--- title: "Create and Manage Search Profiles" slug: "create-and-manage-saved-searches" description: "Manage and create Saved Searches in Bid Match to quickly find opportunities with tailored filters and control your email digest settings." updated: 2026-10-19T14:14:35Z published: 2026-10-19T14:14:35Z canonical: "support.govdash.com/create-and-manage-saved-searches" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.govdash.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Create and Manage Search Profiles ## Overview Search profiles in Discover save the filters and profile criteria that describe the opportunities you care about, so you can switch between them in a click. Each criterion has a mode, **MUST MATCH**, **MUST NOT** or **PREFERRED**, that controls whether it filters, excludes or boosts results. You can also let Dash run a profile for you and add the strongest matches to your **Watchlist**. --- ## Creating and Managing Search Profiles All of your team's profiles live on the **Search Profiles** page. To open it, go to **Discover** and click **Manage profiles** in the top right. ![Manage profiles button in the top right of Discover](https://cdn.us.document360.io/104c3542-bffe-46a6-901f-aa7a848851a4/Images/Setting/search-profiles-manage.png) Your profiles are listed on the left of the page, and each one shows its alert schedule, such as **Alerts Off** or **Daily Alerts**. Use **Find a profile** to search the list by name. Select a profile to open it on the right. The top of the profile has **Improve with Dash**, **Edit profile**, the bell icon for notifications and the trash icon. Below that, **Signals & Filters** lists the profile's criteria by type, such as **Keywords**, **Notice Types**, **States**, **NAICS**, **PSC**, **Set Asides**, **Agencies** and **Entity Type**. Each value sits under **Must**, **Must Not** or **Prefer**. The profile's settings are at the bottom. ![Search Profiles page with Find a profile and the buttons at the top of a profile](https://cdn.us.document360.io/104c3542-bffe-46a6-901f-aa7a848851a4/Images/Setting/search-profiles-page-v2.png) ### Default Profile Every team has a **Past Performance** profile, marked **Curated by GovDash**. GovDash builds it from the NAICS and PSC codes in the contract awards you've uploaded, and keeps it up to date as you upload more. > [!NOTE] > Past Performance Profile Note > > You can't edit the criteria in the Past Performance profile because they come from your uploaded contract awards. You can still make it your team default by selecting the star next to its name. ### Creating New Profiles To create a profile, click **Create New Profile** in the top right of the **Search Profiles** page, then choose how to start: - **Generate with Dash:** Dash uses your past wins, NAICS codes and set asides to build a starting profile. - **Start from scratch:** You add keywords, NAICS codes and other filters yourself. ![Generate with Dash and Start from scratch options](https://cdn.us.document360.io/104c3542-bffe-46a6-901f-aa7a848851a4/Images/Setting/search-profiles-wz0.png) **To generate a profile with Dash:** 1. Select **Generate with Dash** and click **Continue**. 2. Enter a **Profile name**. 3. Optionally, tell Dash about the opportunities you want to see, such as the type of work or the agencies you're after. 4. Optionally, select **Set as default profile**. 5. Click **Generate Profile**. Dash builds the profile in the background and lets you know when it's ready. Review it on the **Search Profiles** page and adjust anything you need. ![Generate Profile with Dash guidance](https://cdn.us.document360.io/104c3542-bffe-46a6-901f-aa7a848851a4/Images/Setting/search-profiles-wzd.png) **To create a profile from scratch:** 1. Select **Start from scratch** and click **Continue**. 2. On **Set Filters**, enter a **Profile name** and add the keywords, notice types, states, NAICS codes and other filters you want. 3. Click a filter's badge to set it as **Must**, **Must Not** or **Prefer**. 4. Optionally, select **Set as default profile**, then click **Continue**. 5. On **Manage Alerts**, set up notifications if you want them, then click **Create Profile**. ![Set Filters step when starting from scratch](https://cdn.us.document360.io/104c3542-bffe-46a6-901f-aa7a848851a4/Images/Setting/search-profiles-wz1.png) **Already have a search you like?