# Your Roster AI Tools

> Free AI tools and an MCP server for people who do business with government and the people who work inside it: federal gift rules, the Hatch Act, RFP compliance matrices, proposal compliance checks, contract recompetes, a regulatory horizon scan, FAR Part 10 market research, and plain-language grading. Free, with no account needed on the website, the MCP server or the API. Rule-based answers cite the regulation they rest on.

Reviewed 2026-10-29. Answers are a first read, not legal advice.

## Tools

- [Gift Check](https://www.yourroster.ai/tools/gift-check): Check a lunch, ticket, conference pass or gift against the federal gift rules (5 CFR 2635): a yes, no or “only if”, with the rule behind it. Free.
- [Hatch Act Check](https://www.yourroster.ai/tools/hatch-act): Can a federal, state or local employee post, donate, volunteer or run for office? A yes, no or “only if” under the Hatch Act, with the rule behind it. Free.
- [RFP Shredder](https://www.yourroster.ai/tools/rfp-shredder): Paste a federal solicitation or open the PDF and get every shall, must and will as a compliance matrix, plus due dates, page limits and format rules. Free.
- [Proposal Compliance Check](https://www.yourroster.ai/tools/proposal-check): Check a draft proposal against the solicitation: each shall and must marked Answered, Thin or Missing, with the page that answers it. Free.
- [Recompete Radar](https://www.yourroster.ai/tools/recompete-radar): Enter a NAICS code and see the federal contracts ending in the next 6 to 24 months, with incumbent, agency and value, from USAspending. Free, with CSV export.
- [Regulatory Horizon Scan](https://www.yourroster.ai/tools/horizon-scan): The FAR Overhaul, CMMC, the CUI rule, TINA and more on one timeline, filtered to your business, each with its status, its date and what to do. Free.
- [Market Research Report](https://www.yourroster.ai/tools/market-research): Answer a few questions and get a FAR Part 10 market research report with commercial, rule-of-two and threshold conclusions, ready for Word. Free.
- [Plain-Language Grader](https://www.yourroster.ai/tools/plain-language): Paste a notice, letter or solicitation and see its reading grade, its long and passive sentences, and plain swaps for wordy phrases. Free, nothing stored.

Launch post: https://www.yourroster.ai/blog/free-tools-for-government

## Use them from an AI assistant

- MCP server: https://www.yourroster.ai/api/mcp, free with no account. Tools: gift_check, hatch_act_check, shred_rfp, check_proposal, grade_plain_language, find_recompetes, horizon_scan, market_research_report, ask_expert, list_expert_answers, list_boards, get_board, watch_recompetes. The account's own tools (saved boards, recompete watches, a question to an expert) need a free account: each account gets a personal connector address (https://www.yourroster.ai/api/mcp/u/…) from any tool page once signed in, and the same token works as a Bearer token on https://www.yourroster.ai/api/mcp.
- [Your Roster for Federal Employees](https://www.yourroster.ai/tools/for/federal-employees): https://www.yourroster.ai/api/mcp/federal-employees, the same server with only the tools for federal employees. Federal ethics answers with the rule behind them, and plain-language grading, for people who work in government.
- [Your Roster for Contracting Officers](https://www.yourroster.ai/tools/for/contracting-officers): https://www.yourroster.ai/api/mcp/contracting-officers, the same server with only the tools for contracting officers. FAR Part 10 market research, solicitation checks and the rule changes that affect federal buys, for contracting officers, contract specialists and program managers.
- [Your Roster for GovCon](https://www.yourroster.ai/tools/for/govcon): https://www.yourroster.ai/api/mcp/govcon, the same server with only the tools for government contractors. Compliance matrices from any RFP, proposal checks against them, and federal contracts in your NAICS code that end soon, for government contractors.
- [OpenAPI spec](https://www.yourroster.ai/api/tools/openapi.json): the same tools as a REST API (no account needed; a connector token as a Bearer token adds the account's own tools), for Copilot Studio connectors and GPT actions.
- [Gift Check instructions](https://www.yourroster.ai/api/tools/instructions/gift-check): paste into any AI assistant; works without a connection.
- [Hatch Act Check instructions](https://www.yourroster.ai/api/tools/instructions/hatch-act): paste into any AI assistant; works without a connection.
- [RFP Shredder instructions](https://www.yourroster.ai/api/tools/instructions/rfp-shredder): paste into any AI assistant; works without a connection.
- [Proposal Compliance Check instructions](https://www.yourroster.ai/api/tools/instructions/proposal-check): paste into any AI assistant; works without a connection.
- [Recompete Radar instructions](https://www.yourroster.ai/api/tools/instructions/recompete-radar): paste into any AI assistant; works without a connection.
- [Regulatory Horizon Scan instructions](https://www.yourroster.ai/api/tools/instructions/horizon-scan): paste into any AI assistant; works without a connection.
- [Market Research Report instructions](https://www.yourroster.ai/api/tools/instructions/market-research): paste into any AI assistant; works without a connection.
- [Plain-Language Grader instructions](https://www.yourroster.ai/api/tools/instructions/plain-language): paste into any AI assistant; works without a connection.

