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Go/No-Go Decision Process (Expanded)

Document Type: Procedure
Version: 1.0
Last Updated: February 2026
Distribute To: Executives, Estimators, Business Development

Purpose​

Establish a comprehensive process for evaluating bid opportunities to focus resources on winnable, profitable work.

Why Go/No-Go Matters​

The Math:​

  • Average estimating cost: 0.5-1% of bid
  • Win rate: 20-35%
  • Bad bid decisions waste resources and damage profitability

Benefits of Discipline:​

  • Higher win rates
  • Better margins
  • Less wasted effort
  • Improved focus
  • Stronger portfolio

Go/No-Go Process​

Stage 1: Initial Screen (Day 0-1)​

Quick Assessment: Does this fit our basic criteria?

CriterionCheck
Project type we perform☐
Geographic area we serve☐
Size we can handle☐
Timeline achievable☐
Client we want☐

If NO to any: Decline immediately

Stage 2: Detailed Analysis (Day 2-3)​

Complete Full Go/No-Go Assessment

Stage 3: Pursuit Decision (Day 3-5)​

Review with leadership and decide:

  • Go (pursue)
  • No-Go (decline)
  • Monitor (watch for changes)

Detailed Assessment​

Part 1: Strategic Fit​

================================================================
        STRATEGIC FIT ASSESSMENT
================================================================

Project: ___________________________________________________

================================================================

CLIENT FIT (Weight: 25%)

Client name: _______________________________________________

☐ Existing client (Score: 10)
☐ Target client (Score: 8)
☐ Known, good reputation (Score: 6)
☐ Unknown (Score: 3)
☐ Known issues (Score: 0)

Score: ___/10

Previous relationship:
☐ Repeat work (Score: 10)
☐ Previous bid, didn't win (Score: 5)
☐ No relationship (Score: 3)

Score: ___/10

================================================================

PROJECT TYPE FIT (Weight: 20%)

☐ Core competency (Score: 10)
☐ Adjacent to core (Score: 7)
☐ New but strategic (Score: 5)
☐ Outside expertise (Score: 2)

Score: ___/10

================================================================

SIZE FIT (Weight: 15%)

Project size: $_______________

☐ Sweet spot (Score: 10)
☐ Slightly above/below (Score: 7)
☐ Stretch but doable (Score: 4)
☐ Too large/small (Score: 1)

Score: ___/10

================================================================

TOTAL STRATEGIC FIT: ___/40 = ___%

================================================================

Part 2: Competitive Position​

================================================================
        COMPETITIVE ASSESSMENT
================================================================

KNOWN COMPETITORS:
1. _________________________  Advantage: ☐ Us  ☐ Them  ☐ Even
2. _________________________  Advantage: ☐ Us  ☐ Them  ☐ Even
3. _________________________  Advantage: ☐ Us  ☐ Them  ☐ Even

OUR ADVANTAGES:
☐ Client relationship
☐ Recent similar experience
☐ Specialized capability
☐ Geographic proximity
☐ Pricing position
☐ Availability
☐ Other: _______________________________________________

COMPETITIVE SCORE:
☐ Strong advantage (Score: 10)
☐ Moderate advantage (Score: 7)
☐ Even (Score: 5)
☐ Slight disadvantage (Score: 3)
☐ Significant disadvantage (Score: 1)

Score: ___/10

WIN PROBABILITY ESTIMATE: ___%

================================================================

Part 3: Risk Assessment​

================================================================
        RISK ASSESSMENT
================================================================

PROJECT RISKS:

Schedule risk:
☐ Reasonable (Score: 10)
☐ Tight but achievable (Score: 6)
☐ Aggressive (Score: 3)
☐ Unrealistic (Score: 0)

Score: ___/10

Contract risk:
☐ Standard terms (Score: 10)
☐ Some concerning provisions (Score: 6)
☐ Significant risk transfer (Score: 3)
☐ Unacceptable terms (Score: 0)

Score: ___/10

Design completeness:
☐ Complete, high quality (Score: 10)
☐ Substantially complete (Score: 7)
☐ Incomplete, issues expected (Score: 4)
☐ Poor quality (Score: 1)

