Integrations

Connect Cothon with your existing tools to streamline your procurement workflow. Sync opportunities with your CRM, receive notifications in Slack, and integrate with your productivity suite. Integrations eliminate data silos, reduce manual entry, and keep your entire team informed in real-time.

Why Integrate Cothon?

Government procurement teams often work across multiple platforms: CRM systems for pipeline management, collaboration tools for team communication, and productivity suites for document creation. Cothon's integrations bridge these systems, creating a unified workflow where data flows automatically between tools.

Key Benefits:

• Eliminate double data entry between systems
• Ensure pipeline visibility across your organization
• Get real-time notifications where your team already works
• Maintain audit trails and compliance across platforms
• Automate routine tasks and reduce administrative overhead

Available Integrations

Salesforce

Sync opportunities and leads with Salesforce CRM. Bidirectional sync ensures your sales team always has the latest government procurement data.

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Pipedrive

Connect deals and contacts with Pipedrive. Perfect for teams already using Pipedrive for commercial sales who want to add government opportunities to their pipeline.

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Slack

Receive notifications and updates in Slack channels. Keep your team informed with real-time alerts, deadline reminders, and quick action buttons.

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Microsoft Teams

Get notifications and collaborate in Teams. Rich adaptive cards provide context and actions without leaving your conversation.

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Google Workspace

Calendar and Drive integration. Automatically add deadlines to your calendar and save proposal exports to shared Drive folders.

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Integration Comparison

Integration Benefits by Role

For Bid Managers

CRM Integrations (Salesforce/Pipedrive):

• Unified pipeline view combining commercial and government opportunities
• Automatic activity logging when analyses and proposals are completed
• Revenue forecasting with government contract values
• Custom reporting across all opportunity sources

Collaboration Tools (Slack/Teams):

• Deadline alerts ensure nothing slips through the cracks
• Team assignment notifications keep everyone on task
• Quick status updates without leaving your chat platform

For Business Development Teams

CRM Integrations:

• Lead scoring based on opportunity value and fit
• Contact management linked to government departments
• Opportunity stages that reflect procurement timelines
• Historical win/loss analysis across agencies

Notification Tools:

• New opportunity alerts matching your saved searches
• Amendment notifications for opportunities you're tracking
• Award announcements to understand competitor wins

For Executive Leadership

CRM Integrations:

• Dashboard visibility into government pipeline health
• Forecasting with public sector revenue streams
• Win rate tracking across departments and categories
• ROI measurement for bid/no-bid decisions

Productivity Tools:

• Calendar visibility into upcoming deadlines
• Document storage in centralized Drive/SharePoint
• Executive summaries via automated exports

Getting Started

Data Sync Architecture

What Data Syncs

To CRM Systems (Salesforce, Pipedrive)

Opportunity Records:

• Title and reference number
• Government department and agency
• Estimated contract value (range)
• Submission deadline
• Status (Identified, Analyzing, Pursuing, Submitted, Won, Lost)
• Category and procurement method
• Description and requirements summary

Analysis Records:

• Compliance score and capability assessment
• Requirement breakdown (mandatory vs. rated)
• Team assignments and responsibilities
• Analysis completion date
• Key risks and opportunities identified

Proposal Records:

• Proposal status (Draft, In Review, Submitted)
• Document link or attachment
• Submission metadata
• Version history

Activity Logs:

• Team member actions (views, saves, analyses)
• Document uploads and edits
• Status changes and stage transitions
• Comments and collaboration events

From CRM Systems to Cothon

Account/Organization Data:

• Company profiles for partner matching
• Historical relationship data
• Custom fields and tags
• Organization hierarchies

Contact Information:

• Team member roles and contact details
• Stakeholder relationships
• Communication history

Custom Field Mappings:

• Industry-specific data fields
• Compliance tracking fields
• Internal process metadata

To Notification Systems (Slack, Teams, Google Calendar)

Real-time Alerts:

• New opportunities matching saved searches
• Deadline reminders (7 days, 3 days, 1 day, same day)
• Team activity (assignments, mentions, completions)
• Award announcements
• Opportunity amendments

