Company Profile best practices

Your Company Profile is the core of CLEATUS's recommendation engine and proposal generation. A complete, well-structured profile ensures the platform understands your strengths — and you'll see better matches and stronger AI proposals as a result.

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1 — Basic business information

This section establishes who you are and connects your company to verified data sources like SAM.gov.

• Add all relevant certifications (LLC, HUBZone, WOSB, SDVOSB, etc.) to improve compliance scoring.
• Keep registration and start dates updated — they're often used in eligibility checks.

If you have a UEI, CLEATUS can import your SAM.gov record automatically for faster setup.

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2 — Capabilities

Capabilities are the foundation of AI matching. Contracts outside your declared capabilities won't be prioritized.

For each capability, include:

• Title — clear service name (one service per card).
• Description — 1–3 sentences on scope, typical deliverables, and project context.
• Differentiators (optional) — certifications, unique tools, team strengths.

Best practices:

• Write concise, keyword-rich capability statements.
• Create a separate capability for each core service line (e.g., "Construction Management," "Finish Carpentry Subcontracting," "Claims & Dispute Resolution").
• Upload a capability statement (PDF or DOCX) for automatic parsing if you have one.

If you need a capability statement, use the free Capability Statement Builder.

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3 — Preferences

Preferences tell CLEATUS which sources and geographies to prioritize. With no preferences set, CLEATUS searches all global contracts by default.

What to select:

• Source — federal, state and local, or both.
  • Federal — contracts governed by FAR (e.g., SAM.gov).
  • State and local — SLED opportunities from state, county, city, and education portals.
• Geography — the place of performance you care about.
  • US states (e.g., Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia).
  • Countries (e.g., United States, Canada).
  • Leaving geography blank includes all regions.

Best practices:

• Select only the regions where you actively plan to bid.
• Avoid checking every state or country — broad targets reduce recommendation accuracy.
• Revisit preferences as you expand into new markets.

Example:

• Source: Federal and state and local.
• US states: Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia.
• Countries: United States.

Start narrow to build a strong pipeline, then expand as your team and past performance grow.

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4 — Bid/no-bid criteria

Tell CLEATUS what you'll pursue (deal makers) and what you'll pass on (deal breakers). These rules apply on top of your profile settings.

Deal makers (pursue):

• Preferred solicitation types: RFP/RFQ, IDIQ/BPA call orders, task orders, competitive vs. sole source.
• Contract types: Firm-Fixed-Price, T&M, Cost-Plus (if acceptable).
• Scope signals: clear SOW, site visit offered, realistic schedule, teaming/subcontracting encouraged, recompetes with incumbent info.
• Risk and size: bonding within capacity, moderate complexity, reasonable reporting.

Deal breakers (pass):

• Pre-award signals: Sources Sought/RFI only, vague or shifting scope, 24/7 on-call, unrealistic timelines.
• Contract mechanics: bonding above capacity, unfavorable payment terms, excessive liquidated damages, unlimited warranty/support.
• Operational hurdles: hazardous materials, union-only labor (if not applicable), required clearances you don't hold, proprietary OEM restrictions.
• Agency preferences: agencies you do not pursue (list them).

Best practices:

• Be specific about solicitation/contract types, bonding limits, risk tolerances, and agency preferences.
• Keep criteria enforceable today; revisit quarterly as capacity and strategy evolve.

Example:

• Deal makers: Competitive RFP/RFQ, FFP or T&M under bonding capacity, clear SOW, teaming allowed, task orders under existing vehicles.
• Deal breakers: Sources Sought/RFI only, bonding > $10M, aggressive 24/7 support, undefined deliverables, OEM-proprietary restrictions, agencies X/Y.

The clearer your rules, the fewer off-target opportunities CLEATUS will surface.

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5 — Projects (company experience)

This section showcases your proven work — federal, state, local, or private — so CLEATUS understands your capabilities in action.

Best practices:

• Add every notable project that demonstrates relevant experience.
• Include project descriptions, value, and scope to help CLEATUS identify alignment.
• Focus on outcomes ("Delivered ahead of schedule," "Improved energy efficiency by 20%").
• For private or non-federal projects, include a short description of the client type or industry.

Example:

• Project: Solar Facility Retrofit – Arlington County
• Value: $2.3M
• Description: Designed and installed solar retrofit systems across three municipal buildings, increasing energy efficiency by 22%.

CLEATUS automatically imports recent federal contracts linked to your UEI. Manually add older or private projects for a complete picture.

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6 — Keep your profile updated

Your Company Profile should evolve with your business. Review and update every 2–3 months. Add new projects, certifications, or capabilities as soon as they're available — a current profile directly improves AI proposal quality and contract match precision.