Big-capture platforms were built for primes with BD teams, six-figure budgets, and a contracted analyst. They're overkill if you're a 12-person SDVOSB. Here's what's different — and where it shows up in your win-loss record.
Submit your win-loss record →Most capture suites (Deltek GovWin IQ, Bloomberg Gov, SAM.gov feeds, manual spreadsheets) assume you're running a full capture org. Contrax assumes you're the founder doing the capture on Wednesday between two other contracts.
| Capability | Incumbent capture suites | Contrax |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $20k–$80k/year per seat. Often sold as a multi-license platform contract. | $49–$199/month. Built small-firm-grade so a solo founder can start. |
| AI-scored fit | Keyword search, manual filtering, basic saved searches. Fit is judgement-call. | Each opportunity is scored against your NAICS, set-aside, capabilities, and contract-value range — fit at a glance. |
| Proactive alerts | Daily digest emails you skim, or a filter you set up once and forget. Buried in 200–500 relevant solicitations a day. | Single high-signal alert when something matches your profile with a real reason to bid. Not a firehose. |
| Proposal outline | Templates you fill in. Compliance matrix manual. Past-performance write-up is on you. | AI-generated outline from the actual RFP text — executive summary, technical approach, compliance matrix, past-performance framing. |
| Bid/no-bid analysis | Capture call with BD team. Manual review. Usually the founder re-reads the RFP twice. | Structured pass on NAICS fit, set-aside, compliance gaps, and scope realism — written against the solicitation text, not a template. |
| Onboarding | 6-week implementation. Account manager. Train-the-trainer webinars. | Connect a SAM.gov key, set NAICS codes, see matched opportunities. Minutes, not months. |
If you've won or lost a federal contract and you're willing to share the outcome — what you bid, who you competed with, why it went the way it went — that's the data small contractors actually need. Most capture tools don't surface this. Submit yours.
Submit your win-loss record →