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Stop Chasing Bad Opportunities

The biggest mistake in government contracting? Pursuing opportunities you can’t win while missing the ones you can. Smart opportunity management means finding the right opportunities, making smart bid decisions, and staying organized throughout the long capture process.

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Find Your Next Win

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Stop Missing Opportunities (SAM.gov Direct Access)

Never again lose a winnable contract because you didn’t know it existed:
1

Search Government Opportunities

From your CRM dashboard, click the “Firehose” button to search every government opportunity in real-time.
2

Find What You Can Actually Win

  • Search for keywords that match what you actually do
  • Filter by agencies where you have relationships
  • Focus on contract values your company can handle
3

See Your Win Probability

Get instant scoring that tells you:
  • Match Score: How likely you are to win based on your capabilities
  • Key Requirements: What the government actually wants
  • Red Flags: Problems that could kill your chances
4

Set Up Everything at Once

Click “Import” and get:
  • Complete opportunity setup with all the details
  • All solicitation documents automatically downloaded
  • Deadline alerts so you never miss critical dates

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For Special Opportunities

When you hear about opportunities through your network or industry contacts:
  1. Click “New Opportunity” in your CRM dashboard
  2. Capture the essential details:
    • Title: What the contract is actually for (not just the government’s cryptic title)
    • Solicitation Number: The official number you’ll need to reference
    • Agency: Which government office is buying
    • Who’s Running It: The contracting office you’ll be dealing with
    • Contract Value: How much money is at stake
    • Deadline: When you need to submit your proposal
    • Contract Type: Fixed price, cost-plus, time and materials, etc.
    • Set-Aside: Small business requirements (if any)
Use titles that actually describe what you’ll be doing. “Network Infrastructure Modernization for DHS” beats “DHSAA24-001 IT Services.”

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See Everything at a Glance

Never lose track of where your opportunities stand:

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Pipeline View

  • Visual pipeline showing exactly where each opportunity is in your capture process
  • Drag-and-drop to update status (from “Watching” to “Bidding” to “Submitted”)
  • Color coding so you instantly see bid vs no-bid decisions
  • Quick filters to focus on what matters (urgent deadlines, high-value opportunities)

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List View

  • Sortable columns to analyze your portfolio (sort by value, deadline, win probability)
  • Bulk actions to update multiple opportunities at once
  • Export functionality for board presentations and capture reviews
  • Smart filters to find exactly what you’re looking for

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Calendar View

  • Timeline view of every critical deadline
  • Gate review scheduling so nothing gets missed
  • Team capacity overlays to avoid overloading your people
  • Critical path highlighting for time-sensitive pursuits

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Make Smart Bid Decisions

Stop wasting money on opportunities you can’t win. Here’s how to decide where to invest your capture dollars:

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Your Four Options

Bid

We can win this - commit full capture resources and go for it

No Bid

We can’t win this - document why and move on to better opportunities

Teaming

Partner with someone else - we can’t prime but we can contribute as a sub

Watching

Stay informed but don’t invest - monitor for competitive intelligence

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How to Decide Where to Invest

1

Open the Opportunity

Navigate to the opportunity you’re considering
2

Ask the Hard Questions

Be brutally honest about:
  • Do we have the past performance they want?
  • Can we actually deliver what they’re asking for?
  • Is this contract the right size for our company?
  • Do we have 6+ months to build relationships before the RFP drops?
  • What’s our realistic win probability? (If it’s under 30%, walk away)
3

Make the Decision

  1. Click “Set Bid Decision” in the opportunity header
  2. Choose your path forward
  3. Explain your reasoning (you’ll thank yourself later during lessons learned)
  4. Rate your confidence (1-10 scale)
  5. Add any conditions or notes
4

Set Up the Right Level of Tracking

Based on your decision:
  • Bid: Assign capture team and start relationship building
  • No Bid: Minimal tracking for competitive intelligence only
  • Teaming: Research potential prime contractors you could partner with
  • Watching: Set alerts for key dates but don’t invest capture dollars
Document everything. Your future self will need to understand why you made this decision, and your lessons learned database will help you make better decisions on similar opportunities.

