Guides / Bid/no-bid checklist for public tenders
Bid/no-bid checklist for public tenders
Writing a good tender response takes days. Bidding on everything spreads you thin and lowers your win rate. A short, honest bid/no-bid decision before you start is the single habit that most improves results.
Reviewed 8 Oct 2026 by the Bidstage team.
Stop questions: any no means no bid
- Do we meet every mandatory selection criterion (turnover, insurance, certifications, references)?
- Can we deliver the full scope, or a lot we can bid for on its own?
- Can we produce a compliant response before the deadline?
- Are we eligible (no exclusion grounds, any set-aside or registration requirement met)?
Scoring questions
Score each from 0 (no) to 2 (strongly yes):
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Do we know this buyer, or have we done similar work for a similar buyer? | Relevant references score highly in quality criteria. |
| Is the scope a close match to what we do best? | Partial fits produce generic answers. |
| Is the quality weighting high enough for our strengths to count? | Price-only awards favour the largest suppliers. |
| Can we make a fair margin at a competitive price? | Winning an unprofitable contract is worse than losing. |
| Is the contract value right for our size? | Too small wastes effort; too large adds risk and may fail turnover tests. |
| Do we know who the incumbent is and why they might lose? | Re-tenders with a happy incumbent are hard to win. |
| Do we have the people free to write the bid and deliver the work? | Both happen while you run your business. |
| Does it lead somewhere (framework, follow-on work, a new sector)? | Strategic value can justify a lower score elsewhere. |
A total of 12 or more out of 16 is a clear bid. Between 8 and 11, bid only if you can fix the weak points. Below 8, pass and spend the time on a better opportunity.
Red flags
- A specification that reads as if written around one supplier's product.
- Unlimited liability, very long payment terms or penalties out of proportion to the value.
- A deadline so short that only someone who knew in advance could respond well.
- Requirements the buyer cannot explain when you ask a clarification question.
Make the decision fast
Decide within a day or two of finding the notice. Bidstage helps by showing, for each matched tender, a verdict with the reasons (fit, deadline, value) taken from the official notice, so you can spend reading time only on tenders that pass.
Questions
What is a good tender win rate?
It varies widely by sector and procedure. Teams that qualify carefully usually win far more of the tenders they enter than teams that bid on everything, because effort goes into fewer, better responses.
Should we bid just to get noticed by the buyer?
Rarely. A weak bid leaves a weak impression. Responding to market engagement or asking for feedback after an award usually builds the relationship better.