** On the **Search** tab, build your search with the **Filters** menu, click the save drop down and choose **Create new profile**. Enter a **Profile Name**, optionally set it as the default, and click **Create**. Your current filters are saved into the new profile. ### Profile Criteria Modes: MUST MATCH, MUST NOT and PREFERRED Each criterion in a profile has a mode that tells GovDash how to use it. The **Search Profiles** page uses shorter labels for the same modes. | **Mode** | **Label on Search Profiles page** | **What it does** | | --- | --- | --- | | **MUST MATCH** | **Must** | Only shows opportunities that match the criterion. | | **MUST NOT** | **Must Not** | Hides opportunities that match the criterion. | | **PREFERRED** | **Prefer** | Moves matching opportunities higher in the results without hiding other opportunities. | Filters you add from the **Filters** menu start as **MUST MATCH**. **Quick tip for keywords:** Under **Terms**, enter a minus sign before a word, such as *-training*, to add it as **MUST NOT**. Use quotation marks around a phrase for an exact match. ![Profile criteria grouped by MUST MATCH, MUST NOT and PREFERRED](https://cdn.us.document360.io/104c3542-bffe-46a6-901f-aa7a848851a4/Images/Setting/search-profiles-modes.png) ### Managing Profiles To change a profile, select it on the **Search Profiles** page and click **Edit profile**. The name, each criteria group and the profile's settings become editable: - Rename the profile in the name box. - Use the box under each group to add values, such as keywords, NAICS codes or agencies. - Click a value to change its mode or remove it. ![Editing a profile, with the name box, Done and the Prefer, Must Match and Must Not labels](https://cdn.us.document360.io/104c3542-bffe-46a6-901f-aa7a848851a4/Images/Setting/search-profiles-edit-v2.png) At the bottom of the profile, you can also change **Status**, **Only with Documents**, **Include Pipeline**, **Include Feedback**, **Min Days Until Due**, **Posted Within** and **Due Within**. Click **Done** when you're finished. To make a profile your team default, select the star next to its name. To delete a profile, click the trash icon in the top right. ![Settings at the bottom of a search profile](https://cdn.us.document360.io/104c3542-bffe-46a6-901f-aa7a848851a4/Images/Setting/search-profiles-settings-v2.png) ### Profile Settings These settings narrow down which opportunities a profile shows. You'll find them at the bottom of each profile on the **Search Profiles** page and in the profile panel on the **Search** tab. | **Setting** | **What it does** | | --- | --- | | **Status** | Shows **Active**, **Inactive** or **All** opportunities. | | **Min Days Until Due** | Hides opportunities due sooner than the number of days you enter. | | **Posted Within** | Only shows opportunities posted within the number of days you enter. | | **Due Within** | Only shows opportunities due within the number of days you enter. | | **Only with Documents** | Only shows opportunities with attached solicitation packages. | | **Include Pipeline** | Includes opportunities you're already tracking in Capture. | | **Include Feedback** | Includes opportunities you've liked or disliked. | ### Letting Dash Run a Profile Each profile has a **Let Dash run this profile** panel. Dash searches beyond your keywords, reviews each match and adds the strong ones to your **Watchlist** in Discover. - **Run now:** Runs Dash on the profile right away. - **Schedule:** Turn on the switch, then choose **Daily** or **Weekly** and a time for Dash to run the profile. For weekly runs, you also pick the days. - **Include:** Choose whether Dash also searches **Forecasts** and **Private portals**. - **Guidance:** Optional notes for Dash on what you want, such as "prefer recompetes." - **Subscribe:** Choose the teammates who get notified about this profile's Dash runs. The bottom of the panel shows when Dash last ran and how many opportunities it added. Select it to open the run history and see what each run added. ![Let Dash run this profile panel](https://cdn.us.document360.io/104c3542-bffe-46a6-901f-aa7a848851a4/Images/Setting/search-profiles-dash-v2.png) --- ## Using Search Profiles On the **Search** tab in Discover, your active profile shows in the profile header control (**Profile:** followed by the profile name), with counts for its must, must not and prefer criteria. Click it to open the profile panel. The panel lists every criterion grouped by **MUST