Dashboard Overview

Your Cothon dashboard is your central command center for procurement intelligence. It provides at-a-glance access to critical metrics, market trends, competitive intelligence, and actionable insights—all customizable to match your workflow and strategic priorities.

The dashboard uses a flexible widget-based architecture that lets you create personalized views of your procurement landscape. Whether you're tracking win rates, monitoring competitor activity, analyzing pricing trends, or identifying new opportunities, your dashboard adapts to surface the most relevant information.

What is the Dashboard?

The dashboard is the first screen you see after logging into Cothon. It serves as your personalized analytics hub, combining:

• Real-time metrics from your bid history and ongoing pursuits
• Market intelligence aggregated from government procurement sources
• Competitive analytics tracking incumbent patterns and competitor behavior
• AI-powered insights highlighting trends, risks, and opportunities
• Performance tracking for win rates, pricing accuracy, and pipeline health
• Quick actions to jump into analysis, review opportunities, or generate proposals

Unlike static reporting tools, the Cothon dashboard is dynamic and interactive. Click any metric to drill into details, hover over charts for contextual data, and use filters to focus on specific time periods, agencies, or categories.

Dashboard Architecture

The dashboard consists of three main layers:

1. Widget Grid System

Widgets are arranged in a responsive grid that adapts to your screen size. Each widget occupies one or more grid cells and can be:

• Resized by dragging corner handles
• Moved by dragging the widget header
• Configured via the settings icon in each widget header
• Removed by clicking the X button (hidden until hover)
• Added from the widget catalog in the dashboard toolbar

The grid automatically reflows as you add, remove, or resize widgets, maintaining a clean layout without manual adjustment.

2. Data Refresh Mechanism

Dashboard data updates on multiple schedules depending on the data source:

• Real-time data (bid status, pipeline changes): Updates every 30 seconds via WebSocket
• Aggregated analytics (win rates, trends): Refreshes every 5 minutes
• Market intelligence (new opportunities, competitor activity): Refreshes every 15 minutes
• Historical data (charts, trends): Cached for 1 hour, refreshes on demand

You can manually refresh any widget by clicking the refresh icon in the widget header.

3. Personalization Engine

Your dashboard configuration is saved to your user profile, including:

• Widget selection: Which widgets are visible
• Widget layout: Position and size of each widget
• Widget settings: Filters, time ranges, and display options for each widget
• Dashboard view: You can create multiple named dashboard views for different purposes

When you log in from a different device, your personalized dashboard layout follows you.

Widget Categories

Cothon offers 20+ dashboard widgets organized into six categories:

Market Overview Widgets

Track the broader procurement landscape and identify trends:

• Market Snapshot: Key metrics (total opportunities, total value, avg. value, active competitors)
• Market Trends: Time-series charts showing opportunity volume and value over time
• Category Distribution: Pie/bar charts breaking down opportunities by procurement category
• Agency Activity: Ranking of most active procurement agencies
• Geographic Heatmap: Map visualization of opportunity locations
• Procurement Calendar: Timeline view of upcoming deadlines and solicitation releases

Learn more about Market Overview widgets →

Bid Performance Widgets

Monitor your team's bidding effectiveness and pipeline health:

• Win Rate Analysis: Win/loss ratios with trend lines and filters
• Bid Statistics: Total bids, pending, won, lost with conversion metrics
• Pricing Analysis: Submitted vs. winning prices with variance analysis
• Pipeline Overview: Funnel visualization of opportunities in each stage
• Submission Timeline: Calendar of upcoming deadlines and submission dates
• Effort Analysis: Time and resource allocation across active bids

Learn more about Bid Performance widgets →

Competitive Intelligence Widgets

Understand your competitive landscape and positioning:

• Competitor Analysis: Top competitors by wins, bid frequency, and market share
• HHI Index: Herfindahl-Hirschman Index measuring market concentration
• Incumbent Analysis: Tracking of contract renewals and incumbent retention rates
• Differentiator Finder: AI-identified gaps where your capabilities stand out
• Competitive Overlap: Venn diagram showing which competitors you face most often
• Win/Loss by Competitor: Head-to-head performance against specific competitors

Learn more about Competitive Intelligence widgets →

Opportunity Discovery Widgets

Surface new opportunities aligned with your capabilities:

