Finding a federal bid opportunity on SAM.gov is only the first step. The hard part is knowing which ones to chase and which ones to skip—fast. Every hour you spend on a bid that doesn't fit your business is an hour you're not spending on a real opportunity. This checklist walks you through seven decision filters to screen a bid before you write a single page of a proposal.
1. Does the NAICS Code Match Your Business?
Your NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) code is the federal government's way of saying "this is what you do." For janitorial and facility-services businesses, NAICS 561720 is the standard code. You'll also see PSC (Product/Service Code) classifications like S201 (custodial) and S299 (other housekeeping).
The rule: If the solicitation explicitly requires or prefers a different NAICS code, and yours doesn't fit, it's a no-bid. Stretching into an adjacent code (e.g., claiming general facility management when you're strictly janitorial) is a losing move. The evaluator will spot it, and you won't be award-ready.
What to do: Search the solicitation for "NAICS" or "size standard" or "type of business." If it specifies a code other than 561720 and doesn't list 561720 as acceptable, stop here.
2. Is the Place of Performance Somewhere You Can Actually Work?
This is the single biggest reason a paper-fit bid is a no-bid in practice. Federal solicitations specify a place of performance—a city, region, or facility. If that location is nowhere near your service area, you have a problem.
The rule: Can your crew realistically get to the site, work the hours, and maintain consistent performance without uneconomical travel or staffing strain? A janitorial contract 200 miles away sounds great on paper until you calculate fuel, per diem, or the cost of hiring and managing local subcontractors. The evaluation criteria almost never reward heroic logistics.
What to do: Find the "Place of Performance" section (usually near the top of the solicitation or in the contract data on SAM.gov). Map it. If it's outside your service area and the contract doesn't pay enough to justify the cost, it's a no-bid.
3. Do You Hold the Set-Aside Category?
Federal set-asides are reserved for specific business types: 8(a), HUBZone, women-owned small business (WOSB), service-disabled veteran-owned (SDVO), or other designated categories. If the solicitation is set aside for a category you don't hold, you cannot bid.
The rule: Read the front of the solicitation for language like "This is a [category] set-aside" or "Eligible for competition by..." The evaluator will verify your status in SAM.gov at award time. If you claim a category you don't have, you'll be ineligible, period.
Common set-asides:
- 8(a) Program: SBA certifies eligible disadvantaged small businesses.
- HUBZone: Your principal office must be in a Historically Underutilized Business Zone.
- WOSB: Woman must own at least 51% of your business.
- SDVO: Service-disabled veteran must own at least 51%.
If the bid is open to all small businesses, you can bid. If it's set-aside for a category you don't hold, move to the next bid.
What to do: Check your active certifications in your SAM.gov profile. Then search the solicitation for "set-aside," "small business," or the specific category language. If the set-aside doesn't match, skip it.
4. Can You Actually Perform the Contract at the Contract Size?
This is a capacity and bonding check. Federal contracts come with staffing, equipment, and service-level requirements that are baked into the statement of work (SOW) or performance standards. You need to know—honestly—whether you can deliver.
The rule: Look at the contract amount, the scope (e.g., "janitorial services for 50,000 square feet, 5 days a week"), and any staffing minimums or equipment requirements. Then ask: Do I have the staff to bid this? Do I have the vehicles, supplies, and infrastructure? If the answer is "maybe, if I hire," that's a flag. If the answer is "no," it's a no-bid.
Bonding reality: The Miller Act requires performance and payment bonds on federal construction contracts over $150,000—including construction-type cleaning like post-renovation cleanup or floor work tied to a build. For routine janitorial service contracts, bonds are at the contracting officer's discretion (FAR 28.103-2) and far less common—the solicitation will say if one is required. When a bond is required, premiums typically run 1%–3% of the contract value for established contractors, and 3%–5% or more if you have no bonding track record. On a $500,000 contract that can mean roughly $5,000–$25,000, paid upfront, and the bonding company will evaluate your creditworthiness and capacity. If you've never bonded before, talk to an SBA-backed bonding partner early—they can tell you quickly whether you're bondable at a given size.
What to do: Calculate the labor hours required by the scope. Check your payroll and equipment availability. If the contract size is 2–3× your current annual revenue, it's risky. If it's 5×+ and you have no track record at that scale, it's a no-bid.
