More reasons to “no bid”
It is impossible for this list to be too long
Never pursue a bid just because you can
- Every bid can’t be a “Must Win.”
- It’s really hard to break the habit of bidding everything you find.
Here is an additional list of reasons to “No Bid” an opportunity:
❏ You find out about the opportunity when the RFP is released
❏ The customer has no budget or can’t afford what is required
❏ Your competition is cheaper or there are too many competitors
❏ You don’t know who the competition is
❏ You can’t assemble a winning team
❏ There is a requirement in the RFP that you can’t live with
❏ The price risk is too high or the performance risk is too high
❏ You have negative past performance
❏ The customer doesn’t like you or you don’t like them
❏ The customer doesn’t know you or likes someone else
❏ The customer won’t answer critical questions
❏ The opportunity doesn’t fit your corporate strategies or goals
❏ The RFP is either too vague or is too specific
❏ There’s not enough profit in it
❏ You don’t have enough staff available to write the proposal
❏ You aren’t qualified
❏ You have a conflict of interest or intellectual property issues
❏ The customer or the schedule is unrealistic
❏ You don’t have the staff to do the work if you win
❏ You don’t know who the evaluators are
❏ The customer is trying to justify a selection already made
❏ The customer is just fishing or is not serious
❏ Location, location, location
❏ The contract type is not appropriate for the type of work
❏ Your awareness is limited to what’s in the RFP
❏ There is no potential for follow-on work
❏ Pursuing it would distract you from other opportunities
❏ You can’t articulate why you should be the one to win
❏ You don’t know how the procurement fits the customer’s strategic plans
❏ The technology requested is already obsolete
Return to the Topic Hub for Pre RFP Pursuit, or return to the Starting Point for Discovering What It Will Take To Win.
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Carl Dickson
Carl is the Founder and President of CapturePlanning.com and PropLIBRARY
Carl is an expert at winning in writing, with more than 30 year's experience. He's written multiple books and published over a thousand articles that have helped millions of people develop business and write better proposals. Carl is also a frequent speaker, trainer, and consultant and can be reached at carl.dickson@captureplanning.com. To find out more about him, you can also connect with Carl on LinkedIn.
