FAR and DFARS › DFARS Part 204: Administrative and Information Matters › Subpart 204.16
DFARS 204.1603 Procedures.
The codified text (eCFR, as of 2026-10-02). Under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul ↗, agencies follow class deviations with new text for many parts while the formal rules go through the Federal Register: check the solicitation and your contract's clauses, which rule.
In plain English
This section sets the rules for how DoD constructs Procurement Instrument Identification Numbers (PIIDs) and supplementary PIIDs. It specifies the length, allowed characters, and the meaning of certain positions, including restrictions on letters like I and O. Contractors need to understand these rules because the PIID appears on contracts, orders, and modifications, and errors can cause administrative problems.
Applies to: DoD-issued procurement instruments and their modifications
What it requires
- Use only alpha-numeric characters in PIIDs, and do not use the letter I or O anywhere in the PIID.
- Do not use letters reserved for future Governmentwide use or departmental/agency use in position 9 of the PIID.
- Do not use the letter C or H in position 9 for contracts or agreements with provisions for orders or calls.
- For supplementary PIIDs, use only K, L, M, N, P, or Q in position 2 for Air Force provisioned item orders; S in position 2 for certain shipping instruction modifications with price changes; T, U, V, W, X, or Y in position 2 for certain shipping instruction modifications without price changes; and Z
Key terms: PIID · supplementary PIID · FedMall · broad agency announcement · commercial solutions opening
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
(a) Elements of a PIID. DoD-issued PIIDs are thirteen characters in length. Use only alpha-numeric characters, as prescribed in FAR 4.1603 and this subpart. Do not use the letter I or O in any part of the PIID.
(3) Position 9.
(A) DoD will use three of the letters reserved for departmental or agency use in FAR 4.1603(a)(3) in this position as follows:
(1) Use M to identify purchase orders and task or delivery orders issued by the enterprise FedMall system.
(2) Use S to identify broad agency announcements and commercial solutions openings.
(3) Use T to identify automated requests for quotations by authorized legacy contract writing systems. See PGI 204.1603(a)(3)(A)(3) for the list of authorized systems.
(B) Do not use other letters identified in FAR 4.1603(a)(3) as “Reserved for future Federal Governmentwide use” or “Reserved for departmental or agency use” in position 9 of the PIID.
(C) Do not use the letter C or H for contracts or agreements with provisions for orders or calls.
(4) Positions 10 through 17. In accordance with FAR 4.1603(a)(4), DoD-issued PIIDs shall only use positions 10 through 13 to complete the PIID. Enter the serial number of the instrument in these positions. A separate series of serial numbers may be used for any type of instrument listed in FAR 4.1603(a)(3). DoD components assign such series of PIID numbers sequentially. A DoD component may reserve blocks of numbers or alpha-numeric numbers for use by its various activities. Use C in position 10 to identify the solicitation as a commercial solutions opening.
(b) Elements of a supplementary PIID. In addition to the supplementary PIID numbering procedures in FAR 4.1603(b), follow the procedures contained in paragraphs (b)(2)(ii)(1) and (2) of this section. See PGI 204.1603(b) for examples of proper supplementary PIID numbering.
(2)(ii) Positions 2 through 6. In accordance with FAR 4.1603(b)(2)(ii), DoD-issued supplementary PIIDs shall, for positions 2 through 6 of modifications to contracts and agreements, comply with the following:
(1) Positions 2 and 3. These two digits may be either alpha or numeric characters, except—
(i) Use K, L, M, N, P, and Q only in position 2, and only if the modification is issued by the Air Force and is a provisioned item order;
(ii) Use S only in position 2, and only to identify modifications issued to provide initial or amended shipping instructions when—
(a) The contract has either FOB origin or destination delivery terms; and
(b) The price changes;
(iii) Use T, U, V, W, X, or Y only in position 2, and only to identify modifications issued to provide initial or amended shipping instructions when—
(a) The contract has FOB origin delivery terms; and
(b) The price does not change; and
(iv) Use Z only in position 2, and only to identify a modification which definitizes a letter contract or a previously issued undefinitized modification.
(2) Positions 4 through 6. These positions are always numeric. Use a separate series of serial numbers for each type of modification listed in paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section.
Sections it refers to
- 4.1603 Procedures.
Sections that refer to it
- 232.905 Payment documentation and process.
← 204.1601 Policy. · 204.1670 Cross reference to Federal Procurement Data System. →
Rule changes for DFARS Part 204
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Assessing Contractor Implementation of Cybersecurity Requirements (DFARS Case 2019-D041) ↗ · final rule 2025-09-10 · effective 2025-11-10
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Inapplicability of Additional Defense-Unique Laws and Certain Non-Statutory DFARS Clauses to Commercial Item Contracts (DFARS Case 2018-D074) ↗ · final rule 2024-11-15 · effective 2024-11-25
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Technical Amendments ↗ · final rule 2024-09-26 · effective 2024-10-01
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Data Universal Numbering System to Unique Entity Identifier Transition (DFARS Case 2022-D023) ↗ · final rule 2024-09-26 · effective 2024-10-01
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Modification of Notification of Intent To Transport Supplies by Sea (DFARS Case 2020-D026) ↗ · final rule 2024-09-26 · effective 2024-10-01
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Assessing Contractor Implementation of Cybersecurity Requirements (DFARS Case 2019-D041) ↗ · proposed 2024-08-15 · comments due 2024-10-15
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Technical Amendments ↗ · final rule 2024-07-29 · effective 2024-07-29
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Modification of Notification of Intent To Transport Supplies by Sea (DFARS Case 2020-D026) ↗ · proposed 2024-03-26 · comments due 2024-05-28
Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.