Forge matches small businesses on what actually matters: who fills your capability gaps, who brings the clearances you need, who holds the contract vehicles that can run the work.
Starting with USSOCOM.
Most teaming platforms match on SAM.gov data. They surface anyone with a registration and call it a match. That is not a match. That is a directory.
If you are strong in data analytics, Forge finds you a cloud infrastructure partner — not another data analytics firm. The goal is a complete team, not a redundant one.
Every company in Forge has passed a minimum TALON readiness threshold. When you see a match, you are looking at a company that has demonstrated they are credible, verifiable, and ready to be a real partner.
Not general federal. Not civilian agencies. Defense. Special Operations. The cleared, the committed, and the companies serious about competing in the hardest acquisition spaces in the market.
What the team needs that you bring
FCL, SCIF, personnel clearance levels
SOCOM components, DoD agencies, IC customers
IDIQs, GWACs, GSA schedules, OTA
SDVOSB, 8(a), WOSB, HUBZone
How you operate, what you bring to a partnership
Your digital credibility in the market
New criteria added based on cohort needs
A 25-question profile assigns your teaming archetype — the signal the matching engine uses to find companies that fill your gaps, not duplicate your strengths.
Cleared infrastructure, stable vehicles, proven past performance. The company a prime builds the team around.
Elite capability in one domain. Cyber, SIGINT, data, logistics, electronic warfare. Deep, not wide.
Systems integration. Broad NAICS. Existing prime relationships. Sees the whole picture and connects the pieces.
SBIR and OTA track record. Proprietary technology. R&D credibility. Brings what no one else has.
Relationships. BD depth. Set-aside value to primes who need socioeconomic credit. Opens doors.
Talent pipeline. Clearance sponsorship. Rapid growth. Makes every team bigger and more capable.
Your archetype is never shown to other companies. Only compatibility signals are surfaced — so matches are based on fit, not self-promotion.
Some of the most valuable teaming intelligence is the information companies keep close hold. Forge protects it.
The following data is stored in your private vault and is never shown in search results or public profiles:
Private data is only shared during a mutual disclosure — both companies must opt in. You control what you share, with whom, and when.
Companies with a TALON readiness score below the threshold appear in the database but are not surfaced in active matching.
The gate exists to protect the quality of every match you receive. When you see a Forge recommendation, it means something — because we held the bar.
Companies below the threshold are shown exactly what they need to improve and can re-score at any time.
USSOCOM small businesses analyzed
Criteria per company
Audience perspectives evaluated
Forge was built from a database of 341 USSOCOM-pursuing small businesses — their Capability Statements, websites, clearance levels, certifications, contract vehicles, and teaming signals evaluated and cross-referenced.
It was not built on a theory of what Government Contracting companies need. It was built on what 341 of them actually look like, where they are strong, where they are missing, and what makes a team competitive.
That database is the foundation. Your company joins it when you join Forge.
Teams are being built right now for opportunities that will RFP in 18 months. The primes building those teams are not waiting for the conference. They are already looking.
Be findable. Be ready. Be matched.