ESN / ESN Pro: Improving Bid Recommendations

Opportunity Recommendation emails help you discover government contracting opportunities that match your business. These emails notify you when bids and opportunities are posted that align with your services, so you can respond quickly and stay competitive.

This article includes:

• Introduction
• Understanding How Recommendations Work
  • For Free Vendors
  • For Pro Vendors
• Settings That Control Your Recommendations
• Improving Your Recommendations
• Pro Vendors - Using Saved Searches
• Troubleshooting Common Issues
  • Best Practices
• Frequently Asked Questions

All suppliers receive bid recommendations via email. If you're a Pro vendor, you can also access these recommendations directly in Euna Supplier Network, giving you multiple ways to stay on top of new opportunities.

Free and Pro vendors receive different types of recommendations, and this article will show you how to optimize your settings to get the most relevant opportunities delivered to you.

What you'll learn:

• How recommendations work for Free vs Pro vendors
• Which settings control what opportunities you see
• Step-by-step actions to improve your matches
• How to use advanced features like Saved Searches (Pro vendors)

Understanding How Recommendations Work

For Free Vendors

When you're on the Free plan, you receive recommendation emails from government agencies you've already registered with.

How matching works:

• The system looks at the commodity codes the agency selects for their bid

• If those codes match yours, you'll receive a notification both in your email.

• The matching uses a cascading system: if an agency posts a bid with code 10, you'll see it if you have code 10, 10.1, 10.2, or any code in the hierarchy

What you get:

• Bid matches from your registered agencies

• Email notifications when matching opportunities are posted

For Pro Vendors

When you upgrade to Euna Supplier Network Pro, your recommendations expand significantly.

How matching works:

• The system looks at your commodity codes and keywords (not just the agency's)

• You receive recommendations from up to 2000+ agencies across your entire region

• You can get matched with opportunities even if you're only partially registered with an agency

• Recommendations appear both in your email and in the Euna Supplier Network app dashboard

What you get:

• Tailored bid recommendations from agencies across your region delivered straight to your inbox and in-app the day they're posted

• Access to up to $8B+ in additional bid opportunities annually

• Powerful search tools to find opportunities faster

• Recommendations based on your specific keywords and services

Important difference: Service Region vs Subscription Region

• Service Region: The areas where you want to receive recommendations and see opportunities

• Subscription Region: The geographic area you've paid to access

• You can adjust your Service Region settings even within your paid subscription area

Settings That Control Your Recommendations

All the settings that affect your recommendations are found in your Account Settings under the Recommendation Settings section.

Commodity Codes

Commodity codes are standardized categories that describe the goods or services businesses provide. Government agencies use these same codes when posting bids.

Where to find this:

• Account Settings > Recommendation Settings > Commodity Codes section

How commodity codes affect your recommendations:

• These are the primary way the system matches you with opportunities

• The more relevant codes you add, the more opportunities you'll see

• Codes cascade down the hierarchy (explained below)

Trade-off to consider:

• Broader codes (like selecting just "42" for medical equipment):

  • You'll see MORE opportunities

  • But many may not be relevant to your specific services

  • Can lead to notification overload

• Narrow codes (like selecting "42.16.15" for cardiac monitoring equipment):

  • You'll see FEWER opportunities

  • But they'll be much more targeted to what you actually do

  • Less time wasted reviewing irrelevant bids

How to add or edit commodity codes:

1. Navigate to Account Settings > Recommendation Settings

2. Scroll to the Commodity Codes section

3. Click Add Commodity Codes or search for codes using keywords

4. Select the codes that best match your business

5. Click Save

For more information, please see our guide: How do I add or delete Commodity Codes on my Vendor Record?

Keywords

Keywords are specific terms that describe your services, specialties, and differentiators. The system uses these to find opportunities that mention these terms.

Where to find this:

• Account Settings > Recommendation Settings > Keywords section

For more information, please see our guide: ESN Pro: Adding and Managing Keywords

Important note for Free vendors: While Free vendors can add keywords to their profile, these keywords only take effect for recommendations when you upgrade to Pro. Free vendor recommendations are based solely on commodity code matching with agencies you're registered with.

How keywords work:

• Keywords work alongside commodity codes to refine your matches

• The system searches bid descriptions, titles, and public information in the bids for your keywords

• Multiple keywords increase your chances of finding relevant opportunities

• Pro vendors: Keywords are actively used to match you with opportunities across the entire network

• Free vendors: Keywords are saved in your profile but won't affect your recommendations until you upgrade to Pro

How to add effective keywords:

1. Think about how government agencies typically describe what you offer

2. Include industry-specific terms and common variations

3. Add both general terms (like "maintenance management") and specific ones (like "work order software")

4. Consider acronyms that agencies might use

Examples of effective keywords:

• Services you provide (e.g., "janitorial," "security," "catering")

• Products you sell (e.g., "medical equipment," "office supplies")

• Specialties (e.g., "athletic events," "emergency services")

• Technical terms specific to your industry

For a video overview, please see our guide: VIDEO | Keywords with Euna Supplier Pro

Excluded Keywords

Excluded keywords help you filter OUT opportunities that aren't relevant to your business, even if they match your commodity codes or other keywords.

