Pursuit
Track every opportunity from Triage to award on a shared pipeline, with views, tasks, automation, and the CLEATUS agent.
Your pipeline is the place where you track the contracts that you pursue. Each contract on the pipeline is a pursuit. The pipeline keeps the phase, the owners, the tasks, the documents, and the history of each pursuit in one place. The CLEATUS agent and your workflows work on the same pipeline, so routine updates happen without manual work.
Open Pipeline in the sidebar. It has five pages: Triage, All Pursuits, Assigned to Me, Tasks, and Reports.
The CRM (customer relationship management) item below Pipeline holds the People, Companies, and Agencies behind your bids. Pursuits and CRM records both have custom fields, notes, and tasks. See CRM.
How pursuits get into the pipeline
Every new pursuit lands in Triage, the first phase on the board. Use Triage as your inbox: review new pursuits and move the real ones forward.
You can add a pursuit in these ways:
- Click Add to Pipeline on a contract in Contracts > Search or on a contract page.
- Click Accept on a contract in Contracts > Recommended.
- Click New pursuit on the board to track work that CLEATUS has not found. Enter a title, and an agency and due date if you know them.
- Ask CLEATUS, for example "add this contract to my pipeline and tag it facilities."
- Let a workflow add contracts. The Add to Pipeline action can apply your tags as it adds each pursuit.
See Adding a Contract to Your Pipeline for the steps.
Phases
Each column on the board is a phase. A new pipeline starts with these phases:
- Triage: new pursuits land here.
- Building Proposal
- Proposal Submitted
- Won
- Lost
Rename, recolor, add, reorder, and delete phases to match your bid process. Open Manage Phases from one of these places:
- Display on the pipeline toolbar
- The phase selector at the top of a pursuit page
- The phase selector in the Quick View of a pursuit
Triage always stays first, and you cannot edit or delete it. To delete a phase, first move its pursuits to another phase.
Views
Open Display and select Board, List, or Calendar:
- Board shows each phase as a column. Drag a card to change its phase. Each column header shows a count and a total estimated value.
- List shows the pursuits as a table. Select rows to act on many pursuits at once.
- Calendar shows pursuits by due date or posted date. Turn on Show task due dates to add your tasks to the calendar.
The tabs above the toolbar switch between the built-in views: All Pursuits, Triage, Assigned to Me, and Favorite.
Custom and shared views
Apply filters, then click Save > Create new view... to save the view with a name, an icon, and a color. If your company has more than one user, turn on Share with team to show the view to everyone. Teammates see the same pursuits, filters, and columns, and their edits stay in sync. Your private views stay private.
On the All Pursuits or Triage view, owners and admins can click Set default for everyone in Display. This makes their display settings the default for all users in your company.
Filters and display options
Filter narrows the pipeline by members, phase, tags, agencies, and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes. Other filters cover set-asides, opportunity types, source types, states, countries, and capture methods. You can also filter by awarded status, favorites, score range, archived status, due date, and posted date.
Display controls the sort order, the fields on each card, and the columns in the list. Under Your fields, pick the custom fields to show on cards or as list columns. On the board, it also sets whether to show empty columns, overdue contracts, column totals, and phase colors. Use the Search pursuits... box to find one pursuit fast.
Work a pursuit
Click a card to open the pursuit page. To preview a pursuit without leaving the board, select Quick View in the card menu. Use the bar at the top of the pursuit page to set the phase and to assign members and teams. The same bar marks a favorite, turns notifications on or off, runs a workflow, and adds tags.
The pursuit page has these tabs:
- Contract Overview: a summary of the contract, its timeline, its documents, and its tasks. When your company uses custom fields, the Attributes card shows them.
- General Information: the solicitation details, such as deadline, set-aside, and estimated value. Click Save as contact on a point of contact to add that person to your CRM.
- Amendments: a dated history of what the agency changed. This tab shows only when the contract has amendments.
- Q&A: the questions that bidders asked and the answers that the agency released. Search them, and switch between Answered and Unanswered. This tab shows only when CLEATUS finds published questions for the solicitation.
- Document Viewer: the solicitation files and your own uploads, in folders.
- Contract Breakdown: CLEATUS reads the full solicitation package and organizes it into one breakdown with source citations.
- Requirements: a checklist of what the bid must include, with the source quote for each requirement.
- Proposal: the proposal writer for this pursuit.
- Tasks: the to-do items for this pursuit.
