Federal Contracting Acronym
ATO
Authority to Operate
Plain-English definition
An Authority to Operate documents that an information system meets agency security requirements under the Risk Management Framework.
Why it matters
Authority to Operate (ATO) is a core federal acquisition term used in regulations, solicitations, and contract administration.
Where you will see it
Federal notices on SAM.gov, contract attachments, registration systems, audit requests, and internal capture/proposal documentation.
Example in context
When reviewing a solicitation, a contractor confirms how ATO is used in the notice, whether related clauses apply, and which internal subject-matter experts should validate the response.