How to evaluate whether a solicitation fits your business
A matching alert is a reason to investigate, not a recommendation to bid. Make a short bid-or-no-bid decision before committing hours to a proposal.
Confirm the notice and the current documents
Open the issuing agency's notice, check whether responses are still being accepted, and look for amendments. Identify whether the notice is a solicitation, sources sought, request for information, or something else.
Read the instructions, statement of work, attachments, and question-and-answer updates. A deadline in an alert may be superseded by an amendment.
Check eligibility before estimating the job
If a requirement is unclear, follow the notice's instructions for contacting the contracting office. Do not treat a search filter, business description, or AI summary as evidence that you qualify.
- Confirm the solicitation's NAICS code and applicable size standard.
- Check the set-aside and certification requirements against your actual status.
- Read registration, licensing, insurance, bonding, and security requirements.
- Look for mandatory site visits, conferences, and attendance conditions.
Make a realistic delivery decision
Compare the location, performance period, staffing, materials, travel, and subcontracting needs with your available capacity. Consider whether you have the experience and documentation the evaluation criteria require.
Ask whether the likely effort, risk, and economics make sense. A large contract value is not useful if mobilization or compliance costs put it out of reach.
Plan the response backward from the deadline
Record the exact deadline and time zone, submission method, required forms, page limits, and question deadline. Assign time for pricing, review, signatures, and submission. Keep an amendment checklist and recheck the source before sending.
If you decline an opportunity, note why. Hiding it in GovShark can reduce repeated review; restoring it later does not extend the agency's deadline.