RFP Decoder

Answer

RFP Decoder analyzes commercial cleaning solicitations and returns a viability score (0 to 100), red flag report, scope ambiguities, and go/no go recommendation in 15 to 45 seconds.

  • Viability scores above 60 signal pursue; below 40 indicates significant concerns worth resolving before bidding.
  • Tool flags incumbent advantage signals like unusually tight performance windows and single supplier specs.
  • Anonymous users receive 3 free decoder runs per day; minimum 500 characters required for analysis.

25,000 character limit (about 30 pages)

Help for /pages/rfp-decoder · Open the tool

What it does

RFP Decoder analyzes a commercial cleaning RFP — government solicitation, facility management tender, or private bid package — and returns a structured red-flag report, a competitive viability score, scope ambiguities to clarify before bidding, and a recommended go/no-go recommendation. It's built specifically around SAM.gov federal solicitation format and common BSC RFP structures, but works on any pasted RFP text.

When to use it

  • Before investing 4+ hours writing a bid — run the RFP through the decoder first to determine if it's worth pursuing.
  • Federal or government RFPs with dense FAR/DFARS clauses you need interpreted quickly.
  • Private facility management tenders where scope is buried in attachments or addenda.
  • Any RFP where the evaluation criteria aren't explicit — the decoder surfaces unstated priorities.
  • Checking if an RFP has an incumbent advantage signal (unusual specs, non-standard performance windows).

Step-by-step

  1. Open the RFP document. Copy the full text (Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C) or the relevant sections (Statement of Work, Evaluation Criteria, Scope of Work, Performance Standards).
  2. Paste into the RFP text field. The tool accepts up to 25,000 characters — about 30 pages of dense text.
  3. Optionally enter a facility type and state to improve calibration.
  4. Click Decode this RFP. Analysis takes 15–45 seconds for complex solicitations.
  5. Review the output sections: viability score, red flags (High / Medium / Low severity), scope ambiguities, go/no-go recommendation, and suggested bid questions to submit to the issuer.

Tips that change outcomes

  • Paste the full RFP, not a summary. The decoder finds issues in specific clause language — paraphrased text loses the signals. If the RFP is a PDF, copy all pages including attachments.
  • Look for "or equal" language in spec items. The decoder flags when specs appear to favor a single supplier (e.g., "Brand X or equal" for chemical products). These are negotiation or protest leverage points.
  • Incumbent signals matter. Performance windows (e.g., "inspections within 2 hours at any facility") that are unusually tight often indicate a spec written around an incumbent's operational footprint. The decoder flags these as Medium or High severity.
  • Federal RFPs: check the NAICS code. The decoder verifies that the NAICS code matches the actual scope. A mismatch can mean the wrong small business set-aside or size standard — which affects your eligibility.
  • Run it twice for addenda. If the RFP issuer has released addenda, run a second decode on the addenda text alone — addenda often contradict or materially alter the original scope.

Inputs explained

Input What it means Accepted values
RFP text Full solicitation text pasted from the source document Plain text, up to 25,000 characters
Facility type Optional. Improves calibration of cleaning-specific flags Office, Healthcare, Education, Government, Other
State Optional. Used for state-specific compliance flags (wage orders, licensing) All 50 states + DC
Your company size Optional. Used to assess set-aside eligibility Small business, Large business, 8(a), SDVOSB, WOSB

Outputs explained

  • Viability score (0–100): Composite score of scope clarity, competitive dynamics, incumbency signals, and compliance complexity. Above 60 = pursue. Below 40 = significant concerns worth resolving before bidding.
  • Red flags: Ranked High / Medium / Low. Each flag includes the clause or text that triggered it and an explanation of why it matters.
  • Scope ambiguities: Specific questions you should submit to the issuer before bid submission. Sending these is standard practice and demonstrates operational sophistication to evaluators.
  • Go/no-go recommendation: A direct recommendation with the top 3 reasons. This is advisory — your local knowledge and pipeline context override it.

Limits

Anonymous users get 3 free RFP Decoder runs per day. See the limits page for the full tier comparison.

Troubleshooting

"RFP text is too short to analyze" error.
The decoder needs at least 500 characters of RFP text to produce useful output. Paste more of the solicitation — at minimum the Scope of Work and Evaluation Criteria sections.
The output is generic and doesn't reflect my specific RFP.
This usually means the pasted text is from a cover page or administrative section rather than the substantive scope. Paste the Statement of Work and Performance Standards sections specifically.
The NAICS check says "unable to verify" even though the solicitation lists a NAICS code.
The NAICS code wasn't in the pasted text. Include the full first page of the solicitation, which typically lists the solicitation number, NAICS code, and set-aside type.