Uploading RFPs

Upload your RFP documents to Cothon for AI-powered requirement extraction and capability matching. This guide covers file formats, upload methods, processing pipeline details, and troubleshooting tips.

Supported File Formats

Cothon accepts multiple document formats, each with specific strengths:

Why PDF is Recommended

Advantages:

• Preserves exact document layout and formatting
• Maintains page boundaries for source references
• Supports coordinate extraction for precise requirement location
• Handles multi-column layouts correctly
• Reliably extracts tabular data
• Consistent rendering across platforms

DOCX Advantages:

• Leverages semantic structure (headings, styles)
• Better for documents with extensive commenting
• Easier to extract specific elements (tables, lists)
• Smaller file sizes for text-heavy documents
• Native support for tracked changes

File Size Optimization

If your document exceeds 50 MB:

Upload Methods

Cothon provides three convenient ways to upload documents:

Method 1: Upload Button (Recommended for New Users)

Method 2: Drag and Drop (Fastest for Desktop)

The most intuitive method for desktop users:

1. Prepare your file: Locate the RFP file in your file explorer/Finder
2. Drag to browser: Click and hold the file, drag it to your browser window
3. Drop anywhere: Release over the Bid Analysis page - a drop zone highlights automatically
4. Processing starts: Upload begins immediately without additional clicks

Drag and Drop Tips:

• Drop zone appears with blue border when file is over the window
• Green checkmark confirms successful drop
• Red error indicates invalid file type or size
• Cancel by dragging file outside the browser window before releasing

Method 3: Keyboard Shortcut (Power Users)

Press (Mac) or (Windows) to instantly open the file picker.

Workflow Benefits:

• No mouse movement required
• Fastest method when keyboard-focused
• Works from anywhere in Bid Analysis section
• Combines well with keyboard navigation in file picker

Method 4: API Upload (Programmatic)

For automated workflows or integration with other systems:

curl -X POST https://api.cothon.com/api/v1/bid-analysis/analyze \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "file_content_base64": "BASE64_ENCODED_FILE",
    "file_name": "rfp-2024-001.pdf",
    "file_type": "pdf",
    "folder_id": "optional-folder-id"
  }'

See API Documentation for complete reference.

Upload Process Details

When you upload a document, Cothon processes it through a sophisticated pipeline:

Processing Time Estimates

Typical processing times based on document characteristics:

By Page Count

By Requirement Density

What Affects Processing Time?

Faster Processing:

• Well-structured documents with clear headings
• Searchable PDFs (not scanned)
• Simple single-column layouts
• Few tables or simple table structures
• Standard requirement language

Slower Processing:

• Scanned documents requiring OCR
• Multi-column complex layouts
• Heavy use of tables with nested cells
• Unusual or verbose requirement language
• Very large files (> 25 MB)
• High requirement density (> 200 requirements)

Real-Time Progress Tracking

During processing, you'll see detailed progress:

Upload Phase

Uploading RFP-2024-001.pdf...
███████████████░░░░░ 75% (3.2 MB / 4.3 MB)

Processing Phase

Processing Document
✓ Upload complete
✓ Text extraction (42 pages)
⟳ Identifying requirements... (Pass 2 of 3)
○ Capability matching
○ Finalization

Completion Notification

✓ Analysis Complete!
  RFP-2024-001.pdf
  - 73 requirements extracted
  - 65% compliance match
  - 3 flagged terms found
  [View Analysis]

Tips for Best Results

Document Quality

File Preparation

Organization Best Practices

Naming Convention:

[Agency]-[Solicitation-Number]-[Description]-[Date]
Example: DND-W6369-24A001-Cloud-Services-2024-03-15

Folder Structure:

My Analyses
├── Active Opportunities
│   ├── Federal - IT Services
│   ├── Federal - Consulting
│   └── Provincial - Infrastructure
├── Won Contracts
├── Lost Bids (Lessons Learned)
└── No-Bid Decisions

Tags for Quick Finding:

• Agency/Department name
• NAICS code
• Set-aside type (small business, Indigenous, etc.)
• Deadline month
• Value range ($50K-$100K, $1M+, etc.)

Common Issues and Solutions

"File too large" Error

Cause: File exceeds 50 MB limit

Solutions:

Low Extraction Quality

Symptom: Requirements are incomplete, garbled, or missing

Diagnosis:

1. Check if PDF is searchable

   • Try to select text in PDF viewer
   • If you can't, it's a scanned image

2. Check encoding

   • Open in text editor
   • If you see gibberish, encoding issue

3. Check for security

   • File → Properties → Security
   • "Text access" should be allowed

Solutions:

Missing Requirements

Symptom: You know there are requirements, but few were extracted

Common Causes:

1. Requirements in images or diagrams

   • Tables rendered as images
   • Screenshots of specs
   • Flowcharts with embedded text

2. Unusual requirement language

   • Non-standard phrasing
   • Requirements without modal verbs
   • Implicit requirements only

3. Document structure issues

   • Requirements not in traditional sections
   • Everything in one long paragraph
   • Bullets or numbering not preserved

Solutions:

"Processing Failed" Error

Symptom: Upload succeeds but processing fails

Common Causes:

• Corrupted PDF
• Extremely complex document structure
• File contains unsupported elements (3D PDFs, portfolios)
• Temporary server issue

Solutions:

1. Retry Upload: Sometimes temporary glitches resolve
2. Re-save PDF: Open and save as new PDF to fix corruption
3. Simplify PDF: Remove complex elements (multimedia, 3D, JavaScript)
4. Contact Support: If issue persists, support can investigate server logs

Slow Processing (Taking Longer Than Expected)

Symptom: Analysis is taking 2-3x longer than estimates

Likely Causes:

• Scanned PDF requiring OCR
• 200+ requirements
• Very complex table structures
• High server load (rare)

What to Do:

• Be patient: Complex documents can take 10-15 minutes
• Check progress: Detailed status shows where processing is
• Navigate away: Processing continues in background
• Notification: You'll be notified when complete

Security and Privacy

Upload Security

• Encryption in transit: All uploads use TLS 1.3
• Encryption at rest: Files stored with AES-256 encryption
• Access control: Only your organization can view your analyses
• Audit logging: All access logged for security compliance

Data Retention

• Analysis data: Stored indefinitely until you delete
• Source files: Retained for 90 days, then deleted
• Deleted analyses: Recoverable from trash for 30 days
• Permanent deletion: After 30 days in trash, data is permanently deleted

Compliance

• PIPEDA compliant: Canadian privacy standards
• SOC 2 Type II: Security controls audited
• GDPR ready: EU data protection support
• Data residency: Canadian data centers available

Best Practices Checklist

Before uploading:

• File is searchable PDF or DOCX
• Password protection removed
• All appendices and amendments included
• File size under 50 MB
• Descriptive filename chosen
• Folder destination selected
• Company capabilities profile is current

After upload:

• Review processing notifications for errors
• Verify requirement count seems reasonable
• Check compliance ring for quick assessment
• Spot-check a few requirements against source
• Note any missing requirements for manual addition
• Add tags and metadata for findability
• Share with relevant team members

Next Steps

After uploading and initial processing:

• Review extracted requirements - Understand how requirements were identified and categorized
• Configure capability matching - Set up your company profile for accurate matching
• Use different view modes - Explore List, Grid, and Table views
• Check compliance ring - Interpret your compliance score
• Troubleshooting - Deep dive on resolving issues

Frequently Asked Questions