• Smart Recommendations: AI-matched opportunities based on your capability profile
• Recently Posted: Latest government opportunities with filtering
• Saved Searches: Quick access to your saved opportunity search criteria
• Watchlist: Opportunities you've flagged for monitoring
• Expiring Soon: Deadlines approaching in the next 7/14/30 days
• High-Value Alerts: Opportunities above your defined value threshold

Full widget catalog →

Insights & AI Widgets

Leverage AI-powered analytics for strategic decision-making:

• Trend Predictions: Machine learning forecasts of upcoming procurement volumes
• Risk Alerts: AI-flagged risks in active bids (pricing, requirements, compliance)
• Capability Gaps: Analysis of requirements you frequently struggle to meet
• Success Patterns: Common characteristics of your winning bids
• Market Shifts: Detected changes in agency priorities or procurement patterns
• Question Previews: Likely RFP questions based on agency history

Quick Actions Widgets

Streamline common workflows with one-click access:

• Recent Documents: Last 5 documents you viewed or edited
• Pending Reviews: Proposals awaiting your review or approval
• Team Activity: Real-time feed of team member actions
• Quick Upload: Drag-and-drop area to analyze new RFPs
• Command Palette: Keyboard-driven search and navigation
• Notifications: System alerts, deadlines, and team mentions

How the Dashboard Works

Initial Load

When you first access the dashboard:

1. Authentication check: Supabase verifies your session token
2. Profile load: System retrieves your saved dashboard configuration
3. Widget initialization: Each visible widget requests its data via API
4. Parallel loading: Multiple API calls execute simultaneously for fast rendering
5. Progressive display: Widgets appear as their data loads (no blocking)
6. WebSocket connection: Real-time channel established for live updates

First load typically completes in 1-3 seconds depending on the number of active widgets.

Data Flow

Dashboard widgets follow a consistent data flow pattern:

Widget Component (React)
  ↓
TanStack Query Hook (useQuery)
  ↓
API Client (lib/api.ts)
  ↓
Flask Backend (/api/v1/analytics/*)
  ↓
Supabase Database + RAG System
  ↓
Data Transform & Aggregation
  ↓
JSON Response
  ↓
Widget Rendering (Charts, Tables, Metrics)

Each widget manages its own:

• Query key: Unique identifier for caching and invalidation
• Refresh interval: How often to refetch data
• Error handling: Fallback UI when data fails to load
• Loading state: Skeleton loaders while data fetches

Real-time Updates

Widgets subscribed to real-time data connect to the Flask-SocketIO server:

1. Widget mounts and joins a Socket.IO room (e.g., user:123:dashboard)
2. Backend emits events when relevant data changes (new bid, status update, etc.)
3. Widget receives event and invalidates its TanStack Query cache
4. Query automatically refetches fresh data
5. Widget re-renders with updated information

Real-time widgets include: Bid Statistics, Pipeline Overview, Team Activity, Notifications, Recent Documents.

Responsive Behavior

The dashboard grid adapts to screen size:

• Desktop (1920px+): 4-column grid, all widgets visible
• Laptop (1280-1919px): 3-column grid, widgets resize proportionally
• Tablet (768-1279px): 2-column grid, some widgets stack vertically
• Mobile (< 768px): 1-column layout, widgets full-width with vertical scrolling

Widget content also adapts:

• Charts switch from complex multi-series to simplified single-series on small screens
• Tables become card-based lists on mobile
• Detailed metrics condense to essential KPIs
• Filters and controls move to collapsible panels

Getting Started

Your First Dashboard Session

Follow these steps to make the most of your initial dashboard experience:

Dashboard Views

You can create multiple dashboard views for different purposes:

• Executive View: High-level KPIs and trend summaries for leadership reviews
• Analyst View: Detailed charts, competitive data, and market intelligence for deep analysis
• Pursuit View: Pipeline, deadlines, and bid performance for active opportunity management
• Mobile View: Compact widgets optimized for phone/tablet access

Switch between views using the dropdown in the dashboard toolbar. Each view maintains its own widget selection, layout, and settings.

