Free template
Free compliance matrix template for federal proposals
An Excel workbook with the columns that matter, the dropdowns already set up and the print settings sorted. One row per obligation, quoted word for word, with the file and page it came from. No sign-up, no email, no watermark.
What is in it
- Matrix — 200 formatted rows, dropdowns for priority, owner and status, and colour on the status column so a filled sheet reads at a glance.
- Forms & deadlines — everything that must be signed, submitted or acknowledged, and when.
- How to use — the judgement calls, written down: one row per obligation, verbatim text, always a page number.
What each column is for
- ID
- A stable number for every row. You will refer to these in review comments, in questions to the contracting officer, and in the pink-team markup. Do not renumber them once writing starts.
- Requirement (verbatim)
- The sentence exactly as the solicitation wrote it. Not a summary. At review time the argument is always about the original words, and a paraphrase cannot settle it.
- Plain English
- What the requirement actually asks someone to do. This is the column your subject-matter expert reads, and the one that exposes a requirement nobody understood.
- Type
- Section C scope, Section L instruction, Section M factor, clause, form, deliverable or date. The type usually decides the owner.
- Section
- Where it came from in the document: C.3.2, L.4.1, M.2. Sorting by this column is how you check that you answered Section L in Section L's order.
- Source file and page
- Which attachment, which page. A requirement without a page reference cannot be verified, and an unverifiable matrix quietly stops being used.
- Priority
- Must, Should, May. Shall, must and will are Must. Everything marked Must is a compliance failure if missed, however good the technical writing is.
- Owner
- A named person, not a team, assigned before drafting starts. An unassigned row is an unwritten row.
- Proposal section
- Where your response to this requirement will live. When two requirements map to the same section, you have found either a merge or a conflict.
- Status
- Not started, In progress, Drafted, Complete, N/A. The template colours these so a finished sheet can be read across a room.
- Notes
- Open questions, contradictions, and anything you intend to ask the contracting officer before the questions window closes.
The template is the easy half.
Filling it in from a 240-page package is the evening. Paste the SAM.gov notice link and Shallist returns this workbook already populated: every shall, every Section L instruction, every Section M factor, every form and every date, each quoted with its file and page. Free preview on any public notice; $19 to unlock, no account, no subscription.
Questions
What is a compliance matrix?
A table with one row for every obligation in a solicitation, quoted word for word, with where it came from and who is answering it. It is used two ways: to make sure nothing is missed while writing, and as a cross-reference the evaluator can follow while scoring.
Should one row ever hold two requirements?
No. "The contractor shall provide X and submit Y monthly" is two rows, because it is two things somebody has to do, probably by two different people on two different dates. Compound sentences are where requirements get lost.
Do I need the page number if I have the section number?
Yes. Section numbering repeats across attachments, gets renumbered by amendments, and does not help a reviewer who is holding a printout. The page is what makes a row checkable in ten seconds.
What about Section L and Section M?
Read them before the scope. Section L decides whether your proposal is compliant and in what order it is read; Section M decides how it is scored. A matrix that only captures Section C shall statements misses the two sections that decide the outcome.
What happens when an amendment posts?
Re-check the due date, the page limits and any replaced attachment, then re-read anything the amendment touched. An amendment does not automatically extend the proposal due date, and a replaced attachment often appears as a new file rather than an edit to the old one.
Is the template really free?
Yes, and there is no email gate. Keep it, change it, share it with your team. We make money when someone would rather not spend an evening filling it in by hand.
Shallist is a review aid, not legal or procurement advice. SAM.gov is the system of record and you remain responsible for compliance. Not affiliated with SAM.gov, GSA or any federal agency.