Most small-business bids do not lose on price or capability. They lose because a required form was missing, a requirement in Section L went unanswered, the page limit was exceeded, or the submission arrived after the deadline in the portal’s clock rather than yours.
That is the work: reading the solicitation properly, answering every stated requirement where the evaluator expects to find it, and getting it submitted clean.
Call (909) 454-7076, book a consultation, or use our contact form.
What we respond to
Sources sought notices and RFIs
The most underused entry point in federal contracting. These are market research, not bids — the agency is working out whether a small business set-aside is viable and who could perform. Responses influence how the eventual solicitation is written, including the codes and requirements it carries. They are cheap to answer and they put your name in front of the contracting office before competition exists.
RFPs, RFQs and IFBs
Full proposal development: compliance matrix, technical and management volumes, past performance write-ups, pricing narrative support, and the assembly and submission mechanics. We work from your technical substance rather than inventing it, and we tell you when a solicitation is not worth your time.
DLA DIBBS quoting
Quoting mechanics for suppliers selling parts and consumables through the Defense Logistics Agency, including reading the technical data package and the terms that determine whether an award is actually profitable. Setup is covered on our registrations page.
Teaming and subcontracting
Teaming agreements, subcontractor packages for primes, small business subcontracting plans, and the documentation a prime’s supply chain group asks for before they will add you. If you are pursuing subcontracts rather than prime awards, this is usually the faster route to first revenue.
Capability statements that primes actually read
A capability statement gets somewhere between ten and thirty seconds of attention. It needs your core competencies stated in the buyer’s language, differentiators that are actually differentiating, past performance, and the administrative data — UEI, CAGE, NAICS and PSC codes, certifications, point of contact — in the place people look for it.
We write defense-specific versions rather than reusing a commercial one, because the audience, the vocabulary and the evaluation are different. See capability statement development.
How we work a solicitation
- Bid or no-bid first. Eligibility, set-aside status, codes, past performance requirements and realistic competition. A clear no-bid is a useful answer.
- Compliance matrix. Every requirement in Sections L and M mapped to where it will be answered.
- Content development. Your technical inputs, structured and written against the evaluation criteria.
- Review. A compliance pass against the matrix, then a readability pass, before anything is assembled.
- Submission. Portal mechanics, formats, page limits and the deadline in the portal’s time zone.
- Debrief. Requested in writing after award, win or lose, and read for what to change next time.
What we do not do
We do not certify pricing, provide legal advice on contract terms, or guarantee award. We do not write technical claims your engineers have not made. Where a solicitation raises a legal question — an organizational conflict of interest, a protest, a novel flow-down clause — that belongs with counsel, and we will say so rather than guess.
Common questions
Should we respond to sources sought notices if we cannot perform the whole contract?
Usually yes. A sources sought notice is market research, and your response tells the contracting officer that capable small businesses exist — which is what supports a set-aside decision. You can respond describing the portion you can perform, or your intent to team. It costs a few hours and it shapes a solicitation that has not been written yet.
What is a compliance matrix and why does it matter?
It maps every requirement in Sections L and M of the solicitation to the exact place in your proposal where you answer it. Evaluators score against their own checklist, and proposals lose points for requirements that were answered somewhere unexpected, or answered well but not where the evaluator looked. The matrix is how you stop losing points you already earned.
We lost a bid. Is there anything useful to do?
Request a debrief, in writing, within the window stated in the notice. Debriefs tell you how you were actually scored, and the same weakness usually repeats across bids until someone names it. Companies that treat debriefs as routine improve faster than companies that treat losing as random.
Can you write the proposal if the technical content is ours?
That is the normal arrangement. Your engineers supply the technical substance and we handle structure, compliance, narrative, past performance write-ups, formatting and the submission mechanics. Most small-business proposals fail on responsiveness and completeness rather than on technical merit.
What is a small business subcontracting plan?
Larger contracts require the prime to document how it will use small business subcontractors, with goals by category and reporting against them. If a prime has asked you for one, or you have become the prime and now owe one, we prepare the plan and the supporting documentation.
How much lead time do you need?
More is better, but we work to real deadlines. Three weeks on an RFP is workable if the technical inputs exist. Three days is triage, and we will say honestly whether the result is worth submitting or whether your effort is better spent on the next one.
There is probably something open right now
If you have a solicitation in front of you, send it over and we will give you a straight bid or no-bid read before you commit any time to it.
Call (909) 454-7076, book a consultation, or use our contact form.
GERC is a woman-led advisory firm led by Dr. Shirley Ayangbah, a PhD legal economist with more than 14 years of experience. Based in downtown San Bernardino, delivering nationwide. CAGE code 11SD2, registered and active in SAM.gov, certified California Small Business (Micro) and for Public Works.
GERC provides consulting, research, administrative, proposal, procurement and organizational support services. GERC is not a law firm, an accredited CMMC Third-Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO), or a provider of legal or tax advice. Where a matter requires an attorney, CPA or accredited assessor, we say so and work alongside the professional you choose.