Platform User Guide
A step-by-step reference for finding government opportunities earlier, building a smarter pipeline, and closing more deals before the RFP ever drops.
About This Guide
Civic IQ gives B2G sales teams visibility into government buying decisions before they become public RFPs. This guide covers every section of the platform — what it does, how to use it, and how to get the most out of it from day one.
The sections below follow the same order you will move through the platform: start with configuration, move into daily signal work, take action on opportunities, and use the advanced tools to build proactive pipeline.
How the Platform is Organized
Civic IQ has seven core areas. Each one serves a distinct purpose, and together they form a complete workflow from discovering an opportunity to closing a deal.
| Section | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Settings | Configure what the platform monitors: keywords, personas, competitors, and RFP tracking |
| AI Mode | Your daily queue of ranked government opportunities, pulled from agency meetings and documents |
| Signal Detail | Deep-dive into any signal: source transcript, AI-generated talking points, and contacts |
| Agency Profile | A full intelligence profile for any agency: signals, vendors, contracts, spending history, and meeting prep |
| Sequences | AI-written, signal-specific email outreach: pre-enrolled contacts included |
| Pipeline | A shared deal tracker for managing and coordinating government opportunities across your team |
| List Builder | Proactive prospecting tools: expiring competitor contracts, newly appointed decision makers, and more |
| Competitor Intelligence | Consolidated view of each competitor's agency relationships, contracts, and pricing in the government market |
| CRM Integrations | Connect HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho, Attio, or Monday.com to sync contacts, deals, and outreach activity |
01. Settings
Settings is where you tell Civic IQ what to look for. Before you explore the AI Mode or run any outreach, this is the section to complete. Every result you see downstream — which opportunities surface, which contacts appear, how outreach emails are framed — is shaped entirely by what you configure here.
Access Settings by clicking on the initials of your name in the left navigation panel.
Target Keywords
Civic IQ continuously scans public government meeting recordings, agendas, and procurement documents across 79,000+ agencies. Target Keywords define what it listens for.
A well-constructed keyword list uses multiple layers. Aim for 8 to 10 terms to start, enough to cast a useful net without flooding your feed with noise. Consider including:
- Category and product terms that match how your solution is typically described (e.g. fleet management software, asset tracking, license plate recognition)
- Problem-oriented language that an agency staff member might use in a meeting, not necessarily the product name, but the issue they are trying to solve (e.g. vehicle visibility, fuel waste, unauthorized use)
- Acronyms and shorthand versions of your category that appear in government documentation (e.g. LPR, ALPR, GPS fleet, AVL)
- Competitor names: procurement signals that mention a competitor are just as valuable as direct product mentions
Note: When you first log in, Civic IQ has already pre-populated a suggested keyword list by scanning your company website. Review these before your first session and adjust any that do not accurately reflect your market.
RFP Keywords
Civic IQ surfaces both pre-RFP buying signals and active bid opportunities. The RFP Keywords field controls the latter. Enter product categories or relevant procurement terms here and the platform will track matching formal solicitations alongside your regular AI Mode, so you are not missing active bids while also pursuing early-stage opportunities.
Competitive Landscape
Enter the names of your top competitors in this field. Civic IQ will alert you whenever one of those names appears in a government meeting discussion or public document. This is particularly useful for identifying displacement opportunities: if an agency is openly discussing dissatisfaction with a current vendor, or if a contract renewal is coming up, you want to know about it before anyone else does.
Target Persona
This field controls which contacts are surfaced alongside each signal. Enter the job titles of the people you actually want to speak with; procurement director, fleet manager, IT director, city administrator. Every contact that appears in the platform will be filtered against this list, so you are always seeing decision-relevant names rather than a broad directory of agency staff.
Tip: Revisit Settings after your first full week on the platform. By then you will have a clearer picture of what is relevant. Small adjustments to your keyword list at that point can meaningfully improve the quality of your AI Mode.
02. AI Mode
The AI Mode is the core of your daily workflow in Civic IQ. It is a continuously updated list of ranked government opportunities, drawn from public agency meetings, committee sessions, budget hearings, and procurement documents, all filtered to match your Settings configuration.
Make this your first stop each time you log in. New signals are added as government meetings are processed, which means the feed is regularly refreshed with fresh intelligence.
