Documentation
Everything you need to know to get started with RFP Extract
Quick Start Guide
Get Started in 3 Easy Steps
Upload Your RFP Documents
Drag and drop your PDF files or click to browse. You can upload multiple documents at once. Text-based PDFs work best (scanned PDFs require OCR setup).
AI Extracts Requirements
Our AI automatically identifies Section L, Section M, and other requirements. Processing typically takes 2-5 minutes depending on document size.
Review & Export
Review extracted requirements, edit as needed, add your responses, and export to Excel or CSV format. Your compliance matrix is ready!
Detailed Guides
Uploading Documents
Supported Formats: PDF files (text-based preferred)
Upload Methods:
- Drag and drop files onto the upload zone
- Click the upload zone to browse your computer
- Select multiple files to process at once
File Size: Most RFPs process efficiently. Very large files (200+ pages) may take longer.
Note: Scanned PDFs or image-based documents require OCR (Optical Character Recognition) setup. See the OCR Setup section below or contact support for assistance.
Understanding Extraction Results
After processing, you'll see a comprehensive view of extracted requirements organized by:
- Section Type: Requirements are categorized as Section C (Contract), L (Instructions), M (Evaluation), or Other
- Page Numbers: Each requirement includes the source page number for easy cross-referencing
- Requirement ID: Unique identifier for tracking and organization
- Confidence Score: AI confidence level (higher is better, review low-confidence items)
- Paragraph Reference: When available, the specific paragraph or section reference
Pro Tip: Use the section filters to focus on specific requirement types. Section L typically contains submission requirements, while Section M covers evaluation criteria.
Editing Requirements
All extracted requirements are fully editable:
- Edit Requirement Text: Click on any requirement to modify the extracted text
- Add Proposed Response: Enter your compliance response directly in the table
- Set Compliance Status: Mark as Compliant, Partial, Non-Compliant, or Not Applicable
- Add Notes: Include internal notes or comments for your team
- Delete Requirements: Remove false positives or irrelevant items
All edits are preserved when you export to Excel or CSV, ensuring your work is never lost.
Exporting Your Compliance Matrix
RFP Extract offers multiple export formats:
Excel Export (.xlsx)
Full-featured spreadsheet with formatted tables, all requirement details, and a summary sheet. Best for proposal management and team collaboration.
CSV Export
Comma-separated values format for importing into other tools, databases, or custom workflows.
L/M Alignment Export
Special Excel format that cross-references Section L requirements with Section M evaluation criteria, helping you ensure complete proposal coverage.
Best Practice: Export to Excel for maximum flexibility. You can further customize the spreadsheet, add formulas, or integrate with your proposal templates.
Understanding L/M Alignment
Section L/M alignment is critical for government proposals:
- Section L: Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors - tells you HOW to prepare your proposal
- Section M: Evaluation Factors for Award - tells you HOW you'll be evaluated
- Alignment: Ensures your proposal addresses both submission requirements (L) and evaluation criteria (M)
RFP Extract automatically identifies both sections and can generate an alignment matrix showing the relationships between L and M requirements, helping you avoid missing critical evaluation factors.
Working with Multiple Documents
Many government RFPs come as multiple PDF files (main solicitation, amendments, attachments, etc.):
- Upload all related documents simultaneously
- RFP Extract processes each document and combines all requirements into a single compliance matrix
- Each requirement is tagged with its source document name for traceability
- Filter by source document to review requirements from specific files
Tip: Name your files clearly before uploading (e.g., "Main-RFP.pdf", "Amendment-001.pdf") to make source tracking easier.
Advanced Topics
OCR Setup for Scanned PDFs
If you need to process scanned or image-based PDFs, you'll need to enable OCR (Optical Character Recognition). This is an advanced setup that requires additional configuration.
Prerequisites:
- Tesseract OCR engine installation
- System configuration for OCR processing
- Additional processing time for scanned documents
For detailed OCR setup instructions, see the OCR-SETUP.md file in the project repository or contact support at info@rfpextract.com.
API Access
For organizations that need to integrate RFP Extract into existing workflows or build custom applications, API access is available for enterprise customers.
API Capabilities:
- Programmatic document upload and processing
- Automated requirement extraction
- Custom integration with proposal management systems
- Batch processing workflows
Contact us at info@rfpextract.com to discuss API access and enterprise features.
Best Practices
Always review extracted requirements
While AI extraction is highly accurate, a human review ensures completeness and catches any edge cases.
Pay attention to confidence scores
Low confidence scores indicate requirements that may need extra attention or verification.
Use text-based PDFs when possible
Text-based PDFs process faster and with higher accuracy than scanned documents.
Export early and often
Create backup exports at different stages of your review process.
Leverage L/M alignment
Use the alignment export to ensure your proposal addresses both submission requirements and evaluation criteria.
Need More Help?
Check our support page for FAQs, troubleshooting, and contact information.