Reading a SAM.gov solicitation walks through the contract data section in detail.
5. Can You Meet EVERY Mandatory Requirement Before the Deadline?
Federal solicitations list both mandatory (you must do this or be ineligible) and evaluation criteria (scored/ranked). Mandatory requirements are non-negotiable.
The rule: Scan the solicitation for language like "must," "required," "shall," or "non-negotiable." Common mandatory requirements for janitorial contracts include:
- Active SAM.gov registration (non-negotiable; you cannot bid without it).
- Specific insurance coverage (general liability, workers' comp, bonding if over the threshold).
- Facility security clearances or background checks for the crew.
- EPA compliance certifications for specific cleaning products or methods.
- References from at least one or two similar past federal or commercial contracts.
If you cannot meet even one mandatory requirement, you're ineligible. Full stop.
What to do: Create a table: one column for each mandatory requirement, one column for "Can I meet this?" In the "Can I meet this?" column, write "Yes," "No," or "Yes, but I need X days." If any cell is "No," it's a no-bid. If all cells say "Yes" and the deadline is more than 3 weeks away, move to the next step.
6. Can You Actually Meet the Deadline, and Is a Site Visit Required?
Many federal bids have tight deadlines. A 14-day turnaround is not uncommon. Some require a pre-proposal site visit (in person) to inspect the facility and ask questions. If you can't make the site visit, you're at a serious disadvantage.
The rule: Subtract today from the deadline and be honest about proposal-writing time. A janitorial bid typically needs:
- 2–3 days to gather past-performance references and letters.
- 1–2 days to write the technical approach and staffing plan.
- 1 day for pricing and quality-assurance review.
If the deadline is less than 5 business days away, and you don't already have draft text and references from past bids, it's probably a no-bid.
If a site visit is required and you cannot attend (or cannot arrange someone to attend within the deadline window), you're ineligible. Even if "optional," skipping a site visit puts you behind competitors who showed up, asked hard questions, and proved they understood the scope.
What to do: Note the deadline and any site-visit dates. Mark your calendar. If the site visit is in 2 days and you haven't registered yet, you may miss the registration window. Check the solicitation for registration details and deadlines.
7. Is Your Past Performance Relevant and Strong?
Federal evaluators score past performance heavily. "Relevant" means you did something similar in scope, complexity, location, and contract size. "Strong" means the work was completed on time, within budget, and with no disputes.
The rule: You don't need federal contract history, but you do need comparable work. If you've managed janitorial services for a 100,000-square-foot commercial office building, that's relevant to a federal contract for a 80,000-square-foot federal building. If your only experience is residential or small commercial, it's weaker.
Evaluators will call your references. They'll ask: Was the contractor responsive? Did they show up on time? Did they handle changes professionally? If you cannot get two strong references with recent, relevant work, it's a no-bid—or at minimum, a higher-risk bid.
What to do: Make a list of your last 5–10 completed jobs. For each, write down the client name, facility size, contract value, dates, and outcome. Then flag which ones are most relevant to the federal bid. If you have fewer than two that are truly comparable in size and scope, reconsider.
The Skill of Saying No
The hard part isn't that the work doesn't exist. It's knowing which opportunities are real and which are mirages. Most of the value of any opportunity tool isn't the bids it surfaces; it's the ones it tells you to skip—and why. This checklist is your permission to say no fast. A "no-bid" decision that takes 10 minutes saves you from 40 hours of proposal work on a contract you were never going to win.
The federal government publishes thousands of bids. Your job is to find the handful that fit. Use this checklist every time you see a new opportunity on SAM.gov, and you'll spend less time chasing ghosts and more time winning bids you're actually ready for.
If you're tracking multiple opportunities and want to apply this checklist consistently each week, BidScout automates the screening step: it surfaces bids matching your NAICS code and location, runs a weekly digest against your certifications and capacity profile, and flags the ones worth your attention. The weekly report is deterministic—each bid is linked to its public source on SAM.gov—and the AI readiness note abstains when it lacks signal. It's the checklist in practice, not a shortcut around it.
BidScout turns public bid data into a weekly, source-backed shortlist for small contractors. The weekly report is deterministic and links every fact to its public source; the AI bid-readiness note is advisory and abstains when it lacks signal.