Organization profile

Built once, read by every later step. Without it, every search is guesswork and every go/no-go is slow.

What it holds

Identity and registration

Classification

NAICS codes for contracting, NTEE code for nonprofits, size standard against the relevant NAICS, and any set-aside certifications: 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB or EDWOSB, SDVOSB, minority-owned, state and local equivalents.

Certifications are the highest-leverage field in the profile. They cut the eligible universe down to something a small organization can actually compete in, and set-aside solicitations are where the realistic wins live.

Capacity

Annual budget or revenue, staff count, service area, bonding capacity, insurance limits and carriers, audit status and most recent audit date, indirect cost rate and whether it is federally negotiated, and accounting system adequacy where a funder tests it.

Programs

Program areas with the outcome data behind each: who is served, how many, over what period, with what results. Real numbers with real sources.

People

Key staff with actual credentials, degrees, licenses, and years of experience. Board composition where funders ask for it.

Past submissions — the real asset

Past applications and proposals, won and lost, are the single most valuable input to every future draft.

Gather them from Drive, M365, or uploads — from a store confirmed as the organization's, searched by its name, per ../../../shared/tenant-scope.md. Index each one with: funder or agency, opportunity title and number, date, amount requested, outcome, and the score or debrief if there was one.

Extract the reusable pieces:

• Organizational background and history boilerplate
• Program descriptions, by program
• Staff bios
• Past performance write-ups, by contract or grant
• Logic models, theories of change, evaluation plans
• Budget narratives and standard cost categories
• Letters of support and who provided them

Losses are more instructive than wins. A debrief that says the past performance section scored 12 of 40 tells you exactly what to rebuild, and most organizations file the loss and never read it again.

Keeping it current

The fields that expire will silently disqualify a submission if nobody watches them:

• SAM.gov registration — annual renewal, and lapses are common
• State charity registrations — annual, per state
• Insurance certificates — annual
• Audit — the most recent one, which funders date-check
• Certifications — 8(a) has a nine-year term; HUBZone requires recertification

Put each expiry on the calendar with at least 60 days of lead time. An expired SAM registration discovered on submission day has ended otherwise-winning bids.

Two shapes of organization

The nonprofit. Riverbend Literacy Council, a four-person nonprofit running adult reading programs. Profile is heavy on program outcomes, 501(c)(3) status, board composition, audit, and foundation relationships. The material that wins is outcome data and a credible theory of change.

The contractor. Okonkwo Mechanical, bidding public-facility HVAC work. Profile is heavy on NAICS codes, bonding capacity, past performance on comparable contracts, licensed staff, and set-aside certifications. The material that wins is past performance on similar-size, similar-scope jobs.

The go/no-go differs sharply between them. A nonprofit's hard stops are usually eligibility and geography. A contractor's are usually past performance thresholds and bonding. Build the profile knowing which one the organization is, because it determines which checks kill a bid fastest.