Bid or no-bid decision

Capture teams score each opportunity against a short list of questions: do we meet every mandatory requirement, do we know the customer and have they heard of us, is there an incumbent and how is it performing, is the buy set aside in a way that helps or hurts us, can we price to win and still make money, do we have the people to write and then to perform, and what is the probability of win (pWin) against the cost of the proposal. A no-bid on a long shot pays for a strong bid on a good one.

What to check: the compliance killers first (certifications, bonding, CMMC, past performance minimums, facility clearances), then the signals in the solicitation that it was written around an incumbent, then your price position from bid tabs and award data, then the calendar. Record the reasons for each decision; the pattern across a year tells you where to market.

What it is not: a one-time decision. Review it at each amendment and after the Q&A, and be willing to stop.