Where to find this:

• Account Settings > Recommendation Settings > Excluded Keywords section

When to use excluded keywords:

• When you notice patterns in irrelevant opportunities

• When certain words consistently appear in bids you can't fulfill

• When you want to reduce notification volume

Common examples:

• If you provide event security but not armed security, exclude "armed"

• If you sell medical equipment but not nuclear medicine, exclude "nuclear"

• If you do plumbing but not "plumbing supplies," exclude "supplies"

How to add Excluded Keywords:

1. Review recent recommendations that weren't relevant

2. Identify words that consistently appear in those bids

3. Navigate to Account Settings > Recommendation Settings

4. Find the Excluded Keywords section

5. Add those terms to filter them out

6. Click Save

Location and Region Settings

Your location settings determine which geographic areas you'll receive recommendations from.

Where to find this:

• Account Settings > Location Settings

For Free Vendors:

• You receive recommendations from agencies where you're registered

• Your location settings indicate where you provide services

• Agencies can see your service areas when considering vendors

For Pro Vendors:

• Your Service Region controls which areas you see recommendations from

• This can be different from your Subscription Region (what you've paid for).

• You can adjust Service Regions within your paid subscription area. 

  • Tip: It’s a good idea to look at it and make adjustments/keep it consistent

How to update your location settings:

1. Navigate to Account Settings > Location Settings

2. Select or deselect regions based on where you want to work

3. Save your changes

Actions to Improve Your Recommendations

Follow these steps to optimize your recommendation emails and see more relevant opportunities.

Step 1: Review Your Current Settings

Before making changes, understand what you currently have set up:

1. Go to Account Settings > Recommendation Settings

2. Review your commodity codes - do they accurately represent your business?

3. Check your keywords - are they specific enough?

4. Look at excluded keywords - have you added any?

5. Verify your location settings match where you actually work

Step 2: Refine Your Commodity Codes

Start with your core services:

1. Identify the 3-5 commodity codes that best represent your primary business

2. Add these first

3. Test for a few weeks to see what recommendations you receive

Adjust based on results:

• If you're missing opportunities, add broader or related codes

• If you're getting too many irrelevant matches, remove overly broad codes

• Keep codes that consistently deliver relevant opportunities

Tips:

• Use the search function to find codes by keyword

• Review the full code hierarchy to find the right level of specificity

• You can always add or remove codes as your business evolves

Step 3: Add Helpful Keywords

Keywords give the system more context about your business beyond just commodity codes.

How to identify good keywords:

1. Look at your own marketing materials and website

2. Think about terms government agencies use in RFPs you've seen

3. Consider variations and synonyms for your services

4. Include brand names if you're an authorized reseller

Adding keywords:

1. Navigate to Account Settings > Recommendation Settings > Keywords

2. Enter keywords one at a time or separated by commas

3. Focus on quality over quantity - relevant terms matter more than having dozens

4. Save your changes

Step 4: Use Excluded Keywords

If you're receiving too many irrelevant recommendations, excluded keywords can help.

How to use this feature:

1. Keep a list of recent irrelevant recommendations for one week

2. Identify common words or themes in those bids

3. Add those words to your excluded keywords

4. Monitor your recommendations for improvement

Example scenario:

• You receive recommendations for "window replacement" but you only do "window cleaning"

• Add "replacement" and "installation" to excluded keywords

• You'll stop seeing construction bids and only see cleaning opportunities

Step 5: Manage Your Agency Relationships

You have control over which agencies send you recommendations.

For agencies that consistently send irrelevant opportunities:

1. Go to My Network in the main navigation

2. Find the agency in your list

3. Click the Actions dropdown next to the agency name

4. Select Deactivate

What deactivating does:

• You'll stop receiving recommendation emails from that agency

• You can still visit their portal directly if you want

• You can reactivate them anytime

• Your registration information stays intact

When to deactivate:

• The agency consistently posts opportunities outside your scope

• You're no longer interested in working with that agency

• You want to reduce notification volume

Important Note About Registration Status

For Free Vendors: Your registration with an agency must be complete to receive recommendations from them. If you see "Incomplete" status next to an agency in My Network, you may be missing opportunities.

