Capability Matching
Set up your company capabilities and match them against RFP requirements
Capability Matching
Capability matching helps you quickly assess whether your organization can meet RFP requirements. Set up your company profile once, then automatically evaluate your fit for any opportunity.
Setting Up Capabilities
Before matching, configure your company capabilities:
Tip
The more detailed your capability profile, the more accurate your matching results will be.
How Matching Works
When you analyze an RFP, Cothon automatically compares each requirement against your capabilities:
Match Statuses
| Status | Meaning | Action Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Fully Meets | Your capabilities clearly satisfy this requirement | Document evidence in proposal |
| Partially Meets | You can address this with some gaps or caveats | Identify gaps, consider partners |
| Cannot Meet | Current capabilities don't satisfy this requirement | Evaluate if gap is disqualifying |
| Needs Review | AI couldn't determine match confidence | Manual review required |
Confidence Scores
Each match includes a confidence percentage showing how certain the AI is about the assessment. Higher scores indicate clearer matches between your capabilities and the requirement.
Reviewing Matches
After automatic matching:
Gap Analysis
The Gap Analysis view shows:
- Total requirements by status
- Compliance percentage (Fully Meets / Total Mandatory)
- Risk areas requiring attention
- Recommended actions for gaps
Warning
A compliance percentage below 80% on mandatory requirements suggests significant gaps that may affect your competitiveness.
Improving Match Accuracy
Update Capabilities Regularly
- Add new certifications when earned
- Update past performance with recent contracts
- Add new personnel and their qualifications
- Remove outdated or expired capabilities
Use Specific Language
- Match terminology used in RFPs (e.g., "FedRAMP Moderate" not just "cloud certified")
- Include common variations and acronyms
- Reference specific standards and frameworks
Add Context
- Include years of experience
- Specify scale (project sizes, team sizes)
- Note geographic coverage
- List specific technologies and versions
Teaming and Partnerships
For requirements you can't meet alone:
- Identify gap areas - Use the gap analysis to find specific needs
- Search for partners - Use Vendor Analytics to find companies with complementary capabilities
- Document teaming arrangements - Update your capabilities to reflect partner strengths
- Mark requirements as "Met via Partner" - Track which gaps are addressed through teaming
Exporting Match Results
Export your capability match analysis for:
- Internal bid/no-bid decisions
- Teaming partner discussions
- Proposal planning
- Compliance matrices
Click Export in the analysis toolbar to download as PDF or Excel.
Next Steps
- Views & Modes - Different ways to visualize your analysis
- Sharing Analyses - Collaborate with team members
- Auto-Generate Proposals - Turn your analysis into proposal content
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