# GovCon Opportunity Triage Kit (free sample)
*By PaperChaseWebb Inc. · 2026-11-01*

The five-step triage flow with the eight gate questions, plus the decision bands, overrides and the decision record. The full kit adds the weighted rubric, the scoresheet, the pursuit cost worksheet, AI prompts, a scored worked example and agent rules.

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# How to Use the Kit

Run this flow on every opportunity, whether it's a sources sought, an RFI, an RFQ, or an RFP.

## Step 1: Gate check (10 minutes)
Answer Yes, No, or Unknown for each:

- **G1. SAM active?** You must be registered when you submit an offer (FAR 4.1102; FAR 52.204-7).
- **G2. Small under the assigned NAICS?** Check the size standard for the NAICS code *on this solicitation* (13 CFR Part 121). Receipts-based standards use a **5-year** average of annual receipts (13 CFR 121.104(c)).
- **G3. Set-aside match?** If it's an SDVOSB set-aside, you must be SBA-certified and show that way in SAM (FAR 19.1405(c); 13 CFR 128.200).
- **G4. No exclusion?** Neither the company nor its principals has an active exclusion in SAM (13 CFR 128.201).
- **G5. Can you self-perform?** Can you meet the limitations on subcontracting (FAR 52.219-14; 13 CFR 125.6)?
- **G6. Teaming sound?** If you team, a joint venture meets the 40% work-share rule (13 CFR 128.402(d); 13 CFR 125.8(c)) and you aren't unusually reliant on a sub (13 CFR 128.401). No teaming? Mark it N/A.
- **G7. Responsible?** Do you have the money, schedule room, and controls (FAR 9.104-1)?
- **G8. Clean information?** You haven't obtained bid or source-selection information you shouldn't have (FAR 3.104-3).

*G1 to G8 use the same IDs as the Eligibility and Compliance Gate Checklist. For the full check on any gate, open the matching section in its 01-gate-checklist.md.*

**Any No means a no-bid.** An Unknown has to be resolved before Step 3.

## Step 2: Read the evaluation section
List the evaluation factors and their relative importance. The solicitation must state them (FAR 15.304(d) and (e)).

## Step 3: Score the six criteria
Use **02-scoring-rubric.md** and write the evidence beside every score.

## Step 4: Price the pursuit
Fill in **04-pursuit-cost-worksheet.md**.

## Step 5: Decide and record
Apply the bands in **05-decision-bands-and-record.md**. File the record, including no-bids, because they teach you what to target.

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# Decision Bands and Record

## Bands (total score out of 100)
| Score | Decision |
|---|---|
| 75 to 100 | **BID** |
| 60 to 74 | **BID WITH CONDITIONS** |
| 45 to 59 | **RESHAPE** (team, sub, or wait for the next one) |
| Under 45 | **NO-BID** |

## Overrides (applied after the band)
1. **Gate stop:** any failed gate means NO-BID, whatever the score. Write down the exact rule behind it.
2. **Negative expected value:** cap the decision at RESHAPE unless the strategic exception in the worksheet is written down.
3. **One-way door:** if the bid commits you to something you can't undo (a teaming exclusivity, key-hire contingencies, a large outlay) and your reviewers disagree by 2 or more points on any criterion, cap at BID WITH CONDITIONS and name the cheapest test first.
4. **Teaming check:** if RESHAPE depends on a teammate, re-run G5 and G6. Self-performance limits and the ostensible-subcontractor rule can make you ineligible (13 CFR 121.103; 13 CFR 128.401; 13 CFR 125.6).

## Decision record
**Opportunity / Notice ID:** ____________________
**Decision:** BID / BID W/ CONDITIONS / RESHAPE / NO-BID
**Total score:** ____ · **Expected value:** $____
**Gates failed (rule cited):** ____________________
**Conditions (if any), owner, date:** ____________________
**Why (3 lines max):**
1.
2.
3.
**Decided by / date:** ____________________

## Quarterly look-back
- How many bids did you submit, and how many did you win?
- Which criterion best predicted a win?
- Which no-bids would you take back?

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## In the full kit ($39)
- README.md
- 01-how-to-use.md
- 02-scoring-rubric.md
- 03-opportunity-scoresheet.md
- 04-pursuit-cost-worksheet.md
- 05-decision-bands-and-record.md
- 06-ai-prompts.md
- 07-worked-example.md
- SOURCES.md
- Agent rules for Grok Bot, Claude Code, Codex and Hermes, with the owner approval step

> Not legal advice. Check the live FAR, eCFR and the solicitation itself.

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© 2026 PaperChaseWebb Inc. · paperchasewebb.ai · mgmt@paperchasewebb.com