Scheduled Summaries:

• Daily digest of new opportunities
• Weekly pipeline status
• Monthly performance metrics

Sync Frequency and Triggers

Sync Direction Options

Each CRM integration supports three sync modes:

Bidirectional (Default):

• Changes in Cothon push to CRM
• Changes in CRM pull to Cothon
• Conflict resolution rules apply (last write wins or custom logic)
• Best for: Teams fully committed to both systems

Cothon → CRM (Push Only):

• Cothon is source of truth for government opportunities
• CRM receives updates but doesn't push back
• Prevents accidental data overwrites
• Best for: Sales teams who primarily work in CRM

CRM → Cothon (Pull Only):

• CRM is source of truth for customer data
• Cothon enriches with government opportunity intelligence
• One-way data flow simplifies troubleshooting
• Best for: Organizations with strict CRM governance

Data Transformation and Mapping

Field Mapping

When syncing between systems, Cothon intelligently maps fields:

Status/Stage Mapping

Procurement statuses don't always align with sales stages. Configure custom mappings:

Default Mapping (Customizable):

Value Conversion

Government opportunities often show value ranges (e.g., "$500K - $1M"). CRM systems typically need a single number:

Conversion Options:

• Midpoint (Default): Use middle of range ($750K)
• Low estimate: Conservative forecasting ($500K)
• High estimate: Aggressive forecasting ($1M)
• Custom formula: Weighted average based on probability

Configure in Settings > Integrations > [CRM] > Field Mappings > Value Conversion.

Security and Permissions

Authentication Methods

All integrations use industry-standard OAuth 2.0 authentication:

1. Authorization Code Flow: Most secure, used for web applications
2. Token Storage: Encrypted at rest in Cothon database
3. Token Refresh: Automatic refresh when tokens expire
4. Revocation: Instant revocation when you disconnect

Required Permissions

Salesforce

• Read: Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities, Custom Objects
• Write: Opportunities, Activities, Custom Objects
• API Access: REST API access for data sync

Pipedrive

• Read: Deals, Organizations, Persons
• Write: Deals, Activities, Notes
• Webhooks: Receive real-time updates

Slack

• Read: Channel list, user list
• Write: Post messages, manage bot
• Webhooks: Receive interactive actions

Microsoft Teams

• Read: Team and channel list
• Write: Post messages and adaptive cards
• Delegated: Act on behalf of user

Google Workspace

• Calendar: Create and manage events
• Drive: Create files and folders
• Profile: Basic profile information (for SSO)

Data Privacy and Compliance

Data Handling:

• All data transfers use TLS 1.3 encryption
• Tokens stored with AES-256 encryption
• No plain-text credentials ever stored
• Regular security audits of integration code

Compliance:

• GDPR-compliant data processing
• SOC 2 Type II certified infrastructure
• Audit logs for all sync activities
• Data residency options available

Access Control:

• Only users with "Manage Integrations" permission can connect/disconnect
• Integration-specific permissions (who can trigger syncs, view logs)
• Audit trail of all configuration changes

Managing Integrations

Integration Dashboard

Access from Settings > Integrations:

Overview Tab:

• Connection status (Active, Error, Disconnected)
• Last successful sync timestamp
• Sync statistics (records synced, errors, retries)
• Quick actions (Sync Now, View Logs, Configure)

Connected Integrations:

• List of all active connections
• Health indicators (green, yellow, red)
• Quick disconnect option

Available Integrations:

• Integrations you can connect
• "Coming Soon" integrations
• Request new integrations link

Monitoring Sync Health

Health Indicators:

Common Warning Scenarios:

• API rate limits approaching (automatic throttling engaged)
• Occasional network timeouts (automatic retry working)
• Minor field mapping warnings (non-critical data skipped)

Viewing Sync Logs

Navigate to Settings > Integrations > [Integration] > View Logs:

Log Information:

