The Bid-Readiness Checklist

The readiness items from Government Contracts for Beginners by Kevin Thoong, gathered into one working list. Print it, check it off, keep it with your records through your first ninety days.

A Gov Anchor resource. No hype. No promised millions. Just the process, done right, one form at a time.

Get the full checklist

Name

Free. The full list unlocks right below, and a copy goes to your inbox.

You're in. Your checklist is unlocked below.

Gov Anchor

The Bid-Readiness Checklist

From Government Contracts for Beginners by Kevin Thoong · easygovernmentcontracts.com/checklist.html

1 · Ready to Register

You are ready to register when every line below is true.

Entity formed (or existing structure confirmed active with the state) and formation documents saved
One exact legal name, identical across state filing, IRS records, and bank account
EIN issued; CP 575 letter saved; about two weeks allowed for the new EIN to propagate before registrations that match against it
Business bank account open in the legal name; routing + account numbers recorded accurately
Physical address decided and provable (lease, utility bill, or bank statement on hand)
Durable business phone number and business email in place — ones you control long-term
Documents folder assembled: formation docs, EIN letter, address proof, banking details
Primary NAICS code chosen, plus only the secondary codes you can honestly perform
Plain-language paragraph written: what you do, where, and what size of work you can perform
Service area defined (where you will and won’t travel to perform)
Nothing bought that a specific opportunity hasn’t asked for yet

Sections 2–5 — the Bid / No-Bid Scorecard, the saved-search habits, subcontractor readiness, and federal readiness — unlock with the form above.

2 · The Bid / No-Bid Scorecard

Fill one out for every solicitation you seriously consider — including the ones you reject. Especially the ones you reject.

1. Deadline & submission. Exact due date, time, and time zone; how and where it must be submitted; what “late” means (late is rejected).
2. Eligibility. Licenses, insurance, certifications, set-aside status, and any registration the buyer requires before award — and whether you can fix any gap before the deadline.
3. Scope fit. The work restated in your own words; everything named is priced; anything the document is silent about is written down as an assumption or a question.
4. Geography. Where the work actually happens, site by site; travel time and cost; whether the territory is one you can serve profitably.
5. Capacity. Crew, equipment, and working cash to start; what else is on your plate in those same weeks.
6. The 50% rule check. On set-asides: at least 50% of the cost of performance (services and supplies) must stay with you and similarly situated firms — construction percentages differ (85% general, 75% specialty). Run the split on paper now.
7. Economics & payment terms. Your real cost, your price, and what is left; when the buyer pays (net 30? 45? 60?) and whether you can float the gap.
8. Kill-clause scan. Mandatory site visit or pre-bid conference; insurance or bonding minimums you cannot meet; an early Q&A deadline; termination and price-adjustment clauses; amendments you must acknowledge.
9. Evaluation. How the winner is chosen — lowest price, or scored proposal — and whether the method gives a business like yours a real chance.

The core test: Can I perform this, profitably, at the standard written here, by the dates written here — and does the evaluation method give a business like mine a real chance?

Then write it down: BID or NO-BID — reason, in one sentence. File the sheet either way.

3 · Saved-Search Habits

Your portal registration only pays if it is set up to watch for the right work. Fill in your keywords and codes once per portal, and revisit monthly.

Email alerts turned ON for every portal I am registered on
I check each portal myself once a week anyway — alerts miss things, and a saved search is a net, not a promise
Monthly: review my codes and keywords; delete codes that only send junk, add the phrases buyers used in solicitations I wished I had seen
Every new match gets the Bid / No-Bid Scorecard before it gets my time

4 · Ready to Be a Subcontractor

You are ready to be trusted as a sub when every line below is true.

Business entity in good standing, and basic registrations in place and matching across all your paperwork
Insurance current for the work you do — and you know what a given job would require beyond it
State vendor listing and portal profiles complete and current, with plain-words descriptions and a working contact
A one-page capability statement written — who you are, what you do, your codes, your credentials, your contact — with every claim on it true today
A short introduction ready to send: what you do, where you do it, proof you are set up, one contact
A habit of same-day answers to inquiries — including a fast, honest no when the work is not yours
A rule for yourself: no piece of work accepted without its scope in writing and payment terms you understand
The 50% rule understood, so you can recognize an arrangement that is real work — and one that is only paper

5 · Ready for Federal — When It’s Time

Federal is the biggest market, and it comes second. You are ready for that level when most of this is true:

Your business basics are boring and consistent — one legal name, one address, documents that agree with each other
You’ve done government work already — state, local, or as a subcontractor — and you can point to it
You know which certifications you actually qualify for. You’re not guessing
You can handle a long sales cycle without it putting the business at risk

Working the list and want the live work itself? See the live bid board — real open contracts, matched by trade and state.

Easy Government Contracts — a Gov Anchor product.

Contact: hello@easygovernmentcontracts.com

Free Guide · The Kit · Blog · FAQ · Contact

Educational product only. This site is not a government agency and is not affiliated with any government agency. Nothing here guarantees contract awards, revenue, or results. Government contracting involves risk and effort; always confirm current rules on official government sites before you act.

Free 7-day try

Try Free for 7 Days