Independent supplier discoveryUS & UK launch markets / Evidence updated 2 Oct 2026
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Buyer vocabulary · 11 terms · Reviewed 1 October 2026

Translate the acronym before it enters the tender.

A US-first, source-backed glossary that turns common data-centre procurement language into a plain working meaning, a buyer evidence check and a route into the Critical Supply taxonomy.

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01 · Site, power and identity

Name the authority and counterpart before relying on the acronym.

AHJ

Authority having jurisdiction

The organisation, office or person responsible for enforcing a code or standard, or approving the relevant equipment, installation or procedure. The responsible AHJ can change with the issue and jurisdiction.

Buyer check

List the building, electrical, fire, environmental and other approval authorities for the actual site. Record the adopted code or rule, submission, decision, conditions and owner instead of writing only “AHJ approval”.

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RTO / ISO

Regional Transmission Organization / Independent System Operator

A regional transmission-grid and wholesale-market coordinator in much of the United States. It is not automatically the retail utility, transmission owner, connection counterparty or source of a project capacity commitment.

Buyer check

Name the serving utility, transmission owner, state commission and applicable RTO or ISO. Keep the tariff, study, agreement and network-work status as separate dated records.

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UEI

Unique Entity ID

An identifier assigned through SAM.gov. A UEI can exist without the active SAM registration required for an organisation to bid directly for US federal awards.

Buyer check

Use the legal entity and the procurement route to decide whether a UEI or active registration is relevant. Neither establishes technical competence, delivery capacity or project fit.

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02 · Design and acceptance

Separate the design basis, product evidence and system proof.

BoD · define it

Basis of design

The recorded systems, components, conditions, methods and assumptions selected to meet the owner’s requirements. Some teams write BoD or BOD, while the DOE project lexicon also uses BOD for Beneficial Occupancy Date; expand the term in every controlled record.

Buyer check

Ask which approved requirement each design choice answers, who owns the interface, what assumption is still open and what change-control record updates the baseline.

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NRTL

Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory

A private-sector organisation OSHA recognises to test and certify specified products against appropriate safety test standards within its recognition scope.

Buyer check

Record the proposed product, applicable requirement, recognised laboratory, exact standard and certification mark. An NRTL name alone is not a blanket product approval or project acceptance.

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CxA

Commissioning authority

The entity responsible for developing and maintaining the commissioning plan and advocating for the commissioning process.

Buyer check

Define appointment, independence, systems, design-review duties, test authority, witnesses, issue control, reporting and handover. The title does not by itself define the scope.

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IST

Integrated system testing

Testing that verifies functional interfaces between systems under defined scenarios, such as loss and restoration of utility power and coordinated responses across power, cooling, controls, security and notification systems.

Buyer check

Tie every scenario to the approved sequence, safe prerequisites, initial state, injected event, expected response, witnesses, pass criteria, evidence, defect route and retest.

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03 · Operate and exit

Keep the measurement boundary and evidence route visible.

PUE

Power usage effectiveness

A ratio of total data-centre facility energy to IT-equipment energy. The number is only comparable when the period, measurement points, included loads and operating conditions are stated.

Buyer check

Specify the annual or reporting period, facility boundary, IT-energy point, meters, data quality, exclusions and treatment of changing IT load before using PUE in a requirement or guarantee.

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WUE

Water usage effectiveness

A site-based ratio of annual site water use to IT-equipment energy, commonly expressed in litres per kilowatt-hour. Source-based variants use a different boundary.

Buyer check

State the water sources, site or source boundary, period, IT-energy denominator, meter locations, treatment losses and operating conditions. Do not compare unlike WUE boundaries.

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OT

Operational technology

Programmable systems or devices that interact with the physical environment or manage devices that do, including building, power, cooling, fire and physical-access controls.

Buyer check

Inventory the critical functions, assets, owners, data flows, dependencies and supplier access. Put authentication, remote support, updates, logging, backup, recovery and exit into the procurement boundary.

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Clear · Purge · Destroy

Media sanitization

A controlled process that makes access to target data on media infeasible for the required level of effort. The method and validation depend on the media, information sensitivity and intended disposition.

Buyer check

Define the media inventory, data classification, approved method, custody, tool or facility, validation, exception route, reconciliation and evidence retained for reuse, return, recycling or destruction.

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Primary references

Official sources behind the working meanings

US Department of Energy — Project Management Lexicon
Official definitions for acquisition, commissioning authority, commissioning plans, acceptance testing, integrated system testing and project acronyms that can collide across teams.
US Department of Energy — Commissioning for Federal Facilities
Federal Energy Management Program guidance on design intent, the basis of design, commissioning roles, verification, functional testing and turnover records.
US Department of Energy — Best Practices Guide for Energy-Efficient Data Center Design
Federal Energy Management Program guidance on data-centre design, measurement boundaries and the PUE and WUE performance metrics.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission — RTOs and ISOs
Official context for Regional Transmission Organizations and Independent System Operators; regional market coordination is distinct from the serving utility and a project connection commitment.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration — NRTL Program
Official scope of the US product-safety testing and certification program, including recognition scopes and registered certification marks.
National Institute of Standards and Technology — Operational technology glossary
Official definitions for programmable systems and devices that monitor or control physical processes, including building, fire and access-control systems.
National Institute of Standards and Technology — Media Sanitization, SP 800-88 Rev. 2
Current final guidance for a media-sanitization program, including selecting, applying and validating methods according to information sensitivity.
SAM.gov — Entity Registration and Unique Entity ID
Official distinction between obtaining a Unique Entity ID and maintaining the active registration needed to bid directly for federal awards.
National Fire Protection Association — Authority Having Jurisdiction
First-party explanation of the AHJ role and why the responsible public or private authority depends on the code, standard, equipment and installation in scope.

Sources checked 1 October 2026. Confirm the current rule, edition, recognition scope, measurement boundary and project-specific definition with the responsible authority and specialists before relying on a term.