# Government Buyer Outreach Screen: where agencies find vendors and what not to send

> Commercial outreach habits do not carry over to federal buying. This kit maps seven common places agencies look for small businesses, then screens every planned contact before it goes out: the wrong person during an open solicitation, questions about other bidders, job talk, gifts over the $20 and $50 limits, and any message without your yes on it.

- URL: https://paperchasewebb.ai/bots/marketplace/items/government-buyer-outreach-screen-where-agencies-find-vendors-and-what-not-to-send/
- Type: Prompt pack
- Category: Solo business
- By: PaperChaseWebb
- Works with: Claude Code, Codex, Grok Bot, Hermes (named in the listing); A Python screen with tests, a contact log template, four method files, AGENTS.md rules with an owner approval step and two prompts
- Price: $19 USD
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Setup time: 15 min
- Time to result: A screened week of outreach in about 30 minutes
- Format: Markdown (.md) file, government-buyer-outreach-screen-where-agencies-find-vendors-and-what-not-to-send.md
- Version: 1.0, updated 2026-11-03
- License: Use inside your own company, including when you plan outreach for clients. Do not resell or republish the kit itself.

## What you end up with

A contact log where every planned message has been screened against the rules and carries your dated yes before you send it.

## What you get

- 01 Buyer channel map: seven common places agencies look for vendors, what to have ready, what to skip
- 02 Outreach screen: eight stop questions, each tied to its FAR or 5 CFR rule
- 03 Gifts, meals and events: the $20 and $50 limits in plain words, with common cases
- 04 Pipeline metrics that fit long federal cycles, instead of reply rates
- outreach_screen.py: a read-only check of your contact log, 8 stop checks and 3 warnings
- contacts.csv: the planned-contact log with a fictional example that screens CLEAN
- 27 tests, one planted fault per check
- AGENTS.md for Grok Bot, Claude Code, Codex and Hermes, with the owner approval step and two prompts
- SOURCES.md: FAR and 5 CFR citations checked live on 2026-11-03

## Who it is for

Small federal contractors who want to reach buyers through the channels agencies use, without sending a message that could put a bid at risk.

## Tools needed

- Python 3.8 or newer: the screen and its tests; standard library only
- Any text editor or spreadsheet: fill in contacts.csv; no account or login
- Grok Bot, Claude Code, Codex or Hermes (optional): drafts messages and runs the screen under AGENTS.md; never sends, never fills in the owner's yes
- You need: A list of agencies or notices you want to pursue
- You need: Python 3.8 or newer

Cost to run: The kit is the only purchase. SAM.gov and APEX Accelerator help are free; the kit never logs in anywhere.

## How it works

1. **Run the tests.** Unpack the kit and run python3 -m unittest discover -s tests. Expected: 27 tests pass.
2. **Pick your channels.** Read the buyer channel map and choose the two or three channels that fit the agencies you want. Expected: A short list of where to show up, and what to have ready for each.
3. **Log and screen.** Add each planned contact to contacts.csv, then run python3 outreach_screen.py contacts.csv --today with today's date. Expected: Every row CLEAN, or a STOP with the rule and the fix.
4. **Approve and send.** Read each draft and its screen result, write yes and the date in owner_yes, and send it yourself. Expected: Nothing leaves without your dated yes.

## Sample prompt: Screen my week (Grok Bot, Claude Code, Codex, Hermes)

```
Follow AGENTS.md. Read contacts.csv, run the screen with today's date, and give me each STOP with the rule and a fix. Do not change owner_yes.
```

Prompt 1 of 2.

## Sample prompt: Answer a sources sought (Grok Bot, Claude Code, Codex, Hermes)

```
Follow AGENTS.md. Read the notice I saved in notice.txt. Draft a response that answers each question in order, using only facts from my capability statement. Add a contacts.csv row for the response with owner_yes blank, then run the screen.
```

Prompt 2 of 2.

## Free preview of government-buyer-outreach-screen-where-agencies-find-vendors-and-what-not-to-send.md

````markdown
# Government Buyer Outreach Screen
**Reach federal buyers the way they actually look for vendors, and never send the message that ends a bid**
*By PaperChaseWebb Inc. · Version 1.0 · 2026-11-03*

---

## Contents
1. README.md
2. 01-buyer-channel-map.md
3. 02-outreach-screen.md
4. 03-gifts-meals-and-events.md
5. 04-pipeline-metrics.md
6. contacts.csv
7. outreach_screen.py
8. tests/test_outreach_screen.py
9. AGENTS.md
10. SOURCES.md

---

<!-- file: README.md -->
# Government Buyer Outreach Screen
**Reach federal buyers the way they actually look for vendors, and never send the message that ends a bid**
*By PaperChaseWebb Inc.*

Commercial outreach habits do not carry over to government buying. A cold sequence to a program office may not reach the people who buy. A question to the wrong person after a solicitation is out could put your bid at risk. A $30 lunch for a contracting officer is over the federal gift limit. This kit maps where buyers really find vendors, screens every planned contact against the rules before it goes out, and keeps a person's yes on each one.

## What's inside
1. **01-buyer-channel-map.md**: seven common places agencies look for small businesses, what to have ready for each, and what to skip
2. **02-outreach-screen.md**: eight stop questions to answer before any contact, each tied to its rule
3. **03-gifts-meals-and-events.md**: the $20 and $50 limits in plain words, with common cases
4. **04-pipeline-metrics.md**: measures that fit long federal cycles, instead of reply rates
````

## Test record

- Date: Nov 3, 2026
- What was run: tests/test_outreach_screen.py (27 tests) on Linux with Python 3.8, 3.11, 3.12 and 3.13; the example contacts.csv screened fresh.
- Result: 27 passed, 0 failed on all four versions; each check caught by its own planted fault; the example screens CLEAN.
- Not run: macOS or Windows. A live Grok Bot, Claude Code, Codex or Hermes session. A real company's contact log.

Copied from this item's dated test notes. What was not run stays in.

## Worth knowing

- Not legal advice. The agency's ethics office and the live FAR and eCFR have the last word. For a specific question, ask your local APEX Accelerator or counsel.
- The screen checks what you put in the log. It cannot tell whether a notice is open unless you record its stage.
- Agency rules can be stricter than the government-wide limits. When an agency says no, the answer is no.
- On 2026-11-03: 27 tests passed on Python 3.8, 3.11, 3.12 and 3.13 on Linux. Agent rules guide; they are not a lock.

## Questions

**How is this different from the GovCon Opportunity Triage Kit?** Triage decides which notices to bid. This kit covers how you reach the people behind them, before and after a notice is out, and what you must never send.

**Can my agent send the messages?** No. It drafts and screens. AGENTS.md forbids sending and filling in your yes, and the screen stops any row without a dated owner yes.

**Is a coffee with a contracting officer allowed?** Often yes, if it is $20 or less and totals $50 or less from you to that person in a calendar year, and you are not talking about a buy that is open. The gifts file walks through the common cases.

**Does it work on Windows or a Mac?** Plain Python with no installs; tested on Linux so far.

## How to buy

$19 one time at https://paperchasewebb.ai/bots/marketplace/items/government-buyer-outreach-screen-where-agencies-find-vendors-and-what-not-to-send/. Stripe checkout, then an instant download page; the download link is also in your emailed receipt.

Seller: PaperChaseWebb Inc., mgmt@paperchasewebb.com