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Never Lose Another Document

Stop digging through email attachments and network drives looking for the latest version of the SOW:

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Everything Gets Organized Automatically

When you import an opportunity, all documents land in the right place:
  • Primary Solicitation: The main RFP, RFI, or sources sought
  • Amendments: Every change and clarification (no more missed updates)
  • Technical Specs: SOWs, PWS, technical attachments
  • Q&A Responses: Government answers to questions
  • Reference Materials: Related contracts, standards, anything relevant

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Find Any Document in Seconds

Every document is instantly searchable:
  • Full-text search - find specific requirements or keywords
  • Smart analysis - key dates and requirements automatically highlighted
  • Compliance tracking - requirements extracted for your compliance matrix
  • Smart tagging - documents automatically categorized and labeled

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Never Work with Old Versions Again

Stay current without the confusion:
  • Amendment alerts when the government publishes changes
  • Version tracking so you always know what’s current
  • Change highlighting shows exactly what changed between versions
  • Archive access to reference historical versions when needed

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Know Everything That Matters

Track the intelligence that determines whether you win or lose:

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What You Need to Know

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Never Miss Another Deadline

Automatic alerts keep you ahead of the game:
  • Deadline warnings (set your lead time - 30 days, 7 days, 24 hours)
  • Amendment alerts when the government publishes changes
  • Q&A deadline reminders so you get your questions in
  • Industry event notifications for networking opportunities
  • Competitor intelligence when your competition makes moves

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From Discovery to Contract Award

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Your Capture Journey

Every opportunity follows the same path to success:
  1. Find It: Discover through SAM.gov monitoring or your network
  2. Decide: Make a smart bid/no-bid decision (don’t chase bad opportunities)
  3. Capture: Build relationships and position your solution (this is where you win)
  4. Propose: RFP drops and you write your response (you’re already positioned to win)
  5. Evaluate: Government reviews all proposals (stay engaged but don’t panic)
  6. Win: Contract awarded and lessons learned captured for next time

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Critical Checkpoints

Don’t advance to the next stage until you’re ready:
  • Decide → Capture: Bid decision approved and capture team assigned
  • Capture → Propose: RFP published and your capture plan is solid
  • Propose → Evaluate: Proposal submitted on time with no last-minute scrambles
  • Evaluate → Award: Government announces decision (celebrate wins, learn from losses)

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Automatic Process Management

Let the system handle routine tasks:
  • Team notifications when opportunities hit important milestones
  • Document alerts when new materials are needed
  • Progress checking before moving to the next phase
  • Report generation for management and board reviews

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Know Where You Stand

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Track Individual Opportunities

See exactly how each opportunity is performing:
  • Time in pipeline - are you moving fast enough or spinning your wheels?
  • Win/loss tracking - document why you won or lost for future learning
  • Capture investment - how much you’re spending vs. the contract value
  • Competitive position - are you ahead, behind, or neck-and-neck?
  • Customer engagement - how often you’re connecting with decision makers

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Analyze Your Entire Portfolio

Understand your capture performance across all opportunities:
  • Pipeline value - how much potential revenue you’re pursuing
  • Win rate by customer, contract type, and size (find your sweet spot)
  • Capture ROI - cost per opportunity and cost per win
  • Team efficiency - which team members and approaches win most
  • Market positioning - where you’re strong and where you’re weak
Monthly portfolio reviews are essential. Look at your numbers, identify patterns, and adjust your strategy. Double down on what’s working and stop doing what isn’t.

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How to Win More Consistently

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Stay Organized

  • Use clear, descriptive names for opportunities (not government acronyms)
  • Tag opportunities by capability area so you can find similar pursuits
  • Keep contact information current (relationships change fast in government)
  • Clean up your pipeline monthly - archive dead opportunities

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Gather Intelligence Like a Pro

  • Set up Google Alerts for agencies, programs, and key officials
  • Monitor customer websites, LinkedIn, and industry publications
  • Attend every industry day and networking event (relationships win contracts)
  • Start building relationships 12+ months before RFPs drop

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Communicate Effectively

  • Use opportunity comments to keep your team informed
  • Share competitive intelligence immediately when you learn it
  • Document all decisions with clear rationale (you’ll need it for lessons learned)
  • Maintain clear records for audits and compliance

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Execute with Discipline

  • Follow your gate review process religiously (it catches problems early)
  • Keep all opportunity data current (outdated information kills deals)
  • Capture lessons learned after every win and loss
  • Back up your data regularly (you can’t afford to lose years of intelligence)
Ready to build winning strategies? Learn how to create comprehensive capture plans for your qualified opportunities.