MATCH**, **MUST NOT** and **PREFERRED**, with the profile's settings on the right. ![Profile header control and profile panel on the Search tab](https://cdn.us.document360.io/104c3542-bffe-46a6-901f-aa7a848851a4/Images/Setting/search-profiles-header.png) - **Switch Profile:** Choose a different profile, or **No profile** to search without one. - **Improve with Dash:** Opens Dash, which reviews the profile and your past performance, asks what you want to see more or less of, and then updates the profile. - **Feedback:** Tell the GovDash team how search profiles are working for you. ### Opportunity Matching When results are sorted by **Profile Match**, the best matches show first. Hover over **Match details** on an opportunity to see its score out of 100, its rating (**Strong Match**, **Potential Match** or **Weak Match**) and which profile criteria it matched. ![Match details score breakdown](https://cdn.us.document360.io/104c3542-bffe-46a6-901f-aa7a848851a4/Images/Setting/search-profiles-match.png) If a score doesn't look right, add more details to your profile, or like and dislike results to improve matching. ### Updating Search Profiles You can also update your active profile from the **Search** tab: - Add or change filters from the **Filters** menu, then click the save drop down and choose **Save to this profile**. - In the profile panel, open a criterion's menu to **Move to…** another mode or **Remove** it. - Change the settings on the right side of the profile panel. When you change the profile from the panel, a **Profile updated. Results may be outdated.** banner appears. Click **Refresh results** to see the updated list. > [!NOTE] > Curated Profiles > > **Save to this profile** isn't available for the Past Performance profile because GovDash manages it. To keep your filters, choose **Create new profile** instead. --- ## Managing Discover Notification Schedules Each profile can have its own notification schedule. On the **Search Profiles** page, select a profile and click the bell icon at the top to open **Manage Subscription**: 1. Under **Notification Frequency**, choose **Daily**, **Weekly** or **Monthly**. 2. Choose **Email** or **Email & App**. 3. Set the **Delivery Time**. 4. Click **Create**, or **Update** if you already have a schedule. ![Manage Subscription dialog](https://cdn.us.document360.io/104c3542-bffe-46a6-901f-aa7a848851a4/Images/Setting/search-profiles-notif.png) When notifications are on for a profile, the profile list shows its schedule, such as **Daily Alerts**, instead of **Alerts Off**. > [!WARNING] > Are notifications per member or for everyone on my team? > > Notification preferences on search profiles only apply to you, so each member of your team can set up their own notifications on shared search profiles. > [!NOTE] > Notification Settings > > To learn more about controlling your notifications, check out [our article here.](/v1/docs/notifications) --- ### FAQ #### How can I switch between different Search Profiles in Discover? On the **Search** tab, click the profile header control, click **Switch Profile**, and choose a profile. #### What happens if I want to modify the criteria of an existing Search Profile? Click **Manage profiles**, then select the profile and click **Edit profile**. You can also change the active profile from the profile panel on the **Search** tab. Your changes apply the next time you use the profile. #### Is it possible to set a specific timeline for the opportunities shown in my Search Profile? Yes. Use **Min Days Until Due**, **Posted Within** and **Due Within** in the profile panel on the **Search** tab. #### Can I create a new Search Profile using the criteria from an existing search? Yes. Build your search with the **Filters** menu, click the save drop down and choose **Create new profile**. #### Are notifications customizable for each Search Profile? Yes. On the **Search Profiles** page, select a profile and click the bell icon to set its own schedule. #### What is the difference between MUST MATCH, MUST NOT and PREFERRED? **MUST MATCH** only shows opportunities that match, **MUST NOT** hides opportunities that match, and **PREFERRED** moves matching opportunities higher without hiding the rest. #### Why didn't Dash add an opportunity to my Watchlist? Dash only adds opportunities it rates as strong matches for the profile. To steer it, add **Guidance** or update the profile's criteria.