To complete your registration:

1. Go to My Network

2. Click "Go to Agency" for the incomplete registration

3. Fill out any remaining required fields

4. Submit the registration

For Pro Vendors: You can receive recommendations even with partial registration, though completing your registration may improve match quality and allow for direct bid submission.

For Pro Vendors - Using Saved Searches

Saved Searches are a powerful feature for Pro vendors that let you proactively find/filter opportunities instead of waiting for email recommendations.

What Are Saved Searches?

Saved Searches let you create custom searches based on your exact criteria and save them for repeated use. This is valuable because:

• You control exactly what you're looking for

• You can create multiple searches for different types of work

• You can check them in the Euna Supplier Network app on your own schedule

• Results update in real-time as new bids are posted

• You don't have to rely solely on the daily recommendation email

When Saved Searches are useful:

• You're looking for a specific type of contract

• You want to search a particular region

• You need to monitor opportunities for different business lines

• You want more control than email recommendations provide

How to Create a Saved Search

For more information, see our guide: Saved Search on ESN Pro

1. Navigate to Opportunities > All Opportunities

2. Click on the Saved Search dropdown

3. Select Advanced Saved Search

4. Give your search a meaningful name (e.g., "Medical Equipment - California")

5. Enter your search criteria:

   • Keywords (what you're looking for)

   • Excluded keywords (what you want to filter out)

   • Commodity codes (select relevant codes)

   • Location filters (specific regions or states)

6. Click Save Search

Your saved search will now appear in your Saved Search dropdown menu.

Using Your Saved Searches

To access saved searches:

1. Go to Opportunities > All Opportunities

2. Click the Saved Search dropdown

3. Select any of your saved searches

4. View the current results

You can also access your Saved Searches via Account Settings > Saved Search.

Best practices:

• Check your saved searches weekly or bi-weekly

• Update search criteria if you're not getting good results

• Create separate searches for distinct types of work

• Delete searches that are no longer relevant

Troubleshooting Common Issues

"I'm getting too many irrelevant opportunities"

Possible solutions:

1. Narrow your commodity codes

   • Remove overly broad codes

   • Select more specific codes that match your exact services

2. Add excluded keywords (Pro Vendors)

   • Review recent irrelevant recommendations

   • Identify common terms and add them to excluded keywords

3. Deactivate agencies that aren't a good fit

   • Go to My Network

   • Deactivate agencies that consistently post outside your scope

4. Refine your keywords (Pro Vendors)

   • Remove generic terms

   • Add more specific descriptors of what you actually do

"I'm missing opportunities I should see"

Possible solutions:

1. Broaden your commodity codes

   • Add related codes you might have missed

   • Consider codes at a higher level in the hierarchy

2. Check your location settings

   • Verify you've selected all regions where you work

   • Make sure your Service Region matches where you want opportunities

3. Verify registration status (Free vendors)

   • Go to My Network

   • Complete any registrations showing "Incomplete" status

4. Add more keywords (Pro Vendors)

   • Think of alternative terms agencies might use

   • Include industry acronyms and variations

"I'm seeing opportunities from the wrong location"

Possible solutions:

1. Review your location settings

   • Go to Account Settings > Location Settings

   • Verify only your desired regions are selected

2. Check your Service Region (Pro vendors)

   • Ensure Service Region matches where you actually work

"I'm not receiving any recommendation emails"

Possible solutions:

1. Check your email settings

   • Verify recommendation emails are enabled in your account

   • Check your spam folder

2. Verify you have commodity codes set

   • You need at least one commodity code to receive matches

3. Confirm your registration (Free vendors)

   • Make sure you're fully registered with at least one agency

4. Review your subscription status (Pro vendors)

   • Ensure your Pro subscription is active

5. Check your Notification in Settings

   • Make sure they are not “unsubscribed” 
      

Best Practices

Regular maintenance:

• Review and update your settings every quarter

• Remove keywords or codes that aren't working

• Add new codes as your business capabilities expand

Test changes gradually:

• Don't change everything at once

• Make one adjustment, wait a week, evaluate results

• This helps you understand what's actually improving your matches

Track what works:

• Note which settings lead to bids you actually submit on

• Keep a record of successful matches

• Replicate patterns that work

Use multiple tools:

• Combine commodity codes AND keywords for best results

• Use both email recommendations AND saved searches (Pro vendors)

• Don't rely on just one matching method

For Pro Vendors:

• Take advantage of the powerful search features

• Create multiple saved searches for different opportunity types

• Check your Bid Board regularly in addition to email notifications

Stay informed:

• Read bid descriptions carefully even if the match looks good

• Keep your business profile up to date

• Update your capabilities as they change

Frequently Asked Questions