Government bid help: frequently asked questions

Straight answers for Michigan small businesses bidding on federal, state, and local work: what a compliance matrix is, what’s free, what we charge, and what we won’t do.

Bid basics

What is a compliance matrix?

A compliance matrix is a table that lists every requirement in a solicitation (each “shall,” “must,” form, certification, page limit, and evaluation factor) with the section it comes from and where your response answers it. It helps you avoid the pass/fail mistakes that get bids thrown out before anyone reads them, like a missing form, a page-limit overrun, or a late or wrongly addressed submission.

Our compliance matrix + response outline is $95. Every requirement is cited by section, with eligibility gates, deadlines and submission rules, an annotated outline, and a submission checklist. See a real sample built from a public Michigan RFQ.

What is a go/no-go read?

A short written read on one open solicitation that tells you whether it’s worth bidding: the pass/fail traps, how it will be judged, anything that could disqualify you, and a fixed price if you want help. It’s free, one per company per month, and you get it within 2 business days.

Registration and free help

Is SAM.gov registration free?

Yes. SAM.gov registration is always free at https://sam.gov. You never have to pay anyone to register, renew, or get a Unique Entity ID (UEI). If someone charges you just to register, you don’t need them. We don’t charge for SAM registration, and we never log in to your SAM.gov account.

Do I have to pay for MITN or SIGMA to bid on Michigan work?

No. The State of Michigan’s vendor portal, SIGMA Vendor Self Service, is free to register. MITN (the Michigan Intergovernmental Trade Network on BidNet Direct, used by many Michigan cities, counties, schools, and agencies) offers a free limited-access registration that lets you search, download, and respond to bids. Its paid plans add automatic email alerts. Check each portal for current terms.

What our paid services add is someone reading the documents for you: matching bids to your codes, catching the pass/fail traps, building the matrix, and drafting the response. You still keep your own portal accounts, and we never use your logins.

What are the APEX Accelerators (formerly PTAC)?

APEX Accelerators, formerly called Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs), are a free counseling program funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. In Michigan they help small businesses with registration, certifications, finding bids, and learning how government buying works. Find yours at https://www.miapex.org.

We recommend them. Great Lakes Bids is a private company and is not affiliated with the APEX Accelerators. Where we fit is speed and volume: someone watching bids every day and turning around matrices and drafts on deadline.

Pricing

How do your fees work? Do you take a success fee?

Flat fees only. We never take a success fee, commission, or percentage of any contract award, and we won’t accept one (see FAR 3.4 and FAR 52.203-5 on contingent fees). You know the price before we start, and work outside the agreed scope is quoted in writing first.

What are your founding-client prices?

Our first 10 clients get founding prices, locked for 6 months from their first paid order:

• Go/no-go read: free
• Compliance matrix + response outline: $95
• Incumbent & pricing history report: $150
• Proposal section: $150–$295 (fixed quote)
• Full proposal draft: $895–$1,495 (fixed written quote)
• Bid Desk Starter: $490/month; Bid Desk Standard: $690/month (3-month minimum)

Full details are on the pricing page.

Turnaround and guarantees

How fast is turnaround?

• Go/no-go read: 2 business days
• Compliance matrix: 48–72 business hours
• Proposal section: 2–5 business days
• Incumbent report: 3 business days
• Full proposal draft: set to your deadline, with at least 7 calendar days’ notice

Optional rush is +25% of the order price for delivery within 1 business day on a matrix or section. A full draft with less than 7 days’ notice is accepted on rush only if we confirm capacity in writing before you pay.

What do you guarantee?

• On time: if we miss the agreed delivery date for a matrix, section, or report, that item is free. If we miss it for a full draft, you get 50% back. This doesn’t apply when the delay comes from late or missing client information, or from a solicitation amendment issued after work starts.
• Accuracy: if a requirement stated in the solicitation is missing from our matrix, we fix it within 24 hours at no charge.

We do not guarantee an award. Agencies decide awards on the merits, and nobody can honestly promise a win.

What we don’t do

Will you log in to SAM.gov, SIGMA, or MITN for me, or submit my bid?

No. We never use your SAM.gov, PIEE, SIGMA, BidNet/MITN, or other portal logins, and we never ask for passwords or login codes. You download any attachments the agency gives only to registered vendors. You review, sign, certify, and submit your own bid. We draft only from facts you give us and from the solicitation, and we flag any claim that lacks support.

Do you handle CUI, ITAR, or classified bids?

No. We do not accept Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), export-controlled data (ITAR/EAR), classified material, or technical data packages. Bids that need them are declined, or limited to non-controlled sections. Please don’t send them to us.

Are you part of the government?

No. Great Lakes Bids is a private Michigan company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for the U.S. Government, the State of Michigan, any local government, SAM.gov, or the APEX Accelerators, and we have no contacts with or influence over any contracting official.

Getting started

How do I get started?

Email us a notice or solicitation number from SAM.gov, SIGMA, MITN, or any Michigan agency. Include your company name, your NAICS codes, and the due date if you know it. Within 2 business days you’ll get a free written go/no-go read and a fixed price if you want help. There’s no obligation. If you go ahead, you pay the flat price and we start.

Email a notice number for a free go/no-go read

General information only, not legal, tax, or accounting advice. Prices and terms as published on our pricing and terms pages.