Dashboard Workflow Examples

Morning Routine: Daily Pipeline Check

Goal: Get a snapshot of overnight changes and today's priorities

Widgets used: Bid Statistics, Pipeline Overview, Expiring Soon, Team Activity, Notifications

Workflow:

1. Check Bid Statistics for new wins/losses or status changes
2. Review Pipeline Overview for stage movements (did anything advance?)
3. Scan Expiring Soon for deadlines in the next 7 days
4. Read Team Activity feed for overnight work (proposals submitted, documents uploaded)
5. Address Notifications for mentions or approval requests

Time investment: 3-5 minutes

---

Weekly Strategy Session: Market Analysis

Goal: Identify trends, competitive shifts, and new opportunities

Widgets used: Market Trends, Category Distribution, Competitor Analysis, HHI Index, Smart Recommendations

Workflow:

1. Review Market Trends chart for volume/value changes week-over-week
2. Check Category Distribution for emerging hot categories
3. Analyze Competitor Analysis for new players or shifts in win rates
4. Examine HHI Index to see if market concentration is increasing (fewer big players) or decreasing (more competition)
5. Browse Smart Recommendations for AI-matched opportunities in growing categories

Time investment: 20-30 minutes

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Pre-Bid Go/No-Go: Competitive Assessment

Goal: Decide whether to pursue a specific opportunity based on competitive landscape

Widgets used: Incumbent Analysis, Competitive Overlap, Win/Loss by Competitor, Differentiator Finder

Workflow:

1. Identify incumbent from Incumbent Analysis (if renewal, what's retention rate for this agency?)
2. Check Competitive Overlap to see which competitors likely to bid
3. Review Win/Loss by Competitor for head-to-head record against expected competitors
4. Use Differentiator Finder to identify unique strengths for this opportunity
5. Make go/no-go decision based on competitive position and differentiation potential

Time investment: 10-15 minutes per opportunity

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Monthly Reporting: Performance Review

Goal: Generate insights for management reporting and team performance discussions

Widgets used: Win Rate Analysis, Pricing Analysis, Effort Analysis, Success Patterns, Risk Alerts

Workflow:

1. Export Win Rate Analysis data with trend lines and filters by category
2. Review Pricing Analysis for bid accuracy (how close were we to winning prices?)
3. Examine Effort Analysis to understand resource allocation and ROI
4. Study Success Patterns to identify what's working (categories, agencies, team composition)
5. Address Risk Alerts to prevent recurring issues in upcoming bids

Time investment: 45-60 minutes

Best Practices

Dashboard Design Principles

1. Above the fold matters

Place your most critical metrics in the top-left quadrant. This is the first thing you see and should answer "What do I need to know right now?"

2. Group related widgets

Create visual clusters of related information:

• Left column: Competitive intel widgets
• Center: Performance and pipeline widgets
• Right column: Opportunity discovery and recommendations

3. Balance detail and overview

Mix high-level KPIs (single numbers, simple charts) with detailed analytics (complex charts, tables). Too much detail is overwhelming; too little lacks actionability.

4. Minimize scrolling

Aim for 80% of your key metrics visible without scrolling on your primary screen. If you find yourself constantly scrolling, you have too many widgets or they're too large.

5. Use color purposefully

Widgets use color to convey meaning:

• Green: Positive metrics, wins, opportunities
• Red: Risks, losses, urgent deadlines
• Blue/Gray: Neutral information, trends

Don't override these conventions—they create visual shortcuts for faster interpretation.

Widget Selection Strategy

Start minimal, expand deliberately

Begin with 6-8 core widgets covering:

• 2 performance widgets (win rate, bid statistics)
• 2 market widgets (trends, category distribution)
• 2 competitive widgets (competitor analysis, incumbent analysis)
• 2 opportunity widgets (recommendations, expiring soon)

Add new widgets only when you find yourself repeatedly navigating away from the dashboard to check specific data. That's a signal to surface it on the dashboard.

Match widgets to your role

• Executives: High-level KPIs, trends, strategic insights
• Analysts: Detailed charts, competitive data, market intelligence
• Proposal Managers: Pipeline, deadlines, team activity, effort tracking
• Business Development: Opportunity discovery, recommendations, agency activity

Seasonal adjustments

Your dashboard needs change throughout the procurement cycle:

• Q4 (Oct-Dec): Heavy opportunity discovery as government fiscal year ends
• Q1 (Jan-Mar): Focus on pipeline and effort allocation for new fiscal year
• Q2-Q3: Competitive analysis and mid-year performance reviews

Create seasonal dashboard views and switch between them as priorities shift.

