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New to government contracting
You know your business. We’ll help you understand how the government buys it—from registration and codes to capability positioning and a realistic first pursuit.
Build a readiness brief →Federal acquisition advisory
Win the bids you should be winning.
We’ve been on the other side of the table. Fifteen years as a federal Contracting Officer—now working for you.
15 yearsFederal acquisition experience
EvaluatorPerspective from behind the desk
NationwideBased in Denver, serving the U.S.
Choose your path
Where do you stand?
Qualified companies lose winnable federal contracts when they chase the wrong opportunity, miss an instruction, or walk in unprepared for how the government buys. Axis-1 brings evaluator-side discipline to your next move.
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Losing bids you should win
If your win rate does not match your capability, something is breaking down. We isolate the problem across bid selection, capture, compliance, pricing, or your debrief process.
Diagnose the gap →Six advisory services
Built from the evaluator’s side.
Each engagement draws on federal acquisition work: solicitation, source selection, compliance, contract administration, and the judgment calls Contracting Officers actually make.
Proposal Review
Your proposal, graded like the government will grade it.
Real evaluation discipline before you submit.
We run your draft through compliance checks against the RFP, responsiveness to every evaluation factor, and a cold-eyed review of your win themes. You get specific, section-by-section findings and fixes—not vague feedback.
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The Axis-1 difference
I sat where the decisions get made.
“The companies that win are the ones who understand how the government actually evaluates.”
I spent 15 years on the government side of federal acquisition. I wrote solicitations, ran source selections, and watched good companies lose for reasons they never understood—a noncompliant format, a past-performance story that did not map to the evaluation factors, or a realistic price that was badly explained.
Axis-1 exists to make that knowledge practical. When I review your proposal, I read it the way an evaluator does: compliance first, scoring second, and then the question every decision must answer—can the award to this company be defended?
Former federal Contracting Officer
Source selection and contract administration experience
Direct guidance, documented recommendations
How it works
Straightforward, by design.
Whether the need is a one-time proposal review or ongoing capture support, the work starts with the real problem, gives you control of scope, and leaves your team stronger.
The strategy session
Bring a live RFP, a string of losses, or the question of where to start. Expect direct questions and an honest read—not a generic sales script.
The diagnostic
Axis-1 examines compliance, responsiveness, pipeline, pursuit history, or vendor readiness and defines the actual work before scope begins.
The work
You receive specific findings, actions, and rationale—from section-level proposal notes to capture milestones and FAR guidance.
The follow-through
Results feed the next pursuit. Wins show what to repeat; losses and debriefs become data to improve the next bid.
Field notes
Straight answers.
Federal contracting has its own language and rhythms. These are the questions smart companies ask early.
Where should a new federal contractor start?
Start with SAM.gov registration, correct NAICS codes, and an honest readiness assessment—in that order. Registration makes you eligible; a capability statement, documented past performance, the right certifications, and a focused pursuit plan make you competitive.
Do I need a set-aside certification to win?
No, but a certification such as 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or WOSB can narrow the field when you legitimately qualify. The right choice depends on your ownership, location, market, and target agencies.
What is a bid / no-bid decision?
It is the disciplined decision to pursue or walk away before the proposal consumes resources. A sound review weighs customer access, past-performance fit, competitive position, pricing realism, and the true cost of pursuit.
What does an evaluator look for first?
Compliance, responsiveness, then discriminators. First: did you follow every instruction? Second: does your approach answer each evaluation factor? Third: why is your offer better for this requirement?
What is a color-team review?
A staged proposal evaluation: pink team for early structure and compliance, red team for a full-draft evaluator read, and gold team for final polish and price review. The goal is to catch fatal flaws before submission.
Can a lost bid still help us?
Yes. A debrief can show how your proposal was evaluated, and FAR 15.506 governs post-award debriefings in negotiated procurements. Axis-1 maps that feedback to the solicitation criteria and turns it into a corrective plan.
Start with clarity
Build your consultation brief.
Answer three quick prompts to identify the best starting service. You’ll get a clean brief to copy or download for your first conversation with Axis-1.
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