Bid fit ratings: what STRONG FIT, GOOD FIT, and POSSIBLE FIT really mean

Most bid lists are sorted by guesswork: which solicitation feels winnable, which deadline is closest, which one a partner mentioned once. BidMast sorts by something simpler and more honest — it counts how many of your real, on-file facts match the opportunity. Three facts, called signals: your NAICS codes, your set-aside certifications, and your bond ceiling. The count becomes the rating you see on every opportunity: STRONG FIT, GOOD FIT, or POSSIBLE FIT. Fit is how many signals match, not a score.

The three real signals

Each signal is a factual check against the contractor profile you fill in — nothing is guessed:

• NAICS — does the opportunity's NAICS code match one on your profile? A 6-digit exact match counts; so does a 4-digit related code, because agencies sometimes classify the same work differently.
• Set-aside — does the opportunity's set-aside label hit a certification you hold (8(a), SDVOSB, WOSB, HUBZone, small business, and so on)? If the label is empty — "full and open" — there's nothing to match, and the signal simply doesn't fire.
• Bond — is the published value inside your single-job bond ceiling? If the value isn't published, the bond signal is left unchecked — the site never invents a number to fill the gap.

What each rating means

The ratings come straight from the count, and the site only ever shows three labels:

• STRONG FIT — 3/3. NAICS, set-aside, and bond all match. This is a bid you are eligible for on every axis the site checks.
• GOOD FIT — 2/3. One signal doesn't match, and the card tells you which one. Often that's a fixable miss: a certification you hold but forgot to add to your profile, or a value just over your ceiling.
• POSSIBLE FIT — 1/3. One signal matches. Worth a look, but check the other two before spending proposal time on it.

And when there's no profile to check against, the card says exactly that — "Fit not checked" — instead of inventing a rating. That honesty is deliberate: a made-up number is worse than none.

The persistent sidebar on the Opportunities page

The Opportunities page keeps a sticky sidebar open while you scroll the wall. One panel shows bond capacity — real arithmetic on real fields: the opportunity's value divided by your single-job bond ceiling, shown as a percentage with the raw division stated underneath. No invented scores. Another panel is the Fit rating legend — STRONG 3/3, GOOD 2/3, POSSIBLE 1/3 — with a live count of how many of each are in the current wall, so you can see at a glance whether today's list is worth your afternoon.