## Questions and answers

### Gift Check

**Can a federal employee accept a gift from a contractor?** Usually only if it is worth $20 or less per occasion, no more than $50 a year from that contractor, and not cash (5 CFR 2635.204(a)). Other exceptions cover personal friendships, widely attended gatherings the agency approves, and some awards.

**What is the $20/$50 gift rule?** A federal employee may accept gifts worth $20 or less per occasion from a prohibited source, as long as gifts from that source total no more than $50 in a calendar year. The employee can’t pay the amount over $20 to keep a pricier gift.

**Can a federal employee accept a free lunch from a vendor?** A meal from a vendor who does business with the agency is a gift, so it is allowed only within the $20 and $50 limits or another exception. Coffee, soft drinks and pastries offered outside a meal aren’t gifts at all.

**Can federal employees attend a conference for free?** Yes on the day they speak for their agency, when the sponsor offers it. Otherwise free attendance at a widely attended gathering needs the agency’s decision, in advance, that attending is in its interest.

**Can a federal employee accept a gift card?** Not one that works like cash at many stores: cash and cash equivalents are excluded from the $20 exception. A card for a single store is treated like any other item worth its face value.

**Does Gift Check cover state, local or congressional employees?** No. It applies the rules for federal executive branch employees. States, localities and Congress have their own gift rules, and agency supplemental rules or an ethics pledge can be stricter.

Sources: [5 CFR 2635 Subpart B, gifts from outside sources](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/chapter-XVI/subchapter-B/part-2635/subpart-B), [U.S. Office of Government Ethics](https://www.oge.gov), [FAR 52.203-3, Gratuities](https://www.acquisition.gov/far/52.203-3)

### Hatch Act Check

**Can federal employees post about politics on social media?** Off duty and away from work, yes, as long as they never ask for donations and don’t use their title. On duty, in a federal building or on a government device, they can’t post, share or like partisan content.

**Can a federal employee donate to a political campaign?** Yes, on their own time. What they can never do, on duty or off, is ask for or accept political contributions, which includes sharing a donation link or a fundraiser invitation (5 U.S.C. 7323).

**Can a federal employee run for office?** Yes in a nonpartisan election, such as most school board races. Not in a partisan election, except as an independent in certain designated localities near Washington (5 CFR 733).

**Does the Hatch Act apply to state and local employees?** To those whose jobs are paid for in part with federal money. They can’t run in partisan elections, use their office to affect an election, or pressure other employees to give (5 U.S.C. 1502). State laws can be stricter.

**Who is a further restricted federal employee?** Employees of agencies such as the FBI, CIA, NSA, Secret Service and the Election Commission, plus career SES members and administrative law judges. They may not take an active part in partisan campaigns, even off duty.

**Does the Hatch Act apply to government contractors?** No. It covers federal civilian employees and some state and local employees, not contractor employees, though a company’s own policy can limit political activity at work.

Sources: [5 U.S.C. 7321 to 7326](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/7323), [5 U.S.C. 1501 to 1508](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/1502), [5 CFR 734](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/chapter-II/subchapter-B/part-734), [U.S. Office of Special Counsel, Hatch Act](https://osc.gov/Services/Pages/HatchAct.aspx)

### RFP Shredder

**What is a compliance matrix?** A table that lists every requirement in a solicitation, with its section and page, so a proposal team can show where each one is answered. Teams usually add columns for the proposal section, the owner and whether it’s met.

**What does “shall” mean in a government solicitation?** “Shall” and “must” mark mandatory requirements. “Should” marks something desired, “may” something optional, and “will” is used both for the offeror’s commitments and for what the Government will do.

**What are Sections L and M of an RFP?** In the Uniform Contract Format, Section L gives the instructions for preparing the proposal (volumes, page limits, format) and Section M gives the factors the Government will evaluate it on.

**Is my solicitation stored?** No. Pasted text is shredded in your browser and never sent anywhere. An opened file is read to text on the server for that one request and not kept.

**What files does the RFP Shredder read?** PDF, Word (.docx) and plain text, up to 15 MB. A scanned PDF with no selectable text needs OCR first.

Sources: [FAR 15.204, contract format](https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-15), [SAM.gov contract opportunities](https://sam.gov/content/opportunities)

### Proposal Compliance Check

**How do I check a proposal for compliance?** List every shall, must and will in the solicitation, then find where the proposal answers each one. Proposal Compliance Check does both: it shreds the requirements and marks each Answered, Thin or Missing, with the page that answers it.

**What makes an answer “thin”?** The passage takes the requirement up but leaves out words it turns on, or doesn’t restate a number it sets, such as “within 2 hours” or “no more than 10 pages”. A commitment inside a limit, such as 45 days against 60, counts as answered.