Each signal in your feed carries a score from 0 to 100. The score reflects how closely the signal aligns with your keywords, product category, and target market.
The AI Mode becomes more accurate the more you interact with it. When you dismiss a signal as not relevant, save one as useful, or move one into your pipeline, that behavior is logged. The platform uses this feedback to refine what surfaces for you going forward.
Configure AI
The Configure panel, found at the top right of the AI Mode page, lets you adjust how AI Mode behaves.
| Field | Sub-fields | What It Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Sources | My Recommendations | You can add or remove keywords from directly here. A Qualification Criteria field also appears here; use it to write a plain-language instruction that further filters what the agent considers a valid opportunity |
| Sources | Hiring and Leadership Changes | Surfaces new hires, leadership appointments, and organizational changes at agencies in your target market |
| Sources | Grant Funding Signals | Tracks agencies that are pursuing, have been awarded, or are planning to use grant funding programs relevant to your category |
| Sources | Competitor Activity | Monitors where your tracked competitors are winning, losing, or being mentioned in government meetings |
| Products | Company Knowledge | The platform extracts relevant context from these documents to inform how the agent writes and qualifies on your behalf. You can upload multiple files and add more at any time |
| Products | Products and Services | Lists the specific offerings matched against signals to find relevant opportunities. The count shown reflects how many products the agent is currently working with |
| Products | Problems Solved | Captures the pain points your products address when evaluating whether an agency's discussion reflects a real need you can meet |
| Products | Differentiators | Records what sets you apart from competitors. These are factored into signal scoring for displacement opportunities specifically |
| Products | Core Business Summary | Plain-language overview the agent uses as background context when evaluating and scoring incoming signals |
| Email & Outreach | Tone & voice | Define the writing style for all AI-generated emails. Set this once and it applies across every sequence the agent creates |
| Email & Outreach | Reference Clients | Add customer success stories; the agent weaves these into outreach copy as credibility anchors, framed naturally for each recipient based on their context |
| Email & Outreach | Signature | Set the sender signature that appears at the bottom of every outreach email |
| CRM | Data Mapping | The CRM tab controls how Civic IQ signal data is structured when it is pushed to your connected CRM |
| CRM | Automatically export signals to CRM | When enabled, every new signal processed by the agent is automatically pushed to your CRM using the mapping configuration above, without any manual action required |
Important: Complete all Configure changes before clicking Run. AI Mode takes 7 to 8 minutes to process a full session.
Filters and Search
The filter bar at the top of the feed allows you to narrow results by criteria such as signal type, date range, or whether a competitor was mentioned. The search field lets you run a free-text query across all signals, useful when you are researching a specific agency or want to see everything related to a particular topic in your feed at once.
Finding the Right Contact
The Contacts tab within each signal shows verified contacts at that agency, filtered to the job titles you specified in Target Persona under Settings.
Expand Search
If you are looking for a specific person at an agency and they are not appearing in the default contact list, use the Expand Search function.
03. Agency Profile
Every agency that appears in a signal has a full Agency Profile accessible. Click on the profile name to open it.
The Agency Profile consolidates everything Civic IQ knows about that specific organization into a single view. It is the right place to go before any call, meeting, or outreach campaign targeting a specific agency.
What the Profile Contains
The Agency Profile is organized into several tabs, each surfacing a different type of intelligence:
| Tab | Description |
|---|---|
| Signals | All historical and current signals for this agency. Toggle the keyword filter to narrow to your category, or remove the filter to view everything the agency has discussed |
| RFPs | Formal solicitations this agency has published, including those currently active |
| Vendors | Companies currently under contract with this agency, useful for identifying incumbent relationships |
| Contracts | Detailed purchase orders and contract records, including amounts paid, contract periods, and what was procured |
| Co-ops and Resellers | If this agency purchases through cooperative buying programs or resellers rather than direct RFP, those pathways are listed here. This can allow you to reach the agency outside of a formal bid process entirely |
| Contacts | Decision-maker contacts filtered to your Target Persona settings |
Meeting Prep: Agency Assist
At the top of the Agency Profile is the Meeting Prep feature. This is a conversational AI interface with full access to the agency's historical signal data.
Use it before any call or meeting with that agency. You can type a general prompt or ask a specific question:
- What has this agency discussed in relation to [your product category] over the past two years?