- Activity Logs: a timeline of every change to the pursuit, with your team's notes. Write a note here, and type @ to mention a teammate, a person, a company, an agency, or another pursuit. CRM tasks that name the pursuit show above the timeline.
Organize documents in folders
On the Document Viewer tab, click New folder to make a folder. Drop a whole folder onto Upload a Document to keep its structure. Click Folder template to save your folder structure as a template, or to apply a saved template to a new pursuit. Applying a template shows a preview first and never changes folders that already exist. To rename or delete a template, select Manage templates in the same menu. See Organizing Pursuit Documents.
Fix pursuit details
Open Ask CLEATUS on the pursuit and say what is wrong, for example "this is an 8(a) set-aside." The agent corrects the title, posted date, set-aside, or estimated value. Teammates see the correction, but the shared contract record does not change. On a pursuit that you imported, ask the agent to update the details from the attached documents. It returns the source sentence and document for each new value.
Track your own details in custom fields
Custom fields hold the details that your team tracks on every pursuit, such as the incumbent or the bid decision. To add a field, click Manage attributes on a CRM page and open the Pursuits tab. On the pursuit page, edit the values on the Attributes card. Click Layout on that card to arrange the fields in sections. See Adding Custom Fields.
Collaborate with your team
- Assign members or teams to a pursuit. Create teams in Settings > Users and Teams.
- Write a note on the Activity Logs tab and type @ to mention a teammate. Teammates that you mention get a notification.
- Add tags, such as "High Priority" or "Sub Needed," and filter by them.
- Create tasks with due dates and assignees. See Managing Tasks.
- Share a custom view so the whole team works from the same pipeline.
Turn notifications on or off for one pursuit with the bell at the top of the pursuit page. Choose which alerts you get, such as amendments and deadlines, in Settings > Notifications.
Automate the pipeline
AI Workflows run pipeline work for you.
These triggers start a workflow from the pipeline: Contract added to pipeline, Pursuit phase changed, Pursuit archived, and Pursuit document uploaded.
These actions change pursuits: Add to Pipeline, Update Pursuit, Change Phase, Set Field, Manage Tags, Assign Member, Create Task, and Log Note. For example, a workflow can tag new pursuits by business line. Another workflow can correct a due date that it finds in a new document. Set Field writes one of your custom fields on a pursuit, a person, a company, or an agency.
To run a manual workflow on one pursuit, click Run Workflow at the top of the pursuit page. See Automating Your Pipeline.
Act on many pursuits at once
In List view, select the pursuits, then use the bar at the bottom of the page. It has Assign to member, Update Status (the phase), Add to Favorites, Remove from Favorites, Archive, Enable Notifications, Export as CSV, and View Source.
Archive Contract removes a pursuit from your active views but keeps its history and files. To see archived pursuits again, use the Archived filter.
Reports
Pipeline > Reports opens Pursuit reports. It charts your pipeline by phase and value, team assignments, match scores, response deadlines, and pipeline categories. See Reading Your Pursuit Reports.
Frequently asked questions
What is a pursuit?
A pursuit is a contract on your pipeline. It keeps the phase, the owners, the tags, the tasks, the documents, the notes, your custom fields, and the activity for that contract in one place.
What is the pipeline?
The pipeline is the place where you track the contracts that you pursue, from first review to award. Each contract on it is a pursuit. Open Pipeline in the sidebar. It has five pages: Triage, All Pursuits, Assigned to Me, Tasks, and Reports. To read your pipeline as charts, see Reading Your Pursuit Reports.
From the pipeline you can:
- Move each pursuit through your phases, from Triage to Won or Lost.
- Assign members and teams, add tags, and create tasks.
- Track your own details in custom fields.
- Write notes on the Activity Logs tab, and mention teammates, customer relationship management (CRM) records, and other pursuits.
- Get notifications for amendments, deadlines, and other changes.
- Run workflows and ask CLEATUS to update pursuits for you.
How do contracts get into my pipeline?
You add them, or a workflow adds them. CLEATUS matches new opportunities to your capture profile and lists them in Contracts > Recommended. Click Accept on a recommendation to add it. You can also click Add to Pipeline in Contracts > Search or on a contract page.
To add strong matches automatically, create a workflow from the Auto-Add to Pipeline template. It adds each new recommendation above a minimum score.
Every new pursuit lands in the Triage phase. See Adding a Contract to Your Pipeline.
What is Triage?
Triage is the first phase on your board, and every new pursuit lands there. Review each pursuit, then move it to a working phase or archive it. Pipeline > Triage in the sidebar opens the Triage pursuits as a list.
