Go/No-Go Decision
A structured pre-bid assessment of whether to invest resource in responding to a tender opportunity.
Definition
A Go/No-Go decision is a structured assessment of whether to invest resource in responding to a specific tender opportunity. It is usually run as a short workshop or scoring exercise after the contract notice or tender pack is reviewed but before any substantial bid drafting begins. The aim is to spend the bid budget on tenders the business has a realistic chance of winning rather than chasing every opportunity that vaguely matches capability.
How it works in practice
A typical Go/No-Go scorecard rates the opportunity against five to ten factors: sector fit, capability match, certifications and qualifications held, contract value, contract duration, geographic match, incumbent presence, expected number of competitors, available capacity to deliver, and strategic value (does winning open a new market). Each factor is scored on a simple scale and weighted by importance. The combined score gives a Go, Conditional Go (proceed if specific gaps can be addressed), or No-Go. Disciplined bid teams routinely no-go 50 to 70 percent of the opportunities they review, because resource is finite and only some opportunities have a realistic win probability. Common No-Go signals are an incumbent supplier with strong client relationship and recent good performance (typically wins 60-80 percent of retenders), a value too low to justify the bid cost, a capability gap that cannot be plugged before submission, and a timetable that conflicts with another bid already in flight. Conditional Go is used when a gap (certification, named subcontractor, key personnel) can be addressed if the team commits to doing so before submission. The Go/No-Go process should be documented (a one-page sheet per opportunity), even on small bids, because the record helps the team improve win-rate analysis over time.
Common questions
When should the Go/No-Go decision be made?
As early as possible after the tender pack is reviewed, typically within the first three to five working days of the response window. Deferring the decision wastes effort on opportunities that should be declined and squeezes the drafting window for the ones you should pursue.
What factors should the scorecard weight most heavily?
Capability and sector fit (do you have the right team, certifications, and case studies), incumbent risk (is there a strong existing supplier), and bid economics (does the expected value justify the bid cost). Strategic factors (entering a new sector, leveraging a flagship win) can override the economics if the strategic value is genuinely material.
How do I track Go/No-Go quality over time?
Log each decision with the factors that drove it and the eventual outcome (win, lose, withdrew, or not bid). Quarterly review the ratio of wins to bids submitted (win rate), and the ratio of opportunities reviewed to bids submitted (Go rate). Wide gaps in either direction signal a scorecard that needs recalibration.