning responsibility. Which definition governs this term here? Does the named person actually hold the relevant role and authority? What contract language turns that meaning into our required action? Escalate uncertainty before a misunderstanding becomes a performance commitment.
Official sources and applicability
Sources reviewed November 7, 2026. The Acquisition.gov index has a July 2025 baseline. Check current codified text, applicable DOE/NNSA deviations, and the solicitation or contract. Agency procedures and contractor duties serve different purposes.
Build your readiness baseline
Explore GovAssessment to organize your business preparation and improvement priorities. Read our FAR summaries for the broader acquisition framework.
General education, not legal advice or official DOE guidance. GovAssessment does not certify compliance, confer approvals, or guarantee an award.
