Tender teams rarely suffer from a shortage of documents to read. They suffer from scarce estimating time being spread across too many weak opportunities. A bid/no-bid process protects that time and makes the eventual submission more deliberate.
The scorecard should support judgement, not replace it. A strategic opportunity may justify a lower score; a formally compliant but operationally awkward contract may still deserve a firm no.
Apply the non-negotiable gates first
Do not spend an hour scoring a tender that fails a fundamental requirement. Check these gates immediately:
- Can you meet the deadline without lowering submission quality?
- Do you satisfy the mandatory financial, insurance and accreditation requirements?
- Can you operate in the geography and working hours required?
- Is the contract size deliverable without exposing the wider business?
- Are prohibited contract terms or unacceptable liabilities present?
- Can you access the procurement system and all documents?
If a gate fails, decide whether clarification, a partner or a planned improvement can resolve it. If not, stop.
Score six areas that predict bid quality
1. Strategic fit
Does the work match your chosen geography, service mix, contract size and growth plan? Winning unsuitable work is not growth.
2. Operational capability
Assess workforce, supervision, machinery, depot capacity, specialist skills and seasonal headroom. Score the position at commencement, not an imagined future business.
3. Commercial attractiveness
Consider estimated margin, indexation, payment terms, mobilisation recovery, capital requirement, contract term and termination provisions.
4. Information quality
Can the quantities, frequencies, standards, sites, TUPE position and pricing schedule be reconciled? Poor information does not always mean no-bid, but it increases the need for clarifications and risk pricing.
5. Competitive position
Do you have relevant evidence, local knowledge, relationships or a service advantage? Be honest about the likely incumbent and the buyer’s evaluation priorities.
6. Bid capacity
Can named people produce the method statements, programme, price and evidence properly before the deadline?
Simple scoring model
Score each area from 0 to 5. Weight commercial attractiveness, operational capability and information quality twice if they matter most to your business.
24–30: strong pursuit, subject to risk review.
17–23: conditional; resolve named issues before committing.
0–16: normally no-bid.
Add automatic stop conditions separately. A high total should never cancel a failed mandatory gate.
Require one sentence of evidence for every score
“Good fit: 4” is an opinion. “Four similar housing sites within 25 miles, spare supervisor capacity and two suitable vehicles available” is a decision record.
Evidence also reveals what needs action. A low information score might trigger clarification questions. A low capability score might require a priced subcontractor quotation. A low bid-capacity score might mean declining the tender even though the contract itself is attractive.
Consider the cost of bidding
Estimate the internal time and external cost required to produce the submission. Include site visits, take-offs, supplier prices, method statements, presentations and legal review. Compare this with contract value, probability of winning and expected commercial return.
Bid cost does not need a complex probability model. Its main purpose is to stop a “free” pursuit quietly consuming three management weeks.
Record the decision and revisit the pattern
Save the score, evidence, decision, owner and date. For conditional bids, record the conditions that must be resolved. After award or loss, compare the outcome with the original reasoning.
Over time, this becomes useful business intelligence. You may discover that smaller local housing contracts convert well, while distant multi-service frameworks absorb time without producing revenue. The scorecard should evolve around that evidence.
A disciplined no is not a missed opportunity. It is estimating capacity released for a better one.
Score an opportunity now
Use the interactive GroundsCost checklist. It highlights stop conditions and gives you a printable decision summary.
Open the scorecard