Before you respond: bid readiness, past awards and size standards
What a notice's page shows to help you decide whether to respond, all from published facts, with the choice yours.
The Firmenza team ·
What is bid readiness?
Reading a notice to decide whether it is worth your time can take an evening. Bid readiness gives you a first reading in a few seconds. On each notice it says "Worth a look", "Look closer" or "Probably skip", with every reason shown, one line each.
It sets the notice's published facts beside your profile and your registration: the NAICS code, the set-aside type as published, whether your registration is active through the response date, how much time is left, the place of performance, and whether the notice asks for past performance. It runs on fixed rules, not AI. It reads the facts, not your business, and whether to respond is yours to decide.
Who did this work before?
On a notice's page, "Who did this work before" lists recent awards from USAspending.gov. It matches by the notice's own solicitation number first, then by the same agency and NAICS code, and says which rule found them. Each award shows the amount obligated to date and when its period of performance ends.
When no award matches that closely, "Past awards for this kind of work" gives the range of recent awards in the notice's NAICS code. Both are public history, not a price to bid, and they help you see the size of the work before you read the whole solicitation.
Who is getting awards in your codes?
The market view shows who buys what you sell, from past contract awards in your codes. It lists the contractors behind the most recent awards in your codes, largest total first, and the contracts in your codes that end within the next year. It is a quick way to learn which agencies to follow and which businesses might need a subcontractor.
What is the size standard beside a NAICS code?
The SBA sets a size standard for each NAICS code, as a number of employees or as average annual receipts. Firmenza shows it beside each code you pick in your profile and in your capability statement, from SBA's table effective March 17, 2023, so you do not have to look it up.
Whether your business is small is your answer to make, and it matters on a set-aside. The card just below this post lists free counselors who can help you work it out. To find the right codes for your work, use the code finder.
Sources
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