Bid/No-Bid Decision Checklist — Practical Guide for Teams

Make Better Pursuit Decisions: Bid/No-Bid Decision Checklist

Deciding whether to pursue an opportunity can make or break your win rate and profitability. Use this focused bid/no-bid decision checklist to evaluate opportunities quickly and consistently. The checklist helps you score strategic fit, capacity, profitability, and risk so your team can accept the right RFPs and pass on the wrong ones.

Why a formal checklist matters

• Removes emotion and bias from pursuit decisions.
• Creates a repeatable, auditable approach to opportunity selection.
• Saves time and resources by avoiding low-value pursuits.
• Aligns sales, capture, delivery, and finance around one decision.

How to use this checklist

1. Gather the intake packet: RFP/RFI, client background, timeline, and budget indicators.
2. Score each checklist item on a 0-5 scale (0 = very poor, 5 = excellent).
3. Apply weightings for your organization (optional) to reflect strategic priorities.
4. Calculate a total score and compare it to your decision threshold.
5. Document the decision and next steps (pursue, hold, or decline).

Core Bid/No-Bid Checklist

Score each item 0–5. Notes column is critical—capture evidence for each score.

1. Strategic Fit — Is this client, sector, or capability aligned with our strategy?
2. Win Probability — Do we have a credible differentiation and relationships?
3. Technical Capability — Do we have the skills, prior experience, and staff available?
4. Capacity & Timing — Can delivery and proposals be resourced within the timeline?
5. Commercial Attractiveness — Is the contract size, margin, and payment terms acceptable?
6. Risk Profile — What are the legal, financial, or performance risks?
7. Competitive Landscape — Who are likely competitors and how strong are they?
8. Client Investigation — Has client reputation, stability, and procurement behavior been checked?
9. Contract Terms — Are contract clauses (liability, IP, termination) within acceptable bounds?
10. Cost to Pursue — Are proposal costs, capture effort, and potential teaming expenses justified?

Sample Scoring Matrix (example)

Use simple weightings to reflect priorities. Below is a baseline example—adjust weights to your organization.

• Strategic Fit — weight 20%
• Win Probability — weight 20%
• Technical Capability — weight 15%
• Capacity & Timing — weight 10%
• Commercial Attractiveness — weight 15%
• Risk Profile — weight 10%
• Cost to Pursue — weight 10%

Example calculation: score each 0–5, multiply by weight, sum to a 0–5 weighted total. Set a threshold (e.g., pursue if weighted score >= 3.2).

Decision Thresholds (suggested)

• Score >= 3.5 — Pursue: build full proposal and commit resources.
• Score 3.0–3.4 — Consider: conduct quick capture work, obtain more intelligence before final decision.
• Score < 3.0 — Decline: document rationale and recycle capture efforts elsewhere.

Quick Win Checklist (fast triage)

When time is limited, run these 5 quick checks first. If any are negative, you likely should decline or investigate further before committing.

1. Is the timeline feasible for a quality response?
2. Do we meet the mandatory technical requirements?
3. Is there a path to acceptable margin?
4. Do we have or can we secure a prime/partner if required?
5. Are there obvious, disqualifying contract terms?

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Over-weighting relationships and under-weighting profitability and risk.
• Not validating assumptions about capacity or competitor strength.
• Failing to update the checklist after a 'lessons learned' review.
• Skipping documentation—undocumented decisions are hard to justify later.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Business Development / Capture Lead — Owns the bid/no-bid evaluation and coordinates scoring.
• Proposal Manager — Estimates cost to pursue and timelines.
• Delivery Lead — Validates technical capability and resourcing.
• Finance / Commercial — Confirms margin expectations and contract risk appetite.
• Executive Sponsor — Makes the final go/no-go decision if score is borderline or strategically significant.

Documentation & Follow-up

Record the scores, evidence, and final decision in a centralized repository. If you decline, capture the rationale and potential future actions (e.g., maintain relationship, revisit after client changes). If you pursue, create a capture plan with assignment of owners, milestones, and a win strategy.

Sample Short Template (copy and paste)

Opportunity: [Client / Project Name]
Deadline: [RFP Due Date]
Total Score: [X.X] — Decision: [Pursue / Consider / Decline]

Key Notes: [Top strengths, top risks, requirement gaps]

Final Tips

• Calibrate the scoring thresholds based on your historical win/loss data.
• Run periodic audits of decisions: were they right and why?
• Train your capture and proposal teams to use the checklist consistently.
• Keep the checklist concise—too many items reduce adoption.

Use this bid/no-bid decision checklist as the backbone of a disciplined pursuit process. A consistent approach reduces wasted effort and improves your win rate over time.