Evidence and credibility
Build a past-performance record from work you actually did
A practical project-record worksheet for small businesses: document your role, scope, results, evidence, and limits before turning experience into a proposal claim.
Start with one project, not a bigger claim
You may have useful experience scattered across invoices, work orders, service logs, and client emails. The first step is not to describe your company as an experienced government contractor. It is to make one accurate record of work your business actually performed.
The worksheet below is a suggested internal working document, not an official government form. Build it before a proposal deadline so you can check facts calmly. Keep a private evidence file separate from the shorter summary you may be permitted to submit.
Check what the particular buyer will evaluate
For acquisitions using FAR Part 15, section 15.305 ties evaluation to the solicitation's stated factors. Its past-performance provisions consider relevance, recency, sources, and context; similar projects can include private-sector as well as government contracts. The source selection authority determines relevance. Commercial experience is therefore worth documenting, but do not assume every project meets a particular solicitation's requirements.
Read the requested project count, time period, similarity criteria, reference requirements, and submission format before choosing records. Other procurement procedures can have different instructions. This article is educational guidance, not a determination that your business qualifies.
As a writing practice, separate what you did from how well you did it. A scope description explains the work; a supported performance statement explains delivery, quality, or problem resolution. 'We provided office support' does not by itself establish that deadlines were met.
Project-record worksheet: capture these eight fields
1. Identity and dates: record an internal project ID, customer, service period, and whether the work is complete or ongoing. Use the actual performing business name. Retain a contract or work-order reference where available.
2. Your role: state whether your business was the prime contractor, a subcontractor, or another type of supplier. Separate company work from an employee's previous experience. Identify a partner's contribution without taking credit for it.
3. Scope and scale: describe tasks, deliverables, locations, service hours, and relevant quantities. If recording value, distinguish your portion from the total contract and the actual amount from an estimated ceiling.
4. Delivery conditions: note the practical constraints that mattered, such as occupied offices, after-hours access, multiple locations, or reporting deadlines. Avoid suggesting you held a clearance or certification you did not hold.
5. Performance and proof: write each result next to its supporting record. An accepted deliverable, dated inspection record, or documented resolution is more useful than an unsupported superlative. If you cannot verify a percentage, leave it out.
6. Problems and corrections: capture what went wrong, what you changed, and the documented result. Keep the account balanced rather than removing inconvenient facts.
7. Reference and disclosure review: identify a current contact and confirm details and permission before sharing contact information or client material. Mark records needing review; do not place confidential files into a public portfolio.
8. Relevance and limits: explain which future requirement the project could support and which it does not. Add a last-verified date and a person responsible for maintaining the record.
Illustrative example: make a narrow, supportable statement
This project and its details are invented for illustration, not a BidGovAI customer result. Suppose a business cleaned one commercial office for six months and kept weekly service logs. It should not turn that into 'proven nationwide federal facilities management.'
A more useful record would say: 'Our company directly provided after-hours cleaning at one commercial office from January through June. Scope included restrooms, waste removal, and floor care. Weekly service logs and the client's completion email are retained in the private evidence file. The project did not include grounds maintenance, security staffing, or federal-site access requirements.'
A separate relevance note could say: 'Supports experience with occupied-office cleaning and after-hours scheduling; does not demonstrate multi-state capacity.' That limitation helps you identify a gap before promising coverage. Replace every example detail with your own verified facts.
Turn the record into a response only after checking the instructions
Select records against the actual evaluation criteria, not simply the largest dollar amounts. Translate the relevant facts into the buyer's requested format and page limit. Preserve the private record as your source; do not attach your entire evidence folder by default.
If a result is still unverified, label it for internal follow-up rather than submitting it as fact. An invoice can support that a transaction occurred, but do not use it alone to claim flawless performance. Ask a second reader whether every meaningful claim has a clear basis.
Use BidGovAI to organize company information and selected pursuits, then compare the official requirement with your verified project records. Available features depend on membership. A fit score cannot substitute for evidence, determine the buyer's evaluation, or guarantee an award. Start with one complete record today, then repeat for the next genuinely relevant project.
Your next steps
- Choose one real project and verify the performing business and dates.
- Separate your role and contract share from a prime's or partner's work.
- Document scope, scale, constraints, and excluded services.
- Pair each claimed result with evidence you can locate.
- Record problems, corrective actions, and unresolved questions honestly.
- Review permission before sharing references or client material.
- Match the record to the solicitation's specific evaluation and submission instructions.