Score: ___/10

Client payment history:
☐ Excellent (Score: 10)
☐ Good (Score: 7)
☐ Some issues (Score: 4)
☐ Poor/unknown (Score: 2)

Score: ___/10

TOTAL RISK SCORE: ___/40 = ___%
(Higher = Lower Risk)

================================================================

Part 4: Resource Assessment​

================================================================
        RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
================================================================

CAPACITY CHECK:

Estimating capacity:
☐ Available (Score: 10)
☐ Requires prioritization (Score: 5)
☐ Strained (Score: 2)

Score: ___/10

Project management:
☐ PM available (Score: 10)
☐ PM can be assigned (Score: 6)
☐ Would need to hire (Score: 2)

Score: ___/10

Field supervision:
☐ Available (Score: 10)
☐ Can be assigned (Score: 6)
☐ Would need to hire (Score: 2)

Score: ___/10

Bonding capacity:
☐ Within single/aggregate (Score: 10)
☐ Requires increase (Score: 5)
☐ Exceeds capacity (Score: 0)

Score: ___/10

TOTAL RESOURCE SCORE: ___/40 = ___%

================================================================

Part 5: Financial Assessment​

================================================================
        FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT
================================================================

Estimated margin: ___%
Target margin for this type: ___%

☐ At or above target (Score: 10)
☐ Slightly below target (Score: 6)
☐ Below target but strategic (Score: 3)
☐ Unacceptable margin (Score: 0)

Score: ___/10

Revenue value to backlog:
☐ Meaningful addition (Score: 10)
☐ Moderate value (Score: 6)
☐ Small value (Score: 3)

Score: ___/10

TOTAL FINANCIAL SCORE: ___/20 = ___%

================================================================

Scoring Summary​

================================================================
         GO/NO-GO SCORING SUMMARY
================================================================

Project: ___________________________________________________

================================================================

| Category | Weight | Score | Weighted |
|----------|--------|-------|----------|
| Strategic Fit | 25% | ___% | ___% |
| Competitive Position | 20% | ___% | ___% |
| Risk (inverse) | 25% | ___% | ___% |
| Resources | 15% | ___% | ___% |
| Financial | 15% | ___% | ___% |
|----------|--------|-------|----------|
| **TOTAL** | 100% | | **___%** |

================================================================

DECISION THRESHOLDS:
over 75%: Strong Go
60-75%: Go with conditions
50-60%: Marginal, discuss
under 50%: No-Go

================================================================

RECOMMENDATION: ☐ Go  ☐ No-Go  ☐ Discuss

CONDITIONS (if any):
___________________________________________________________

================================================================

Decision Made By: _____________________ Date: _______________

Decision: ☐ Pursue  ☐ Decline

Rationale:
___________________________________________________________

================================================================

Go/No-Go Meeting​

When to Hold:​

  • Major opportunities
  • Borderline scores
  • Resource conflicts
  • Strategic implications

Attendees:​

  • Executive sponsor
  • Estimating lead
  • Operations (PM/Super)
  • Business development

Discussion Points:​

  1. Score review
  2. Win probability
  3. Resource impact
  4. Strategic value
  5. Risk concerns
  6. Final decision

Declining Professionally​

When Declining:​

Do:

  • Respond promptly
  • Thank for opportunity
  • Keep door open
  • Be honest (diplomatically)

Sample Response:

Thank you for the opportunity to bid [Project Name]. 
After careful review, we have decided not to submit 
a proposal at this time due to [timing constraints / 
current workload / other commitments].

We appreciate being considered and hope to have the 
opportunity to work together on future projects.

Tracking and Analysis​

Track Every Opportunity:​

MetricTrack
Opportunities receivedCount
Go decisionsCount and %
No-Go decisionsCount and %
Wins (of Go)Count and %
Win rate by scoreAnalysis

Quarterly Review:​

  • Are we too selective? Too aggressive?
  • What's our win rate by score level?
  • Are we missing opportunities?
  • Are we wasting resources?
  • Bid Pursuit Process
  • Estimating Standards
  • Win Rate Analytics
  • Proposal Management

Template provided by support.construction. Discipline in pursuit selection drives profitability.

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