Data Hygiene

Dashboard accuracy depends on consistent data entry:

Keep your capability profile updated

Smart Recommendations and Differentiator Finder rely on your company capability profile. Review quarterly and update as you:

• Win new contract types
• Add certifications or qualifications
• Expand service offerings
• Enter new geographic markets

Maintain bid records

Win Rate Analysis and Pricing Analysis require complete bid data:

• Record all submitted bids (even if lost)
• Enter actual submitted price (not internal estimate)
• Tag bids with categories, competitors, and agencies
• Update status when awards announced

Classify opportunities consistently

Category Distribution and Agency Activity widgets aggregate your classifications:

• Use standard category taxonomy (don't create ad-hoc categories)
• Tag opportunities with relevant keywords for better filtering
• Associate opportunities with correct agencies (full legal name, not abbreviations)

Keyboard Shortcuts

Power users can navigate the dashboard without touching the mouse:

• Ctrl/Cmd + K: Open command palette (search widgets, navigate)
• Ctrl/Cmd + R: Refresh all widgets
• Ctrl/Cmd + D: Toggle edit mode (drag/resize widgets)
• Ctrl/Cmd + S: Save current dashboard layout
• Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + A: Open widget catalog
• Tab: Cycle through widget focus
• Enter: Expand focused widget to full-screen
• Esc: Exit full-screen widget or cancel edit mode

Troubleshooting

Widget Shows "No Data Available"

Possible causes:

1. Insufficient historical data: Some widgets (trends, win rate) require minimum data points (e.g., at least 5 bids for win rate analysis)

   • Solution: Continue using the platform; widget will populate as you accumulate data

2. Filters too restrictive: You've applied filters that exclude all data (e.g., filtering to a time range with no activity)

   • Solution: Click the filter icon and reset to defaults

3. API error: Backend request failed (network issue, server error)

   • Solution: Check your internet connection, try refreshing the widget (circular arrow icon)

4. Permission issue: You lack access to specific data (e.g., organization-level metrics if you're not an admin)

   • Solution: Contact your organization admin to adjust permissions

Dashboard Loads Slowly

Optimization steps:

1. Reduce widget count: Each widget = separate API call. Start by removing 2-3 least-used widgets
2. Increase cache time: Edit widget settings to cache data longer (trade freshness for speed)
3. Disable auto-refresh: Turn off automatic refresh for widgets you check manually
4. Check network: Run a speed test; slow internet = slow dashboard loads
5. Clear browser cache: Corrupted cache can slow rendering (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Delete)

Typical load time: 1-3 seconds for 8-10 widgets on a modern connection.

Widget Layout Resets After Logout

Cause: Dashboard layout not saved to profile

Solution:

1. Arrange your widgets as desired
2. Click Save Dashboard button in toolbar
3. Confirm you see "Dashboard saved successfully" toast notification
4. Refresh the page to verify layout persists

If layout still resets, check browser settings—cookies must be enabled for authentication.

Real-time Updates Not Working

Symptoms: Bid status changes don't appear until manual refresh

Debugging:

1. Check WebSocket connection status (green dot in top-right corner = connected)
2. Verify firewall/proxy allows WebSocket connections (port 5000)
3. Try disabling browser extensions (ad blockers sometimes break WebSockets)
4. Check developer console for Socket.IO connection errors

Real-time updates typically reconnect automatically within 30 seconds if interrupted.

FAQ

Next Steps

Now that you understand dashboard fundamentals, explore specific widget categories:

• Widget Catalog - Detailed reference for all 20+ available widgets
• Customizing Your Layout - Step-by-step guide to personalization
• Market Overview Widgets - Deep dive into market intelligence widgets
• Bid Performance Widgets - Optimize your team's bidding effectiveness
• Competitive Intelligence Widgets - Understand and outmaneuver competitors

Ready to customize? Start with the Widget Catalog to browse all available widgets and their capabilities.