Check mandatory requirements first, then assess relevant experience, delivery capacity, commercial fit and the resources needed to prepare the response. A high overall score should never hide a requirement your company cannot meet.
Separate gates from preferences
Start with conditions that can prevent participation: licenses, required meetings, qualification thresholds, bond availability and submission access. Verify each against the issued solicitation and the responsible company representative.
Mark a gate as confirmed, unresolved or not met. Do not treat an unresolved condition as a pass because the project looks attractive. Assign someone to resolve it before the decision deadline.
Assess delivery fit
Review whether your firm has relevant experience, available people and an approach suited to the project constraints. Ask the operating team about workload, geography, schedule and subcontractor coverage.
A strong proposal should reflect a project the company can execute. Avoid using the proposal process to quietly commit staff or resources that have not been approved.
- Comparable scope and delivery method
- Available project leadership and field capacity
- Location, access and phasing constraints
- Required partners or specialty coverage
Assess the commercial case
Have an authorized decision-maker review contract terms, payment conditions, insurance and bonding requirements, and the basis for your price. Separate business judgment from any legal or specialist review the company needs.
Do not build a decision around an unsupported win probability. Record what is known about the owner’s requirements and the company’s fit, and identify what remains uncertain.
Budget the pursuit effort
Estimate the work required to collect evidence, develop the approach, write sections, complete forms and review the package. Check the internal deadlines against the availability of input owners.
Use the worksheet to record a decision, its reasons and the conditions that would change it. Revisit the decision if an addendum changes scope or deadlines, or a key team member becomes unavailable.
Make the decision visible
Keep a short decision record with the responsible person, date, unresolved items and next step. A no-bid can still produce useful work: update the source library, clarify a capability gap or plan for a later pursuit.
When the decision is to proceed, Bidmere can scope the preparation work around the response you need. Your team owns the pursuit decision and approves the facts, prices and final submission.