Free field manual · 24 pages · PDF
Win Your First Government Contract.
The handbook we wish someone had handed us before our first federal bid. Built for small businesses that have never sold to the government — or have tried, lost, and want to know why.
Bid / No-Bid Decision Matrix
The 9-question scoring grid we run on every opportunity before our team picks up a proposal. If you score under 60, walk — chasing the wrong RFP costs $20–40k in lost capture cycles.
PWin (Probability of Win) Calculator
The same 10-factor model the big primes use, simplified for a small-business owner. Customer relationship, competitive position, past performance, price-to-win — weighted into a single number.
RFP Response Framework
Compliance matrix template + section-by-section outline you can hand to a writer. Cuts your first RFP draft time from 40 hours to about 12.
Pricing-to-Win Worksheet
Federal pricing is its own discipline. First-time bidders typically under-price by 25–40%. This worksheet runs your direct + indirect rates, plus a competitive band so you don’t leave money on the table.
Who this is for
Small business owners (1–50 employees) who have never won a federal contract or have spent months on SAM.gov without a single award. If you’ve already won three primes, the field manual will feel basic — skip it.
Sneak peek inside
3 sample pages — the rest comes in your inbox.
Below is the actual structure of three frameworks from the manual. The full worksheets, scoring weights, and benchmark numbers live in the PDF.
Bid / No-Bid Matrix
| Question | Score |
|---|---|
| Do we know the customer? | _/10 |
| NAICS match? | _/10 |
| Past performance fits? | _/15 |
| Set-aside aligned? | _/15 |
| Win price defensible? | _/15 |
| + 4 more… | _/35 |
Under 60? Walk.
PWin Calculator
- Customer Relationship12%
- Competitive Position10%
- Technical Fit15%
- Past Performance12%
- Price-to-Win15%
- + 5 more factors36%
Pricing-to-Win
First-timers under-price by 25-40%.