• Timestamp of sync attempt
• Sync type (Full, Incremental, Manual)
• Records processed (created, updated, skipped)
• Errors and warnings
• Sync duration
• API calls consumed

Filtering Options:

• Date range
• Log level (Info, Warning, Error)
• Sync type
• Specific record IDs

Export Options:

• Download CSV for analysis
• Share with support team
• Archive for compliance

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Authentication Failures

Symptoms: "Authentication failed" or "Token expired" errors

Solutions:

1. Navigate to Settings > Integrations > [Integration]
2. Click Refresh Connection
3. Re-authenticate with your credentials
4. Verify you haven't changed your password recently
5. Check if admin has revoked app permissions

Sync Not Running

Symptoms: Last sync time not updating, no new data appearing

Solutions:

1. Check integration status is "Active" (not paused)
2. Verify API limits haven't been exceeded
3. Click Sync Now to force manual sync
4. Check sync schedule settings
5. Review error logs for specific failures

Data Not Appearing in CRM

Symptoms: Records syncing from Cothon but not visible in CRM

Solutions:

1. Verify sync direction is configured correctly
2. Check CRM field permissions (can integration user write to fields?)
3. Review CRM validation rules (are they blocking record creation?)
4. Check for record type restrictions
5. Verify you're looking in the correct CRM view/filter

Duplicate Records Created

Symptoms: Same opportunity appearing multiple times in CRM

Solutions:

1. Configure deduplication rules in Settings > Integrations > [CRM] > Deduplication
2. Select deduplication field (usually Reference Number or Title)
3. Run Merge Duplicates tool
4. Enable "Prevent Duplicates" option going forward

Notifications Not Arriving

Symptoms: No Slack/Teams messages despite opportunity matches

Solutions:

1. Verify channel configuration in Cothon
2. Check bot is added to target channel (/invite @Cothon)
3. Review notification filters (too restrictive?)
4. Test with manual notification send
5. Check workspace/team admin hasn't blocked the app

Pausing and Resuming Sync

Sometimes you need to temporarily pause syncing:

When to Pause:

• During CRM data migrations or major changes
• When troubleshooting sync errors
• During high-volume periods to reduce API load
• When making bulk changes in one system

How to Pause:

1. Go to Settings > Integrations > [Integration]
2. Click Pause Sync
3. Optionally add note explaining why
4. Confirm

Resuming:

1. Click Resume Sync
2. Choose "Resume from last sync" or "Full resync"
3. Monitor logs for first few syncs

Disconnecting Integrations

To permanently remove an integration:

What Happens:

• Sync stops immediately
• Tokens are deleted from Cothon
• Existing data remains in both systems (not deleted)
• Notification channels continue to exist but stop receiving messages
• Can reconnect anytime without data loss

Integration Best Practices

Start Small, Expand Gradually

Phase 1: Single Integration (Week 1)

• Connect your primary CRM OR notification tool
• Configure basic settings with defaults
• Test with 5-10 sample opportunities
• Get comfortable with sync behavior

Phase 2: Refine Configuration (Week 2-3)

• Customize field mappings for your workflow
• Add custom statuses or stages
• Configure notification filters
• Train team on new processes

Phase 3: Expand Coverage (Week 4+)

• Add second integration (CRM if you started with notifications, or vice versa)
• Connect productivity tools (Google, calendar)
• Set up advanced automation
• Measure time savings and ROI

Field Mapping Strategy

Essential Fields (Must Map):

• Title/Name
• Value/Amount
• Closing/Deadline Date
• Status/Stage

High-Value Fields (Should Map):

• Department/Account
• Category/Type
• Reference Number
• Compliance Score

Nice-to-Have Fields (Optional):

• Custom metadata
• Internal notes
• Tags and labels

Notification Configuration

Avoid Notification Fatigue:

1. Use Channels Wisely

   • High-priority alerts → Direct messages
   • Team updates → Dedicated channel
   • Digests → Daily summary channel

2. Set Appropriate Thresholds

   • Only notify on opportunities > $100K
   • Only for specific departments your team targets
   • Only when deadlines are < 14 days