- Who are their current vendors in this space and when do those contracts expire?
- What budget discussions have come up in their recent meetings?
04. Email Sequences
When you identify a signal worth acting on, the next step is outreach. Click Add to Sequence on any signal to launch the sequence builder.
What Gets Generated
Civic IQ creates a multi-step email sequence written specifically for the signal and agency you selected.
Contacts matching your Target Persona at that agency are already enrolled in the sequence. You do not need to copy-paste anything or set up a separate email campaign.
Before You Send
Review the generated copy before the sequence goes live. You can edit any email directly in the sequence editor. While the AI-generated copy is generally strong, personalizing a line or two with something you know about the agency or contact can increase response rates further.
Technical Setup
Go to Settings > Email and connect your Gmail or Outlook.
To log sequence emails in your CRM, go to CRM Settings and copy the BCC address provided, then paste it into the email settings field in Civic IQ. From that point, every sequence email will be automatically logged in HubSpot, Salesforce, or whichever CRM you use.
To edit the sending time of the emails, go to Email in the Left Menu > Sequences > Edit Civic IQ Dynamic Sequence and set up sequence launch as per your preferred time.
05. Pipeline
The Pipeline is where individual signals become tracked opportunities. Use it to manage active prospects, coordinate with teammates, and maintain visibility across all government deals your team is pursuing.
To add a signal to your Pipeline, click Add to Pipeline from the signal detail view. You can assign the opportunity to any team member, apply a priority label, and write an internal note before saving.
What the Pipeline Tracks
- Every government opportunity your team has chosen to pursue
- The assigned owner for each opportunity
- Deal stage: you can drag cards across columns as an opportunity progresses
- Team notes and comments visible to all members with pipeline access
- Labels and priority indicators for quick visual sorting
Team Coordination
One of the most practical benefits of the Pipeline is preventing duplicate outreach. If someone on your team has already contacted an agency, that activity is visible to everyone before anyone else makes the same approach. This is especially important in larger teams where multiple people may be monitoring the same geographic area or product category.
If you decide not to pursue a signal, remove it from the Pipeline; it will return to your main AI Mode rather than disappearing from the platform.
06. List Builder
The List Builder lets you generate targeted prospect lists based on strategic criteria, giving you a structured way to pursue specific market segments before you have a signal in hand.
Navigate to Lists in the left navigation and select Build from Civic IQ to get started.
Expiring Contracts
This template builds a list of agencies that currently hold contracts with a specific competitor, with their contract renewal dates mapped out.
How to build this list:
- Select the Expiring Contracts template
- Choose a competitor from the dropdown
- Select your target states or leave blank for a national view
- Check Contracts and Pos and uncheck Meeting Mentions. Name the list and click Create
The resulting list shows each matching agency alongside a contract timeline bar. The color coding gives you an at-a-glance read on urgency:
- Red bar — the contract has already expired or is past its end date
- Yellow bar — the contract is expiring within the next few months
- Green bar — the contract still has significant time remaining
Hover over any bar to see the exact expiry date and contract value. Switch to map view if your team is organized by territory.
Strategy: Build an Expiring Contracts list for each of your top two or three competitors. Prioritize red and yellow agencies and initiate contact 90 to 120 days before renewal. These organizations are already in evaluation mode, and early engagement makes a significant difference in win rates.
New Decision Makers
Newly appointed government officials and administrators are among the most receptive audiences for a vendor conversation. This template identifies recently hired or appointed decision makers across government agencies that match your criteria.
How to build this list:
- Select the New Decision Maker template
- Enter relevant role keywords (e.g. fleet director, IT manager, public works administrator, procurement officer)
- Set a date range: the past 12 months is a practical starting point
- Create the list
The output is a list of newly appointed contacts with verified contact information attached. These individuals are identified from publicly announced appointments, government meeting minutes, and press releases.
07. CRM Integrations
Civic IQ connects directly to your CRM so that outreach activity, contact data, and pipeline updates flow into the tools your team already uses. Rather than managing government intelligence in a separate silo, the integration keeps everything in sync — signals acted on in Civic IQ appear in your CRM, and deal progress stays consistent across both platforms.
To configure your CRM connection, navigate to Settings and select CRM under the Integrations tab. The platform supports six CRM systems.
