Free small-business resource

14-Day Federal Contracting Readiness Checklist

Move from “we want government work” to a documented, reviewable pursuit process—one focused day at a time.

No registration requiredEvidence-first guidanceBuilt for human approval

How to use it

Complete one day at a time and save the evidence for every item: source links, screenshots, dates, quotes, approvals, and final documents. A checked box means the work is complete and verifiable—not merely discussed.

Day 1

Confirm the legal foundation

Match the legal name, address, ownership, tax, banking, and state records.Record UEI, CAGE, and SAM expiration.Create one verified company profile.

Day 2

Validate SAM.gov

Confirm Active registration and All Awards purpose.Review the public entity record.Schedule renewal reminders.

Day 3

Map codes and keywords

Select primary and secondary NAICS codes.Map relevant PSC codes.Build a buyer-language keyword list.

Day 4

Define the ideal opportunity

Set size, location, staffing, insurance, and cash-flow limits.Choose agencies, set-asides, and notice types.Write bid/no-bid rules.

Day 5

Build the capability statement

State three to five provable capabilities.Add differentiators and past performance.Create a one-page, pursuit-ready PDF.

Day 6

Assemble evidence

Collect licenses, insurance, safety, resumes, and references.Assign owners and due dates to gaps.Separate trade secrets from proposal evidence.

Day 7

Configure discovery

Search by codes plus service and product keywords.Track deadlines, site visits, set-asides, and attachments.Save every notice and amendment.

Day 8

Qualify the opportunity

Read the notice, SOW, clauses, wage data, and attachments.Separate mandatory and scored requirements.Record contradictions and open questions.

Day 9

Create the pursuit timeline

Add all external and internal deadlines.Assign owners and alerts.Update the timeline after amendments.

Day 10

Build the fulfillment plan

Separate self-performed and partner work.Research qualified local partners.Obtain evidence-backed quotes.

Day 11

Price with evidence

Use wage data, quotes, award history, and indirect costs.Calculate landed cost, reserve, profit, and cash needs.Link every estimate to its source.

Day 12

Build the compliance matrix

List every instruction and evaluation factor.Map each requirement to response evidence.Block submission when mandatory evidence is missing.

Day 13

Review risk and approvals

Confirm price, capacity, insurance, and delivery assumptions.Require named human approval.Perform a red-team review.

Day 14

Submit and preserve the record

Submit early enough to recover from errors.Save the package, confirmation, approvals, and sources.Schedule follow-up and lessons learned.

Launch gate

You are ready to pursue when the company record is consistent, SAM is active, the opportunity is fully read, mandatory evidence is present, pricing is sourced, the timeline is current, and an authorized person has approved submission.

PAIOS GovCon keeps that evidence and decision path connected.

Ready to move beyond a static checklist?

Turn readiness into a working pursuit.

PAIOS GovCon connects opportunity discovery, qualification, timelines, evidence, pricing, partner research, approvals, and pursuit records.

Start your 14-day trial