3. Use Digest Mode for Low-Priority

   • New opportunities → Daily digest
   • Team activity → Weekly summary
   • Awards → Monthly report

Example Slack Configuration:

Data Hygiene

Regular Maintenance Tasks:

Weekly:

• Review sync error logs
• Check for duplicate records
• Verify critical opportunities synced correctly

Monthly:

• Audit field mappings (are they still accurate?)
• Review notification settings (too many/few alerts?)
• Clean up test data from both systems

Quarterly:

• Review integration permissions (still appropriate?)
• Update custom field mappings for new requirements
• Measure integration ROI (time saved, opportunities captured)

Annually:

• Security audit (revoke unused integrations)
• Full process review (are integrations still serving needs?)
• Evaluate new integration opportunities

Advanced Configuration

Custom Webhooks

For advanced users, Cothon supports custom webhooks:

Use Cases:

• Trigger internal workflows when opportunities sync
• Send data to BI tools for custom reporting
• Integrate with systems not yet directly supported
• Build custom automation with Zapier/Make

Configuration:

1. Go to Settings > Integrations > Webhooks
2. Click Create Webhook
3. Enter endpoint URL
4. Select events to trigger on
5. Configure authentication (API key, OAuth)
6. Test webhook

Supported Events:

• opportunity.created
• opportunity.updated
• opportunity.status_changed
• analysis.completed
• proposal.generated
• deadline.approaching

API Rate Limits

Each integration has rate limits:

Cothon's Rate Limit Management:

• Automatic request queuing
• Intelligent batching (combine multiple updates)
• Exponential backoff on errors
• Priority queues (critical updates first)
• Real-time limit monitoring

What Happens at Limit:

1. Cothon detects approaching limit (90% threshold)
2. Sync slows to stay under limit
3. Non-critical updates queued for later
4. Critical updates continue (deadline notifications)
5. Admin receives notification if limit exceeded

Multi-Org Setups

For organizations using multiple CRM instances:

Scenarios:

• Regional offices with separate Salesforce orgs
• Holding companies with subsidiary CRMs
• Departments with isolated Pipedrive accounts

Configuration:

1. Connect each CRM instance separately
2. Assign integration to specific Cothon teams
3. Configure separate field mappings per instance
4. Use tags to route opportunities correctly

Routing Rules:

• By opportunity department (e.g., Federal → Org A, Provincial → Org B)
• By team assignment (Team 1 → CRM 1, Team 2 → CRM 2)
• By opportunity value (< $1M → Regional CRM, > $1M → National CRM)

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Help

Support Resources

Documentation:

• Integration-specific guides (linked at top of page)
• Video tutorials: Cothon University
• Community forums: community.cothon.io

Direct Support:

• In-app chat: Click chat icon (bottom right)
• Email: integrations@cothon.io
• Slack channel: Join #cothon-support in Community Slack

Professional Services:

• Custom integration development
• Enterprise deployment assistance
• Training sessions for large teams

Troubleshooting Checklist

Before contacting support, try these steps:

• Check integration status indicator (green/yellow/red)
• Review sync logs for specific error messages
• Verify authentication hasn't expired (click Refresh Connection)
• Confirm API limits haven't been exceeded
• Test with manual sync (Sync Now button)
• Check that permissions haven't changed in source system
• Review recent configuration changes
• Try disconnecting and reconnecting (last resort)

When contacting support, include:

• Integration type (Salesforce, Slack, etc.)
• Error message text (screenshots helpful)
• Sync log exports
• What you were trying to do
• Steps to reproduce the issue

Next Steps

Choose an integration to configure:

• Salesforce Integration - Detailed CRM sync guide
• Pipedrive Integration - Alternative CRM option
• Slack Integration - Real-time team notifications
• Microsoft Teams Integration - Microsoft 365 notifications
• Google Workspace Integration - Calendar and Drive

Or explore related documentation:

• Settings - Other configuration options
• Opportunities - Managing opportunities in Cothon
• Collaboration - Team features
• API Documentation - For custom integrations