Bid/No Bid Worksheet

A bid/no bid decision refers to the decision of whether or not an organization will prepare a response to a specific solicitation. The decision is an intentional one, made after carefully considering numerous factors.

In a typical year, an organization might receive numerous solicitations. Some will present opportunities in alignment with strategic objectives and others may not. There will be a good chance at winning some bids and little to no chance at winning others. Additionally, an award of some bids will be profitable while an award of another could expose the organization to loss.

Considering the costs associated with preparing proposals, and the risks attendant with winning the wrong bids, it makes sense to carefully consider each solicitation. Herein lies the value of the bid/no bid worksheet.

The worksheet presents questions across the following categories: the solicitation, the customer, the competitions, the responding organization, the risks and potential partners. After answers are provided, the user assigns a numeric value to each answer and the worksheet calculates the bid decision.

The bid/no bid worksheet might be completed by a member of the capture or business development team. The final bid decision; however, may rest with a member of upper management.

Inputs to completing the bid/no bid worksheet include the solicitation and information gathered by the capture team. Additional input will be collected from those having knowledge of the customer and potential competitors.

The bid/no bid worksheet helps organizations decide to which solicitations they’ll assign resources. It guides the user through a series of questions that evaluate the solicitation, the customer, the competition, the positioning of the organization and the risks. In the worksheet below, the user answers questions and assigns a numeric score. The worksheet automatically totals the score and assigns a bid determination.The worksheet is entirely editable. Alter it in any way that best serves your needs.