This is the user’s manual for the AcqBot Platform.
If you want to check out our walkthrough videos, they are here:
Section 1: Dashboard
The AcqBot Dashboard is the simple one-stop shop to see what work you have in progress. Use the tab on the left side of the screen to navigate the AcqBot Dashboard.
Personal Profile
Section 2: Organization Management
Joining an Organization
Creating an Organization
If you create an organization, then you become the first owner and can then invite others to the organization or grant access to those who request to join.
Section 3: New Solicitation Packages
The solicitation module is a key component of the AcqBot platform, it enables users to make acquisition packages and submit them for approval and solicitation in minutes.
To get started, simply selected the Solicitations Tab.
This will take you to the solicitations dashboard where you can see all of your acquisition packages and view their respective statuses.
From the dashboard you can select the “New Solicitation Package” button in the top right.
This will take you to the vehicle selection menu where you can choose from any of the vehicles that are available to you.
Optional: Set User Access to Acquisition Packages
Package Development
Each vehicle may have different submission requirements, but all require some definition of what you intend to acquire through this solicitation package. In order to create this, we can start a new document by pressing the “New Document” button.
You can upload or write these documents by hand; you can also select the AI Editor button.
The AI editor requires a couple of inputs to get started.
- The name of the document you intend to create
- The template of the document you intend to create
Different contract vehicles will have different templates.
Next you can go about filling in the chosen template:
- Each template will have different input variables, these ensure that the AI receives the information it needs to create a coherent document. Some will require little input, such as yes or no answers, while others require somewhat more detailed input.
- Each field must be filled in order to move forward into the generation process.
- The AI chat window is available to aid in filling any of the input fields
- You can use plain language directions for the chat, the AI will respond accordingly
Once you fill each field, you can select the “Start” button.
The document interface is a fully featured document editor, including:
- Table of contents and document navigation along the left side and a document formatting menu along the top
- Free text editor, similar to other word processors
- A comments interface for document collaboration
- An AI assistant built right into the interface
The AI will then go to work filling the chosen template with contextually relevant content.
Each section of dynamic content comes with three user options:
- Accept the generated content and convert to editable free text
- Regenerate the section and get a new version from the AI generator
- Remove the section altogether and write by hand.
When you’re done editing the document you can simply select the status menu in the top right dashboard to move the document to a “Complete” status and then select the breadcrumbs at the top of the page to navigate back to the acquisition package view.
Next, we need to build the rest of the package, filling in things like anticipated value and award dates, to ensures that the acquisition stays within pop and ceiling.
Lastly, you can click the “Submit” button at the bottom of the Scope Determination page to submit the package for review and approval. The status of your solicitation will then appear as “Pending”, as shown below.
Section 4: Marketplaces
AcqBot has a collection of Marketplaces for users to browse and create solicitations through. Click into a Marketplace to see vendor submissions.
Note: This is a TEST example
When creating a Marketplace RFI, provide the solicitation name and your requirement information. Selecting “Create RFI” will generate your document and continue to a step-by-step solicitation workflow.
Select specific vendor submissions that align with your requirement by adding them to your cart.
View your cart and create your solicitation, choosing your requirements document.
In the solicitation workflow, you can edit your document with the help of AI.
Fill in your Scope Determination information and submit.
Once your scope is approved, you will be able to continue on to your announcement. If changes need to be made, comments can be viewed at the bottom of the workflow page.
Within your announcement, AI will assist with text generation, and you can upload documents and select which ones will be viewable to vendors.
Vendor responses will flow into your workflow where you can manage submissions, Q&A, comments, and create evaluations.
Section 5: Templates
You can get started making your own templates by copying a Public template
You can also try out the AI template generator
We can also make them manually
The “Templates” tab allows you to upload and create basic template to be used in document and solicitation creation.
Prompt Design:
Instruction
Format (as required/desired)
Example (typically taken from an exemplar document)
For example:
(Instruction) Generate a comprehensive paragraph that summarizes the who, what, when, and where that the contractor will need to know in order to carry out the contract for {Required Product/Service}
(Format) in paragraph format,
(Example) Below is a paragraph from a previous document that you can use as an ample of the format and content tone of voice:
This Statement of Work (SOW) defines the deliverables and engineering support that will be tasked under the terms of the MDA Threat Systems Engineering research and development (R&D) contract. The Contractor shall perform requirements definition, development, analysis, integration, assessment, and planning to deliver highly technical Threat System Engineering products and services. The Contractor shall provide technical support to the Agency and the MDA Director for Engineering (MDA/DE) in efforts to develop and deliver cost-effective digital representations of adversary missile systems and other related documentation. Efforts tasked under the terms of this SOW will routinely require the application of advanced scientific and technical knowledge, approaches, processes, and tools to achieve both Agency and national goals to expedite the development and delivery of Missile Defense System capabilities.
Calling Documents in Templates
Adding Input Fields
Adding user input fields is an important aspect of templates, you can configure what information you want users to supply to the AI as they build documents.
Configure Form Filler Fields
Create Variable in Generation Boxes
Section 7: Creating and Managing Evaluations
IMPORTANT: THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO CREATE AN EVALUATION:
1. As part of a solicitation package
2. Independent of a solicitation package
Building an evaluation package is the same with either route
Choose your phase type or copy parts from an existing evaluation, then select Save & Continue
Set up your evaluation details. AI will generate instructions for your evaluators for you based on your uploaded evaluation documents.
All supporting documents can be used by human evaluators and the Agentic AI evaluator to help with the evaluation process. NOTE: AI will only be using the context/documentation you provide to assist evaluators and run the evaluation.
Manually build out your evaluation criteria, or have AI generate it from your scoring matrix
Upload your sources that are to be evaluated.
Build your source selection team by assigning roles. NOTE: Only users that are in the organization you are working in will appear. You can invite other people in through the “Settings” tab on the left side panel if they are not part of the organization already.
Evaluators
An AI assistant is built into every evaluation, not to complete the evaluation for you, but to assist in providing notes, finding information within the source documents, and speeding up the evaluation process as a whole.
Evaluation Owners
Section 8: Market Research Tool
The market research tool is designed to be as user-friendly as your favorite search engine with all of the data sources you need to access.
Market research is fed by standard sources like SAM.gov and Spending.gov as well as a variety of commercial data sources.
Create a new report or type in your market research question or command into the Search bar on the homepage to begin.
Under the “report” tab, use the drop down to chose a template from your “Templates” module in order to begin creating your Market Research document/artifact.
The responses given by the AI will be used to fill in your template, and eventually create your document. Use this chat session to direct the AI to provide responses/answers that align with the Variable fields in the template chosen.
Each “Saved Response” from the AI will be a separate option to select when aligning the information to variables.
You can create new chat sessions and save them separately within a report.
Use the “Saved Responses” on the left side panel to fill into the variables of the template.
You can edit, review, save, and export your draft Market Research Document.
Edit your Title or Description within the “Settings” tab. You can delete your report at any point, but this action cannot be undone.
File & Image upload allows many use cases for the Market Research module to assist your searching. The “Search All Organizations” tab when toggled off will only allow you to look through the files of the Organization you are currently working in. When toggled on, it will be able to index through ALL files from ALL of the organizations YOU are an “Owner” or “Member” of.
