Glossary / Security
Non-Disclosure AgreementNDA
A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) is a contract under which parties agree to protect specified confidential information. In federal contracting, NDAs appear in several contexts: teaming agreements during proposal phase, contractor access to competitor proprietary data as part of support contracts, and government employee access to proprietary data under organizational conflict-of-interest (OCI) mitigation. DoW uses standard DFARS clauses (such as 252.227-7025, on government-furnished information marked with restrictive legends) for some of these scenarios, while others rely on bilateral NDAs negotiated by counsel.
Why it matters to your pipeline
Leaking a competitor's information or a teammate's proprietary approach can end a teaming relationship and lead to lawsuits. Disciplined NDA management, including role-based access, marking, and exit procedures, prevents inadvertent disclosures. Teaming NDAs also govern who owns joint intellectual property and what happens if the team dissolves, which can matter as much as the underlying proposal.
When this term shows up in an opening GovSmith finds for you, your vCM explains what it means for that pursuit and does whatever it calls for. You decide; we do the work.
Example
A prime and subcontractor execute a mutual NDA before a teaming discussion. The prime shares its capture strategy; the sub shares its proprietary algorithm. The deal falls through. Five years later, the prime's competitor poaches the sub's algorithm; the NDA's survival clause supports a successful trade-secret claim against misuse.
Find out what applies to you
Some terms will matter to your business right away and some won’t for years. A vCM can tell you which are which.