Stage
Where does a new government contractor start?
Start with the registration, the codes, and one honest read of a notice. A first bid is a learning job. It is not a promised award, and Govacha will not pretend that it is.
What to finish first
Open SAM.gov and start the entity registration. You are aiming at an active record, a UEI, and a CAGE code. While that is in progress you can still read notices. Do not promise a customer a start date that depends on a registration you do not have.
Write a one-page capability statement that matches the registration. If the phone number and the legal name disagree, fix that before you send it.
What to bid first
Look for notices that match work you have done for someone, even if that someone was not an agency. Check the set-aside and the size standard. If the notice wants three federal examples and you have none, that notice is teaching you vocabulary, not offering you a likely win. Put it in the pipeline as a pass, with the reason.
Past performance is the usual worry. Read the notice before you assume you are blocked.
What Govacha is for at this stage
Search, a place to keep the decision, and training that explains the words. The glossary is the public version of that vocabulary. None of it submits a bid for you.
If you are still learning the vocabulary, start with the free plan or Platform. Free access does not expire. It is not a trial, and it does not include coaching or done-for-you proposals.