Kickoff Package

The Kickoff Package is the starting point for the Proposals V3 workflow. If the opportunity's documents are already in NextStage through an integration (eBuy, GovWin, SAM.gov, etc.), they are pulled in and processed automatically. If they are not available through an integration, you can upload them manually from a connected SharePoint, your content library, or your own computer.

Before generating the Kickoff Package, you'll move through a short getting-started flow: review your documents, confirm your opportunity type, connect your Company Profile, and optionally import past performance and key personnel. Then NextStage AI builds your Compliance Matrix, Win Themes, Technical Solution, Past Performance, Key Personnel recommendations, and Proposal Outline, all reviewable as each piece finishes.

NextStage checks whether the opportunity's RFP documents are already available through a connected integration (eBuy, GovWin, SAM.gov, etc.). If a match is found, documents are pulled in and processed (read and tagged) automatically.

Each document shows a processing status (Processing... or Processed) and its assigned tag or tags (RFP, Instructions, Evaluation, PWS/SOW, Pricing, Other, etc.). You can add, change, or remove tags at any point during this step, and upload additional documents using the Upload button.

Note: documents stored in SharePoint are not imported automatically. If SharePoint folders are skipped, a warning appears identifying the skipped location. Use the Upload button or Documents picker to manually add any documents you want included from SharePoint.

If no integration match is found at all, upload your documents manually here from a connected SharePoint, your content library, or your own computer.

Click Continue once your documents are reviewed and tagged.

NextStage preselects RFP or RFI based on the opportunity's type field. Confirming this sets how the Proposal Outline and draft are structured.

This step is optional, you can choose Do this later, but confirming it up front produces a more accurate outline structure.

NextStage connects your Company Profile, the record that shapes how your company is positioned throughout the proposal.

The connected profile displays its legal name and UEI, and is used across all sections. To change which profile is connected, set the pipeline profile in Manage Pipelines.

NextStage shows how many past performance records are in your library and ready to match against the opportunity's evaluation criteria.

NextStage shows how many personnel records are in your workspace and will recommend the right candidate for each key personnel role.

Once you've completed as many of the steps above as apply, click Generate kickoff package at the bottom of the page.

A banner will indicate whether you can generate now or should complete any remaining steps first for a stronger kickoff package. You do not have to complete every step, only Step 1 (document review) is required, but completing Steps 2 through 5 improves the accuracy of what NextStage generates.

After you click Generate, NextStage AI reviews all the data provided and builds the Kickoff Package sequentially, one item at a time:

A progress bar tracks overall completion ("Building your kickoff package: X of 6"). As each item finishes generating, it moves to a "needs review" state and is flagged Up next / Needs review, with a button to jump straight into it (Review matrix, Review themes, Confirm candidates, Verify references, Review approaches, Review outline).

Each item opens into its own workspace.

For example, the Compliance Matrix opens a Requirements table showing each requirement extracted from your documents, linked back to its source clause (ID, requirement text, type such as SOW, action such as Address in Proposal or Post-Award Obligation, evaluation requirements, and section reference).

Move through each item, reviewing and refining as you go:

Once you're satisfied with an item, check it as Reviewed, then move to the next item using the left navigation menu. The Proposal Outline is the last item to generate, since it draws on the compliance requirements, win themes, and technical solution produced in the earlier steps.

Once all six items are marked Reviewed, the page updates to confirm your kickoff package is ready and shows a 6 of 6 reviewed summary. If anything needs another pass, use Rerun Workflow at the top of the page.

This step does not advance automatically. You must click through manually to move from a fully reviewed kickoff package into draft creation.

Once you advance, your draft (or drafts, one per volume) is created and appears on the Drafts page. From here you can:

Best practice: install NextStage for Word so your team can continue to review, edit, and export drafts, and keep using Nexus AI, without leaving Word.

Use Kickoff Package when:

Use manual upload when:

Missing requirements Often caused by missing attachments or amendments

Incorrect or incomplete extraction Usually due to poor document quality or OCR issues

Content mapped to the wrong sections Often caused by incorrect or incomplete document tagging

Wrong company positioning in the draft Usually caused by the wrong Company Profile being connected in Step 3, particularly for organizations managing multiple profiles or JVs.

Running the Kickoff Package workflow results in a structured proposal workspace with extracted requirements, aligned content, and an initial outline ready for refinement and draft generation.

Have a question not answered here? Use the chat bubble in the lower right corner of NextStage or email hello@nextstage.ai.