17 questions · answered in plain English
The questions you ask before you know the jargon.
Most bid guidance assumes you already speak procurement. These pages start from the problem in front of you — a document you cannot decode, a deadline you might have missed, a loss you cannot explain — and every one of them carries something you can use without buying anything.
Start here
Should my company bid on this RFP?
The disqualifiers-first worksheet behind every other page on this hub. Score one live opportunity, then copy or print the decision record for your file.
Before you commit any hours
9 questionsQualification questions. The cheapest week of a pursuit is the one you decide not to spend.
Decide whether to bid using disqualifiers first, then a weighted fit score, with a printable worksheet you can fill in for one opportunity today.
Interactive worksheet · 6 minIs this bid real, or just a fishing expedition?Tell a funded, decision-ready solicitation apart from information gathering, a budget exercise, or a formality — before you spend a week on it.
Checklist · 6 minIs this bid written for the company that already has it?Read a solicitation for signals that the requirements were shaped around one vendor, and learn which signals are worth a question, a protest, or a pass.
Reference table · 6 minHow much does it cost to respond to a government RFP?Price a bid response in hours, not vibes. A worked cost model for a small firm, plus the break-even math that tells you when to walk away.
Worked example · 6 minHow do I find out what the agency paid last time?Use published expenditure data, award records, and public records requests to price against evidence instead of guessing at a government buyer's budget.
Step-by-step routine · 5 minDo I need DIR registration, SB certification, or a bond for this bid?Three different requirements with three different triggers. Which apply to your bid, when they are mandatory, and where to verify each one.
Reference table · 6 minWe've never bid on government work. Where do we start?A first-timer's sequence for California public bidding: register, get findable, learn the document types, and choose a first opportunity you can actually win.
Step-by-step routine · 6 minShould we bid as a subcontractor instead of a prime?Compare prime and subcontractor roles on eligibility, cost, risk, margin, and the reference history each one actually builds.
Reference table · 5 minCan we win without government past performance?Yes, in the right competitions. What evaluators are really testing, which private-sector substitutes work, and which ones score as nothing.
Reference table · 5 minWhile you are writing the response
4 questionsMechanics. Most responses that fail do not fail on the writing — they fail on a row nobody checked.
Extract every mandatory requirement from a long solicitation with a keyword sweep, a numbered requirement list, and a compliance matrix you can hand to a writer.
Step-by-step routine · 6 minWhat happens if I miss an addendum?Missing an addendum can change your due date, your scope, or your responsiveness. Here is the damage, the recovery, and a routine that prevents it.
Step-by-step routine · 5 minCan I call the buyer, and what am I allowed to ask?Once a solicitation is out, contact rules tighten. What you may ask, how to phrase it in writing, and what will get your bid disqualified.
Reference table · 5 minWhat does a “responsive and responsible” bidder actually mean?Responsive is about your paperwork; responsible is about your company. Here is the difference, the definitions, and what makes you fail each one.
Reference table · 5 minAfter the decision is out of your hands
4 questionsPost-mortem and program questions. This is where a bidding habit becomes a bidding business.
Get the reason in writing, check the protest clock before it closes, decide whether to challenge, and fix the cause so it does not happen twice.
Step-by-step routine · 6 minWhy do we keep losing bids we thought we'd win?Usually the answer is arithmetic, not politics: you optimized price while the scoring sheet paid for evidence. Here is the math worked through.
Worked example · 6 minHow many bids do we have to submit to win one?Stop guessing at your win rate. Compute it from your own last twelve months, convert it into hours per win, and decide what to change.
Worked example · 5 minHow long does it take to get paid on a government contract?California sets prompt-payment expectations for state agencies. What the timelines are, what starts the clock, and how to plan working capital.
Step-by-step routine · 5 minWhen the answer is not enough
Have one live California opportunity reviewed.
The $199 Bid-Fit Audit reviews one identified California state, local, utility, education, or special district opportunity against its official documents and returns a written Chase, Verify, or Pass recommendation with the open questions named.