First Federal Bid Readiness Checklist (Free Printable)
Most first federal bids fail before the proposal is written: a registration is inactive, the size standard was never checked, past performance references are not lined up, or the pricing cannot be supported. Winning as a small business is usually the result of being boringly ready when the right solicitation appears. This checklist covers the eight readiness areas, so you can spend proposal week on the proposal. Free printable Word version below — just tell us where to send it.
⬇ Download the readiness checklist (Word)
1. Registrations and identifiers
- SAM.gov entity registration Active, with the expiration date on the calendar (checklist).
- UEI and CAGE code recorded; reps and certs completed within the last year.
- NAICS codes chosen deliberately and the SBA size standard checked for each (worksheet).
- State and local registrations current (business licence, contractor licence where required for the work).
2. Size and set-aside status
- You know whether you are small under the NAICS code most of your target solicitations use.
- If you may qualify for a socio-economic program (8(a), HUBZone, WOSB/EDWOSB, SDVOSB/VOSB), the SBA certification is applied for or complete — self-certification is no longer sufficient for most of these (eligibility worksheet).
- Affiliation reviewed: ownership or control ties to other companies can make you "other than small". Ask an advisor if you have common owners or shared management.
3. Past performance
- Three to five relevant past projects written up in the format proposals ask for: customer, contract number or PO, value, period, scope, and a named reference with current phone and email.
- References contacted and willing to complete a Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) quickly.
- Commercial and state/local work counts when you have no federal history — present it in the same format.
- If you have federal work, your CPARS ratings are known and any weak ones have an explanation ready.
4. Pricing and accounting
- A pricing model exists: fully burdened labour rates by category, materials mark-ups, overhead and G&A percentages, profit — built from your actual costs, not guessed.
- You can produce a price breakdown in the format the solicitation requires (unit prices, CLIN structure, or labour-category hours).
- For cost-reimbursement or larger contracts: an accounting system that can segregate costs by contract (a DCAA-adequate system if the solicitation requires one).
- Cash-flow plan for net-30 (or slower) government payment terms and the invoicing system the agency uses (for example the Invoice Processing Platform or PIEE/WAWF for DoD).
5. Capability statement and company documents
- One-to-two-page capability statement, current, with codes and differentiators up top (template).
- Standard company documents ready as PDFs: formation documents, licences, insurance certificates, key-personnel résumés, organisation chart, quality plan, safety plan (construction), and a standard subcontracting plan outline if you will ever exceed the plan threshold.
6. Bonding, insurance and financial capacity
- Construction: a surety relationship in place for bid, performance and payment bonds (Miller Act bonds are required on federal construction above the statutory threshold); know your single and aggregate bonding limits.
- General liability, workers' compensation, auto and any professional liability at the levels solicitations in your field typically require.
- A line of credit or reserves sufficient to fund the first two or three months of a contract before the first payment arrives.
7. Market research and pipeline
- Saved searches on SAM.gov for your codes and keywords (setup sheet) and a watchlist in BidWatch so amendments and deadlines are tracked.
- Agency small-business forecasts reviewed for your target agencies (each agency publishes a procurement forecast; OSDBU offices list them).
- Past awards researched on USAspending.gov or FPDS to learn who wins, at what price, under which set-asides.
- Sources-sought notices and RFIs answered where relevant — they shape whether a requirement becomes a set-aside.
- Subcontracting opportunities identified with primes that hold contracts in your space (SBA SubNet, prime contractors' supplier portals).
8. Proposal process and free help
- A repeatable proposal process: a compliance matrix from the solicitation (template), a writer, a reviewer, and a pricing owner — even if that is two people.
- You know the micro-purchase and simplified acquisition thresholds in FAR 2.101 and how they change which rules apply (verify the current figures — they are adjusted periodically).
- You have met your local APEX Accelerator (formerly PTAC) counsellor and SBDC — free one-on-one help with registrations, certifications and bid review.
- You have contacted the target agency's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) and introduced your firm.
⚠️ Readiness is not a one-time state. SAM lapses, size changes, references move jobs, insurance renews. Walk this list quarterly, and re-check the size standard for the specific code on every solicitation before you commit proposal hours.
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Start free — no card requiredGeneral guidance for small businesses entering federal contracting, not legal or contracting advice. Registration procedures, thresholds and program rules change — verify current requirements on SAM.gov, SBA.gov, Acquisition.gov (FAR) and in each solicitation. BidWatch is not affiliated with the U.S. government.