# RFP Bid/No-Bid (Go/No-Go) Decision Template

> Free template from RFP Software Tools (https://rfp-software-tools.com/templates/bid-no-bid-template). No sign-up. The Excel version has dropdowns and formulas; this Markdown copy shows the same structure.

## How to use it

| Area | What it is for | How to fill it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Knockouts sheet | Pass/fail gates that stop a bid regardless of score. | Answer each gate Yes, No or Unsure. Any No means no-bid unless an executive overrides it in writing on the Decision sheet. Turn every Unsure into a clarification question to the buyer or an owner with a deadline. |
| Scorecard: weights | Sets how much each criterion matters to your business. Weights should total 100%. | Agree weights once for a type of deal (for example commercial software, or public-sector services) and reuse them, so scores are comparable over time. The total row shows the weight sum: fix it if it does not read 100%. |
| Scorecard: scores and evidence | Scores each criterion from 1 (poor) to 5 (strong) with a note on what the score is based on. | Score from evidence, not hope. "We met the CIO twice" is evidence; "they will love our product" is not. Weighted values and the total out of 5 calculate automatically. |
| Decision sheet | Records the suggested outcome, the actual decision, who made it and any conditions. | The suggested outcome uses the weighted score, the knockout count and the two editable thresholds. Calibrate the thresholds against your own past wins and losses. Write down conditions for a conditional bid (for example "only if legal accepts a liability cap"), and who checks them. |

## Sheet: Knockouts

Any "No" answer suggests no-bid. Unsure answers need an owner and a date.

| # | Gate question | Answer | Owner | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Can we meet every mandatory (shall or must) requirement, or get an accepted exception? |  |  |  |
| 2 | Are we eligible: required certifications, registrations, insurance, location or size status? |  |  |  |
| 3 | Can we deliver a complete, compliant submission by the deadline, including all required forms? |  |  |  |
| 4 | Are the contract terms acceptable, or credibly negotiable? |  |  |  |
| 5 | If the budget is known, is it within a price we would accept? |  |  |  |
| 6 | Is there a named person available to own the response from now to submission? |  |  |  |

Dropdown values:

- **Answer:** Yes / No / Unsure

## Sheet: Scorecard

Score 1 (poor) to 5 (strong). Weights are a starting point: edit them to match your business, keeping the total at 100%. Example scores are illustrative.

| Criterion | Question to answer | Weight | Score (1-5) | Weighted | Evidence and notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Relationship | Have we met the buyer’s decision makers before this RFP arrived? | 0.12 | 3 | (calculated) | Two calls with the IT director in Q1. |
| Shaping | Did we influence the requirements, or are we reading them for the first time? | 0.08 | 2 | (calculated) |  |
| Requirement fit | How many scored requirements do we meet fully today? | 0.15 | 4 | (calculated) | Compliance matrix: 41 of 46 Full. |
| Competitive position | Do we know who else is bidding, and do we beat them on the heaviest criteria? | 0.1 | 3 | (calculated) |  |
| Incumbent | Is there an incumbent, and is the buyer unhappy with them? | 0.08 | 2 | (calculated) | Incumbent renewed once already. |
| Pricing position | Can we be competitive at a price that still makes the deal worth winning? | 0.1 | 3 | (calculated) |  |
| Strategic value | Does this account open a sector, region or reference we want? | 0.1 | 4 | (calculated) | First customer in public health. |
| Response capacity | Do we have the writers and SMEs free before the deadline? | 0.08 | 3 | (calculated) | Security SME on leave week 2. |
| Delivery capacity | Could we staff the project if we won next month? | 0.08 | 4 | (calculated) |  |
| Contract risk | Are liability, IP, payment and termination terms acceptable or negotiable? | 0.06 | 2 | (calculated) | Unlimited liability clause in 8.1. |
| Timeline | Is the deadline realistic for a response we would be proud of? | 0.05 | 3 | (calculated) |  |

Dropdown values:

- **Score (1-5):** 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

## Sheet: Decision

Thresholds are editable starting points, not industry standards. Review them after every ten decisions.

| Field | Value | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weighted score (out of 5) | (calculated) | From the Scorecard sheet. |
| Knockout gates answered No | (calculated) | Any value above zero suggests no-bid. |
| Bid threshold | 3.5 | Edit to suit your history. |
| Discuss threshold | 2.5 | Scores between the two thresholds go to a discussion. |
| Suggested outcome | (calculated) | Calculated. The team still decides. |
| Final decision |  | Bid, No bid, or Bid with conditions. |
| Decided by |  |  |
| Decision date |  |  |
| Conditions or reasons |  |  |
| Executive override (if a knockout was overruled) |  |  |