Many public contracts require the prime to self perform a minimum percentage of the work with its own forces, not subcontract the whole job. A general contractor that subcontracts past the limit, or bids a project whose self perform requirement it cannot meet, is exposed on responsiveness and on performance.
What a self perform requirement sets
A self perform clause requires the prime contractor to perform a stated minimum share of the contract value with its own workforce, a rule common on public and federally funded work to ensure the prime has the capacity it claims. The percentage and how it is measured are set in the contract. A contractor whose model leans on subcontracting must confirm it can meet the requirement before it bids.
Why the self perform requirement is easy to miss
The self perform percentage sits in the special provisions and Division 01, not the title. A contractor reading scope can miss a clause that requires it to self perform a quarter or more of the work, then plan to subcontract the job and fall short. The clause decides eligibility and is rarely on the listing page.
How an AI bid agent flags self perform requirements
An AI bid agent reads each solicitation and extracts any self perform requirement, the percentage, and how it is measured, and surfaces it against the trades the contractor self performs. Projects whose requirement the contractor cannot meet are flagged before estimating begins.
You can see the requirement surfaced in the fit detail in our AI bid agent demo for general contractors. The agent checks the self perform clause against the trades you self perform.