Imperial
Pass/fail requirements first
Start with the requirements that end the conversation: set-aside designation, certifications, licensure, registration status, bonding, insurance limits, and any mandatory qualification the solicitation states.
Doing this first is the cheapest step in the process. Everything below only matters if you clear it.
Staffing categories and location
Check that the labor categories match what you actually place, at the locations named. RN, LPN and CNA lines carry different credentialing expectations, and a requirement spread across multiple sites is a different business than one concentrated in a single facility.
Recruitment and credentialing evidence
You will be asked to show how you source, screen, credential and retain, not merely to assert that you can. Evaluators are reading for a repeatable process with evidence behind it.
Coverage and mobilization
Look closely at required fill rates, shift coverage, response times and the mobilization period after award. A short mobilization window against a large requirement is a real risk, and it is one that appears in performance terms rather than in the pricing section.
Pricing ownership and cash flow
Someone in your organization has to own the price, and it should be the person who understands your actual cost to deliver.
Consider payment timing as well as rate. Staffing contracts pay staff continuously and invoice periodically; the gap is working capital you have to hold.
Past performance
Check what the solicitation requires in size, recency and relevance. Strong past performance in an unrelated category may not score.
Deadline runway
Count the working days remaining against the volumes required, including anything that depends on a third party such as a letter, a certificate or a teaming agreement. Those have their own timelines and are the usual cause of a rushed submission.
Pursue, partner, or decline
The decision has three outcomes, not two. Where the requirement is sound but a single gap blocks it, teaming or subcontracting can be the right answer.
Declining early is a legitimate result. It returns the cost of the response to the pursuits you can win.