Free tool
RFP Compliance Checklist
The fastest way to lose a government bid is to ignore the instructions. Answer a few questions about the solicitation you're reading and Sam builds a tailored compliance checklist — submission, format, content, and eligibility — you can tick off before you submit. Free, no login, nothing uploaded.
What is a compliance matrix?
A compliance matrix is the unglamorous tool professional proposal teams never skip: a checklist of every requirement in the solicitation — instructions, evaluation factors, forms, deadlines — tracked next to where your response answers it. In many full-format federal RFPs the raw material lives in Section L (instructions to offerors) and Section M (evaluation factors); smaller commercial solicitations carry the same content in provisions 52.212-1 and 52.212-2. The matrix turns those pages of requirements into a list you can verify line by line before you submit.
The most avoidable way to lose
New bidders rarely lose because their price or their work is bad — they lose on mechanics. A missing form, a skipped requirement, an ignored page limit, or a submission that lands after the deadline can get a response rejected or downgraded before anyone reads the substance. That's the bad news. The good news is that this failure mode is entirely mechanical: extract every requirement, put each one on a list, and check the list before you submit. That discipline is the whole trick — and it costs nothing but attention.
How this tool works
Answer eight quick questions about the solicitation in front of you — what format it is, how it must be submitted, and which special requirements it carries. Sam turns your answers into a tailored checklist grouped by submission, format, content, and eligibility, with a plain-English “why it matters” on every item. Tick items off as you verify them against the document; your progress is saved in your browser. It's rule-based and runs entirely client-side — no AI, no upload, no login.
Sam builds this matrix automatically for live federal bids.
Build your compliance checklist
Have the solicitation open next to this page. Your answers stay in your browser — nothing is submitted until you ask us to email you the checklist.
RFP compliance FAQ
- What is a compliance matrix?
- A compliance matrix (or compliance checklist) is a table that lists every requirement in a solicitation — instructions, evaluation factors, forms, deadlines — next to where your proposal answers it. Proposal teams use one to make sure nothing gets missed before submission, and to make it easy for evaluators to find every answer.
- What are Section L and Section M?
- In many full-format federal RFPs, Section L holds the instructions to offerors (what to submit and how) and Section M holds the evaluation factors (how proposals are scored). Smaller commercial solicitations often carry the same content in provisions 52.212-1 and 52.212-2 instead. Whatever the labels, find the instructions and the evaluation basis before you write anything.
- Why do government proposals get rejected?
- One of the most common avoidable reasons is simply not following the solicitation's instructions — a missing form, an ignored format rule, an unanswered requirement, or a late submission. Agencies can reject or downgrade a proposal that doesn't conform, no matter how strong the underlying offer is.
- Do I need a compliance checklist for a sealed bid (IFB)?
- Yes — arguably more. A sealed-bid IFB is typically awarded on price to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder, so there is no scored evaluation to win points back on: an incomplete or qualified bid can simply be rejected. The checklist is shorter, but every item on it is pass/fail.
- Does this tool read my RFP or send my answers anywhere?
- It never sees your RFP — it's a rule-based checklist builder that runs entirely in your browser, with no AI, no document upload, and no login. The checklist is built from your answers and saved on your device, and nothing is emailed unless you ask us to send you your checklist. Like most websites we collect basic anonymous usage analytics: page views, an event when the tool is started, and an anonymous result event that records only the number of items on your checklist — never your answers or your document. It's a guide from an independent service, not legal advice; the solicitation itself always controls.