Supported CRM Platforms
| CRM | Notes |
|---|---|
| HubSpot | Full two-way sync. Contacts, deals, and sequence activity log automatically. Recommended for teams already using HubSpot for inbound and outbound sales |
| Salesforce | Enterprise-grade integration with bidirectional contact and opportunity sync. Suitable for larger sales teams with established Salesforce workflows |
| Pipedrive | Lightweight deal and contact sync. Well-suited for smaller teams using Pipedrive as their primary sales tool |
| Zoho CRM | Connect via the Zoho integration to sync leads, contacts, and activity from Civic IQ sequences directly into your Zoho account |
| Attio | Modern CRM integration for teams using Attio. Syncs contact and deal data from Civic IQ sequences and pipeline actions |
| Monday.com | Project and deal board integration. Civic IQ pipeline items and contact updates can flow into your Monday.com workspace |
Connecting Your CRM
Each CRM card in the Integrations panel has two options: Connect and Settings.
- Connect — initiates the authorization flow for that CRM. You will be redirected to log in and grant Civic IQ the necessary permissions. Once authorized, the connection status updates to show the integration is active.
- Settings — once connected, use Settings to configure sync behavior: which fields map to which CRM properties, how contacts are created or updated, and whether pipeline activity should trigger deal creation in your CRM.
Logging Sequence Emails to Your CRM
For CRMs that support BCC logging (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive), you can ensure every email sent through Civic IQ sequences is automatically recorded in your CRM contact and deal timeline.
How to set it up:
- Open your connected CRM's Settings panel within Civic IQ
- Locate the BCC Logging Address field and copy the address provided
- Paste this address into the BCC field in Civic IQ's email settings
Once configured, every outbound sequence email will be silently copied to your CRM. Replies from agency contacts will also be visible in the contact's activity history.
Tip: Set up CRM logging before you send your first sequence. It takes under two minutes and ensures no outreach activity is lost from your CRM record — which matters when multiple team members are engaging the same agency.
What Syncs Automatically
Once your CRM integration is active, the following actions in Civic IQ create or update records in your CRM without any manual input:
- A contact added from a signal's Contacts tab creates or updates that contact record in your CRM
- A signal moved to the Pipeline can trigger deal or opportunity creation
- Sequence emails sent and replies received are logged against the relevant contact
- Pipeline stage changes in Civic IQ can update the corresponding deal stage in your CRM
The exact behavior depends on your CRM and how field mapping is configured in Settings. Review the Settings panel for your specific integration to confirm which sync actions are enabled.
Quick Reference
Use this table as a day-to-day reference until the platform workflow becomes second nature.
| Section | Best Used When | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Settings | Setting up, adding new products, adjusting targeting | When onboarding and whenever your focus changes |
| AI Mode | Starting a session and reviewing new opportunities | Daily |
| Signal Detail | A signal is high-scored and worth deeper research | Whenever a signal merits action |
| Contacts Tab | Ready to reach out and need the right contact | Per-signal, before outreach |
| Agency Profile | Deep-diving on an agency you are actively pursuing | Before calls, proposals, or competitive situations |
| Agency Assist | Preparing for a call or meeting with a specific agency | 24 to 48 hours before any agency interaction |
| Add to Sequence | Acting on a signal with immediate outreach | Whenever a signal clears your threshold |
| Configure / AI Mode | Adjusting tone, criteria, or reference clients for a session | At the start of each AI Mode session |
| Pipeline | Saving and tracking an opportunity your team is pursuing | Ongoing — add any signal you are working |
| Expiring Contracts | Building a competitor displacement list | Quarterly, per competitor |
| New Decision Makers | Targeting recently appointed agency officials | Monthly refresh |
| Competitor Intelligence | Preparing for competitive deals or reviewing market position | Before competitive situations and quarterly reviews |
| CRM Integrations | Connecting Civic IQ to your CRM for automatic activity logging | One-time setup; revisit when CRM or team changes |
Support
Your Customer Success Manager is your primary point of contact for anything related to your Civic IQ account. They are available through the live chat function within the platform and by email for scheduled sessions.
You can also email us at [email protected].
Support: The fastest way to reach the Civic IQ team is the live chat icon in the bottom corner of the platform. For more in-depth questions, email your Customer Success Manager directly.
Procurement intelligence for teams that sell to government. — civiciq.com (opens in a new tab)