Should You Respond to This RFP? A Go/No-Go Decision Framework

A new RFP lands in your inbox. The contract value looks attractive, and the scope matches your capabilities. Before you rally your team for a three-week sprint, there's a question worth answering first: should you respond at all?

High-performing proposal teams aren't the ones who respond to everything. They're selective. They invest heavily in opportunities they can win and decline the rest.

Decision Tool

Want to quickly assess an RFP opportunity? Use our Go/No-Go Decision Tool to get a recommendation in minutes.

Why Selectivity Matters

Responding to every RFP that crosses your desk has costs that aren't always obvious:

A complex RFP response can consume 200+ person-hours in direct labor costs.

Time spent on low-probability bids takes resources away from winnable opportunities.

Constant RFP pressure contributes to team burnout and quality decline.

Submitting weak responses can damage your reputation with that buyer for future opportunities.

Consider the math: if your win rate is 20% and each response costs $15,000 in labor, you're effectively spending $75,000 to win each contract. Better selectivity improves this ratio. We break down these hidden expenses in detail in our article on the true cost of responding to RFPs.

The Framework

This framework evaluates opportunities across five dimensions. Score each honestly, then add them up. The total guides your decision.

1. Strategic Fit

0–20 points · Does this opportunity align with your company's direction?

Score	Criteria
20	Perfect fit with strategic goals, target market, and growth plans
15	Good alignment, opens doors to desired market segment
10	Neutral: not strategic, but not a distraction either
5	Marginal fit, would take resources from strategic priorities
0	Misaligned with strategy, wrong market or capability area

Questions to consider:

Is this client in a market you want to grow in?
Will this work strengthen capabilities you're building?
Could this become a reference account for future sales?

2. Capability Match

0–25 points · Can you deliver what they're asking for?

Score	Criteria
25	You've done this exact thing multiple times successfully
20	Strong experience with minor gaps easily filled
15	Solid foundation; some areas require new hires or partners
10	Moderate gaps that would stretch current capabilities
5	Significant gaps; delivery would be risky
0	You lack the capabilities and can't reasonably acquire them

Questions to consider:

Do you meet all mandatory ("shall") requirements?
Have you delivered similar projects before?
Is the right team available?
Are there certifications or clearances you lack?

3. Competitive Position

0–20 points · How do you stack up against likely competitors?

Score	Criteria
20	You have a significant advantage (incumbent, relationship, unique capability)
15	Competitive, but you have clear differentiators
10	Level playing field; outcome uncertain
5	Competitors have advantages you'll struggle to overcome
0	Wired for a competitor; you're column fodder

Questions to consider:

Who else is likely bidding?
Is there an incumbent with an advantage?
Does the RFP seem written for a specific vendor?
What's your unique value proposition here?

4. Relationship and Intelligence

0–20 points · How well do you know this buyer and opportunity?

Score	Criteria
20	Existing client with strong relationships to decision-makers
15	Have met key stakeholders and understand their needs
10	Some contacts, limited insight into priorities
5	No relationship; responding to public RFP cold
0	Unknown organization with no way to gather intelligence

Questions to consider:

Have you worked with this organization before?
Do you know the actual decision-makers?
Did you help shape this requirement?
Do you understand their concerns and priorities?

5. Commercial Viability

0–15 points · Does the business case make sense?

Score	Criteria
15	Strong margins, reasonable terms, funded project
10	Acceptable margins, standard terms
5	Tight margins, but strategic value justifies it
0	Unfavorable terms, unclear budget, or unsustainable margins

Questions to consider:

Can you deliver at a healthy margin?
Are the contract terms acceptable?
Is the project actually funded?
What's the revenue relative to pursuit costs?

Interpreting Your Score

Add up scores across all five dimensions. The maximum is 100 points.

Total = Strategic Fit + Capability Match + Competitive Position + Relationship + Commercial

Score	Recommendation	Action
75–100	Strong GO	Pursue aggressively; allocate top resources
50–74	Conditional GO	Proceed with caution; address weak areas
25–49	Likely NO-GO	Only pursue if strategic value overrides score
0–24	Definite NO-GO	Do not pursue; focus resources elsewhere

Automatic Disqualifiers

Some factors should trigger a no-go regardless of overall score:

Mandatory requirements not met

If you can't comply with "shall" requirements, don't submit.

Ethical concerns

Work that conflicts with company values.

Resource conflict

Would jeopardize delivery on existing commitments.

Impossible timeline

Can't produce a quality response in the time available.

Unacceptable terms

Contract requires unlimited liability, IP transfer, or similar deal-breakers.

When to Stretch

Sometimes it's worth pursuing an opportunity even with a lower score:

✓

Gateway client

A win opens doors to many similar opportunities.

✓

Capability building

The project develops skills you need for your strategy.

✓

Relationship repair

A chance to win back a lapsed client.

✓

Low competition

Few qualified bidders means higher odds of winning. Learn more about why small bid teams win in these situations.

Who Should Make the Decision

Go/no-go decisions shouldn't be made in isolation. Involve the people who can provide different perspectives:

Sales / BD Lead

Relationship and competitive intelligence

Delivery Lead

Capability and resource assessment

Finance

Commercial viability check

Executive Sponsor

Strategic alignment decision

Document the decision and reasoning. A no-go decision has value too: you've freed up resources for better opportunities. If your team is juggling several live bids at once, our guide on managing multiple tenders offers practical strategies for keeping everything on track.

Quick Assessment

Use our Go/No-Go Decision Tool to run through this framework interactively and get a recommendation based on your inputs.

Track and Refine

Over time, compare your go/no-go decisions against outcomes. This data helps refine your framework:

What scores correlated with wins?
Did any no-go decisions turn out to be mistakes?
Are there patterns in your losses?

Patterns in this data reveal where your scoring needs adjustment and where your organization underestimates or overestimates its capabilities.

Already decided to GO?

RFP Matrix helps you respond faster with AI-powered requirement extraction and draft generation. Get started and see how much time you save on your next response.