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For anyone who has never heard of SAM.gov, a NAICS code, or a capability statement.

Pick the one that's closest to where you are right now. Each path is a short, plain-English checklist — no software required for most of it, and no payment required for any of it.

Getting ready to bid

Get a free EIN, and have your LLC (or other legal entity) formed first. SAM.gov registration below needs both already in place. An EIN is like a Social Security number for your business — get it free and instantly at IRS.gov; don't pay anyone for this step. Forming an LLC is done through your state, not the federal government, so the cost and process depend on where you live. Get a free EIN at IRS.gov ↗

Register your business on SAM.gov (free). This gets you a Unique Entity ID (UEI), required to bid on anything federal. It can take a notarized-letter step to verify identity — budget a few extra days for that. SAM.gov's own site has a short official walkthrough video on getting a UEI — scroll down on its registration page once you're there. Register on SAM.gov ↗

Find your NAICS codes. These classify what your business does and determine which opportunities you'll be matched to. Most businesses pick 2-5 codes.

Check whether a certification applies to you. Women-owned (WOSB/EDWOSB), veteran-owned (VOSB/SDVOSB), and 8(a) programs can open set-aside contracts, but none of them are automatic — each has its own ownership, control, and application requirements. MySBA Certifications ↗ (WOSB/EDWOSB/HUBZone/8(a)) or VetCert ↗ (VOSB/SDVOSB) — see more on this.

Book a free appointment with your local APEX Accelerator. These are federally-funded advisors (formerly called PTACs) who help new businesses with registration, certifications, and bids at no cost — a real person to ask "does this actually apply to me?" What they are, and what to bring ↗

See what's actually out there before you commit to anything. Run the free SAM.gov readiness checklist and look up real opportunities in your industry — no account needed. Try the free tools

Read the plain-English overview of how this all fits together. What Federal MVP Suite covers, stage by stage

Create a free account

Everything above is free and doesn't require our software. The free account adds a scored opportunity queue, one AI-assisted draft, and two complete proposals a month, with no time limit.

Finding and sizing up opportunities

Find opportunities scored to your NAICS codes. Litdesk pulls SAM.gov daily (every industry) plus California, Texas, and New York City state/local bids, and ranks what's actually worth your time.

Read what a notice actually requires. Litdesk quotes requirements, forms, and deadlines straight from the solicitation's text, each with its page number, so you're not hunting through a 40-page PDF.

See who won similar work before. Litdesk's recompete radar and past-awards lookup show real USAspending.gov award records — who won, for how much, against how many offers.

Decide if it's worth pursuing, and keep track of it. A paid plan adds the Relationship Dashboard: contacts, next steps, and a pursuit pipeline so nothing falls through.

Create a free account

Free gets you 1 AI draft and 2 complete proposals a month, no card required. See all plans.

Pricing and writing your response

Price your labor against real GSA rates. Awardlevels prices a base year plus four option years at low, market, and high GSA CALC awarded ceiling rates — not a guess.

Draft your response without inventing anything. Capstat's Proposal Builder drafts sections only from facts you've verified; every sentence cites its evidence, and anything missing is marked [NEEDS INPUT] instead of guessed.

Fill the official forms. SF 1449, SF 33, and SF 30 filled from your profile, block by block, prices exact to the cent.

Track contacts and teaming through capture. The Relationship Dashboard (paid plans) holds your organizations, contacts, a handshake board, and certification renewal reminders in one place.

After you win (or lose), watch for the recompete. Litdesk's recompete radar flags when this contract — or similar ones — come up again.

Create a free account

Decision support only: you review, sign, and submit everything yourself. Nothing here ever submits a bid on your behalf.

Need something different?

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