CLEATUS does not send deadline reminders for pursuits in Triage. Move a pursuit out of Triage when you commit to it.
Can I add work that CLEATUS did not find?
Yes. On the board, click New pursuit and enter a title. Add an agency and a due date if you know them. To track a solicitation with its documents, open Contracts > Imported Contracts and click Import Contract. Then add the contract to your pipeline.
Can I import many pursuits at once?
There is no file import for pursuits. To add many contracts, ask CLEATUS, for example "add these five solicitations to my pipeline and tag them Navy." A workflow with the Add to Pipeline action also adds contracts as they arrive, for example from a saved search match.
Where do I keep the contacts for a bid?
Open CRM in the sidebar. It holds the People, Companies, and Agencies that your team works with. On the General Information tab of a pursuit, click Save as contact to add a point of contact to your CRM. See CRM.
How do I check whether a contract fits my company?
A pursuit that CLEATUS found shows a match score. For a closer look, open the pursuit, then click Ask CLEATUS in the bottom-right corner and ask "does this fit us?" The agent reads the solicitation, the amendments, the files, and your capture profile. It answers with citations, checks compliance, and drafts proposal content.
How do I start a proposal?
Open the pursuit and click Start Building on the Build Proposal card. For a quote or a market research notice, the card reads Build Quote or Build Response.
What actions can I take on a pursuit?
- Phase: move the pursuit to another phase.
- Assign: add members or teams.
- Tags: label the pursuit for filtering.
- Favorite: star the pursuit for quick access.
- Notifications: turn alerts for this pursuit on or off.
- Run Workflow: run a manual workflow on this pursuit.
- Archive Contract: remove the pursuit from active views but keep its history and files.
- View Source: open the original solicitation page.
- Export as CSV: download the pursuit details as a comma-separated values (CSV) file.
Who can see my pipeline?
Everyone in your company works on the same pipeline. Custom views are private until you turn on Share with team. A user with the Limited Member role sees only the pursuits that are assigned to them.
How do I change the phase of a pursuit?
On the board, drag the card to another column. On the pursuit page, use the phase selector at the top. You can also ask CLEATUS, for example "move this pursuit to Building Proposal."
Can I change the phases?
Yes. Open Display > Manage Phases, or click Manage Phases in the phase selector on a pursuit. Rename, recolor, add, reorder, and delete phases there. Triage always stays first and cannot change. To delete a phase, first move its pursuits to another phase.
Can I save my filters?
Yes. Apply your filters, then click Save > Create new view.... Your view shows as a tab above the board. Turn on Share with team to give the whole team the same view.
What views can I use?
Open Display and select Board, List, or Calendar. The calendar shows pursuit due dates. Turn on Show task due dates to add your tasks to the calendar.
How do I collaborate with my team?
Use Assign on the pursuit to add members or teams. Write a note on the Activity Logs tab and type @ to mention a teammate, a person, a company, an agency, or another pursuit. The same tab records every change and who made it.
Can I add my own fields to a pursuit?
Yes. Custom fields track the details that your team cares about, such as the incumbent or the bid decision. Edit them on the Attributes card of the pursuit page. In Display, select them under Your fields to show them on board cards and as list columns. See Adding Custom Fields.
How do notifications work?
The bell at the top of the pursuit page turns notifications on or off for that pursuit. Choose which alerts you get, such as amendments, deadlines, awards, and mentions, in Settings > Notifications.
Can CLEATUS fix wrong details on a pursuit?
Yes. Open Ask CLEATUS on the pursuit and say what is wrong, for example "the estimated value is $4M." The agent corrects the title, posted date, set-aside, or estimated value. Teammates see the correction, but the shared contract record does not change. On a pursuit that you imported, ask the agent to update the details from the attached documents.
Can I organize pursuit documents?
Yes. On the Document Viewer tab, click New folder to build folders and subfolders. Click Folder template to save your folder structure and apply it to other pursuits. See Organizing Pursuit Documents.
Can a workflow update my pursuits?
Yes. The Update Pursuit workflow action changes the title, estimated value, posted date, due date, or set-aside of a pursuit. Other actions change the phase, tags, and assignees, and create tasks. The Set Field action writes one of your custom fields. To run a manual workflow on one pursuit, click Run Workflow at the top of the pursuit page.
How do I remove a pursuit?
Select Archive Contract in the pursuit menu. The pursuit leaves your active views but keeps its history and files. To restore it, filter by Archived, then select Unarchive Contract.
Still stuck? Talk to our team