The Go/No-Go Decision Framework: How to Pick RFPs Worth Pursuing (2026)

The Hidden Cost of Bidding on Everything

Most companies pursue too many RFPs. Industry data shows the average RFP win rate is just 5-20%. That means 80-95% of your proposal effort produces zero revenue.

The math is brutal: if your team spends 40 hours per proposal and wins 1 in 10, you're investing 400 hours for every win. But companies that use structured Go/No-Go frameworks report win rates of 30-50%—because they only pursue opportunities they can actually win.

What is a Go/No-Go Decision?

A Go/No-Go decision is a structured evaluation of whether to pursue an RFP opportunity. Instead of relying on gut instinct ("this looks like a good fit"), you score the opportunity against objective criteria.

The framework typically evaluates two categories:

1. Qualification Gates (Binary: Pass/Fail)

These are hard requirements. If you fail any gate, it's an automatic No-Go:

• Timeline feasibility: Can you realistically respond by the deadline?
• Eligibility: Do you meet the minimum qualifications (certifications, revenue thresholds, past performance)?
• Compliance: Do you hold the required certifications (ISO, SOC 2, FedRAMP)?
• Scope alignment: Is this within your core competency?

2. Competitive Scoring (Weighted 1-5 Scale)

These factors determine how likely you are to win:

• Relationship strength: Do you have an existing relationship with the buyer?
• Technical fit: How well does your solution match their requirements?
• Price competitiveness: Can you compete on price without sacrificing margin?
• Competitive landscape: Who else is bidding? Are you the incumbent?
• Strategic value: Even if margins are thin, does this win open a new market?

The Scoring System

Here's how to interpret the aggregate score:

Common Go/No-Go Mistakes

1. The "Revenue Pressure" Trap

When pipeline is thin, teams override No-Go decisions because "we need the revenue." This leads to a death spiral: you spend resources on low-probability bids, lose them, then have even less capacity for the good opportunities that follow.

2. The "We Can Do Anything" Fallacy

Technically, you might be able to deliver. But if the RFP requires capabilities outside your core, your proposal will read as generic compared to specialists. Evaluators notice.

3. Not Tracking Outcomes

The Go/No-Go framework only improves if you track the results. Did your "Strong Go" opportunities actually convert at higher rates? Are your "Lean No-Go" decisions validated by losses? Without win/loss data, the framework stagnates.

Automating Go/No-Go Decisions

The biggest barrier to Go/No-Go adoption is friction. Manual spreadsheet-based frameworks get abandoned because they take too long to fill out.

Building a Win/Loss Feedback Loop

The real power of Go/No-Go comes when you close the loop with win/loss analysis:

1. Score every opportunity before bidding (Go/No-Go assessment)
2. Record the outcome after the decision (won, lost, no-bid)
3. Debrief wins and losses with structured factor scoring
4. Analyze patterns over time (which factors predict wins?)
5. Refine your scoring based on actual data

Companies that run this loop for 6-12 months typically see their win rate increase by 15-25 percentage points.

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