**Does it judge whether my proposal is good?** No. It checks that each requirement is taken up, not how well. Reviewers still read every answer, the way a color team does.

**Is my proposal stored?** No. Pasted text is checked in your browser and never sent anywhere. An opened file is read to text on the server for that one request and not kept. Saving a result to My Tools is your choice.

**Can I start from a matrix I already made?** Yes. Signed in, save the RFP Shredder’s matrix to My Tools, then pick it here instead of pasting the solicitation again.

Sources: [FAR 15.204, contract format](https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-15), [FAR 15.305, proposal evaluation](https://www.acquisition.gov/far/15.305)

### Recompete Radar

**What is a recompete?** A new competition for work that an existing contract covers, held when that contract’s period of performance ends. The company holding the current contract is the incumbent.

**Where does Recompete Radar get its data?** From USAspending.gov, the federal government’s public record of spending, which draws contract data from the Federal Procurement Data System.

**Why might a contract end later than the date shown?** The date is the current end of the period of performance. Unexercised options, extensions and bridge contracts can push it out, and a task order may be recompeted under its parent vehicle.

**How do I find my NAICS code?** Look up your industry on the Census Bureau’s NAICS site, or check the code on a solicitation you’d bid on. Fewer digits cover a broader sector.

Sources: [USAspending.gov](https://www.usaspending.gov), [Census Bureau NAICS lookup](https://www.census.gov/naics/)

### Regulatory Horizon Scan

**When does CMMC Level 2 certification become required?** It was set for November 10, 2026 (Phase 2), but DoD paused Phase 2 on July 13, 2026 pending a review, with no new date. Self-assessments under Phase 1 and DFARS 252.204-7012 still apply.

**What is the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul?** A rewrite of the whole FAR under Executive Order 14275. Agencies adopted streamlined parts by class deviation in 2025; the FAR Council is now making them permanent in twelve proposed rules, the first published June 23, 2026.

**What is the TINA threshold now?** For DoD, NASA and Coast Guard contracts entered into after June 30, 2026, certified cost or pricing data are required above $10 million, up from $2.5 million, under the FY2026 NDAA.

**When does the Buy American threshold go to 75 percent?** For items delivered from January 1, 2029. Deliveries from 2024 through 2028 need 65 percent domestic content (FAR 25.101).

**How current is this?** Every entry was checked against its source on 2026-10-29, and links to it. Rules move, so confirm the source before you rely on a date.

Sources: [FAR Overhaul, acquisition.gov](https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul), [Federal Register](https://www.federalregister.gov), [DoD CIO, CMMC](https://dodcio.defense.gov/CMMC/)

### Market Research Report

**What is FAR Part 10 market research?** Research an agency does before buying, to learn whether commercial products or services can meet the need, who can supply it, and whether small businesses can compete. FAR Part 10 requires it and asks that the results be documented.

**What is the rule of two?** If a contracting officer reasonably expects offers from two or more responsible small businesses at fair market prices, the acquisition is set aside for small business (FAR Part 19).

**What are the micro-purchase and simplified acquisition thresholds?** Since October 1, 2025, the micro-purchase threshold is $15,000 and the simplified acquisition threshold is $350,000 (FAR 2.101). Buys between the two are generally reserved for small business.

**When does FAR Part 12 apply?** When market research shows the need can be met by commercial products or commercial services, including ones with minor modifications or modifications customarily available in the marketplace.

**Is my draft stored?** Only in your own browser, so it’s there when you come back. Nothing you type is sent to Your Roster; past awards come from USAspending only when you ask.

Sources: [FAR Part 10, Market Research](https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-10), [FAR Part 12, commercial products and services](https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-12), [FAR Part 19, small business programs](https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-19), [FAR 2.101, definitions and thresholds](https://www.acquisition.gov/far/2.101)

### Plain-Language Grader

**What reading grade should government writing aim for?** Many agencies aim for grade 8 or lower so most adults can read a document the first time. The Plain Writing Act of 2010 requires clear writing but doesn’t set a grade.

**What is the Plain Writing Act?** A 2010 law that requires federal agencies to write documents the public uses (letters, forms, notices, instructions) in clear, concise, well-organized language that follows plain language best practices.

**How is the reading grade calculated?** With the Flesch-Kincaid formula, from the average sentence length and the average syllables per word. Shorter sentences and shorter words lower the grade.

**Is passive voice always wrong?** No, but it often hides who must act. Plain language guidelines prefer the active voice: “You must sign the form” rather than “The form must be signed.”

**Is my text stored?** No. The grader runs in your browser, and your text is never sent or saved. Copy Result shares only the grade.

Sources: [Federal Plain Language Guidelines](https://www.plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/), [Plain Writing Act of 2010](https://www.plainlanguage.gov/law/)