Guides
Federal contracting, in plain English.
SAM.gov, set-asides, Section L and M, and how to read a solicitation without losing a weekend.
How to register in SAM.gov and get a UEI
A step-by-step, plain-English walkthrough of SAM.gov entity registration: what you need before you start, how the Unique Entity ID works, and how to avoid the common delays.
Updated Oct 2, 2026
How to read a federal RFP (start with Sections L and M)
Federal solicitations run to hundreds of pages. Here is the order to read them in, what each section of the Uniform Contract Format does, and why Sections L and M decide most proposals.
Updated Oct 2, 2026
What a compliance matrix is (and how to build one)
A compliance matrix maps every requirement in a federal solicitation to the exact place your proposal answers it. Here is how to build one in a spreadsheet in an afternoon.
Updated Oct 2, 2026
Set-aside programs explained: 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, EDWOSB and small business
A plain-English overview of the federal small business set-aside programs, who qualifies, how certification works, and how set-asides change who you compete against.
Updated Oct 2, 2026
How to find your NAICS codes for federal contracting
NAICS codes decide which contracts you see, whether you count as small, and which set-asides you can bid on. Here is how to choose them well.
Updated Oct 2, 2026
Sources sought vs RFI vs RFP vs RFQ: what each notice means
Federal notices on SAM.gov use a lot of acronyms. Here is what sources sought notices, RFIs, RFQs, RFPs and IFBs mean, whether you should respond, and what is at stake with each.
Updated Oct 2, 2026
How to write past performance for a federal proposal
Past performance is often one of the most important evaluation factors. Here is how to choose references, write them so evaluators can score them, and what to do if you are new to federal work.
Updated Oct 2, 2026
Pricing your first federal bid: firm-fixed-price vs time-and-materials
How federal contract types shift risk, how to build a price from the bottom up, and the labor and wage rules that catch first-time bidders off guard.
Updated Oct 2, 2026
FAR basics for small firms: the parts you will actually use
The Federal Acquisition Regulation is thousands of pages. Here are the parts a small contractor runs into most often, what agency supplements are, and how to look things up quickly.
Updated Oct 2, 2026
How to make a go/no-go bid decision
A practical framework for deciding which federal opportunities to bid on — and which to pass on — so a small team spends its proposal hours where it can actually win.
Updated Oct 2, 2026
Found one worth bidding? Decode it.
Drop the solicitation PDF into PinPeek. Get a plain-English brief, a go/no-go score, every deadline and a compliance matrix in minutes. Your first decode is free.