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Mastering the Go/No-Go Decision: How Smart Contractors Choose the Right Opportunities

4/1/2025

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Mastering the Go/No-Go Decision: How Smart Contractors Choose the Right Opportunities

When entering the world of government or corporate contracting, it’s easy to feel pressure to respond to every solicitation that crosses your inbox. For many small business owners, each new Request for Proposal (RFP) or Invitation to Bid (IFB) feels like a potential golden ticket.

But here’s the truth: successful contractors don’t chase every opportunity—they choose the right ones.

This decision-making process is called the Go/No-Go process, and it is one of the most important strategies for increasing your win rate, preserving your resources, and positioning your business for long-term success in the procurement space.

In this post, we’ll break down:

  • What the Go/No-Go process is
  • The key criteria to consider
  • Common pitfalls to avoid
  • Real-world examples
  • How to get better at making these calls

What Is the Go/No-Go Decision Process?

At its core, the Go/No-Go decision is a structured approach to evaluate whether your business should pursue a specific solicitation. It helps you avoid spending time and money on proposals that aren’t aligned with your business strengths or strategic goals.

This is especially important for small businesses with limited proposal writing capacity or internal resources. A well-thought-out Go/No-Go process prevents wasted effort and allows you to focus on the opportunities you’re most likely to win.

Key Criteria for Evaluating an Opportunity

A thorough Go/No-Go checklist should include both objective and strategic factors. Here's what we recommend evaluating before deciding whether to bid:

1. Scope of Work

  • Does the project fall within your core services?
  • Have you completed similar work before?
  • Will you need to bring in partners or subcontractors?

2. Location & Logistics

  • Can your team realistically perform the work in the location required?
  • Are there local requirements (business licenses, certifications) you need to meet?

3. Certifications & Qualifications

  • Are you certified in the way the solicitation requires (e.g., DBE, WOSB, 8(a), HUBZone)?
  • Do you meet the experience thresholds stated?

4. Licensing & Compliance

  • Do you currently hold the necessary professional or industry licenses?
  • Are there bonding or insurance requirements you cannot meet?

5. Past Performance

  • Do you have strong past performance in this field that will make your proposal competitive?
  • Are your references recent and relevant?

6. Proposal Requirements

  • Is the proposal straightforward or highly technical?
  • Are the formatting and submission rules (e.g., number of copies, specific forms) feasible within your team’s capacity?

7. Timeframe and Deadline

  • Do you have enough time to prepare a strong response?
  • Do you need to pull in outside help (e.g., proposal writers, estimators), and are they available?

8. Cost of Responding

  • Will it require costly design mock-ups, travel, or document preparation?
  • Is the investment worth it for the potential return?

9. Strategic Fit

  • Does winning this contract support your growth strategy or business goals?
  • Could it lead to future work or open doors to new clients?

The Red Flags to Watch Out For

Many small businesses make the mistake of chasing every opportunity, especially when starting out. Here are a few warning signs that an opportunity might not be worth the pursuit:

  • The solicitation is vague or poorly written.
  • You’d have to significantly stretch your scope or capacity to fulfill it.
  • The client has a history of poor communication or unfair evaluations.
  • You have to rush the proposal due to short timelines.

Not bidding is a strategic move, not a missed opportunity. Saying “no” allows you to say “yes” to better-suited projects.

Real-World Scenario: A Smart No-Go

A construction company specializing in small municipal projects received a federal solicitation for a complex environmental remediation contract. The contract was outside their technical expertise, required bonding well above their limit, and demanded past performance they couldn’t demonstrate. Despite the attractive price tag, they wisely passed.

Instead, they used that time to pursue three smaller projects in their wheelhouse—winning two of them.

Lesson: Bidding on the “right” contract matters far more than chasing the biggest one.

Making the Go/No-Go Process a Habit

To improve your decision-making over time:

  • Create a standardized checklist or scoring rubric you apply to every opportunity.
  • Involve your team—bring in operations, finance, and technical leads to weigh in.
  • Track the results—after every submission, record whether you won/lost and what could have influenced the decision.

Your Go/No-Go process should evolve as your business grows. What’s a “No-Go” today could become a “Go” in six months after your team expands or you gain the right credentials.

Final Thoughts: Winning Starts With Wise Choices

Government contracting isn’t just about who has the best proposal—it’s about who chooses the best opportunities. The Go/No-Go process is your first line of defense against wasted effort and your first step toward sustainable success.

Ready to Learn More? Join Our Next Training!

If you want hands-on guidance in evaluating solicitations and preparing competitive proposals, we invite you to join one of our upcoming training sessions sponsored by the Los Angeles Small Business Development Center (LA SBDC).

Reserve Your Seat Today


Need One-on-One Help? Contact Us for Tailored Support at [email protected] or 888-774-2201

If you’re unsure how to assess opportunities or build a custom Go/No-Go decision process for your business, we’re here to help. Our team provides personalized guidance to help small businesses navigate procurement with confidence.

Contact Us for Tailored Support

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A Guide to Common Solicitation Types

3/20/2025

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Demystifying Government Solicitations: Understanding RFQs,
IFBs, RFIs, RFQuals, and RFPs

If you're preparing to enter the world of government or corporate contracting, understanding the various types of solicitations is a crucial first step. Each solicitation type has different goals, requirements, and evaluation criteria, and knowing how to approach each one can position your business for success.
​Here’s a breakdown of the most common types of solicitations that small businesses encounter, along with insights and questions to help you assess your readiness.

1. Request for Quote (RFQ)
Purpose: Price-focused procurement for clearly defined products or services.
RFQs are often straightforward. The buyer knows what they want, and your qualifications are typically evaluated through yes/no responses. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your pricing is the key factor.
Tip: Have your pricing strategy tight and competitive. Make sure you understand your cost structure and can submit quotes quickly.
Ask Yourself:
  • Do I have standard pricing prepared for my products/services?
  • Can I respond to an RFQ within tight timelines?

2. Invitation to Bid (IFB)
Purpose: Price-focused, but with more specific service or product requirements.
IFBs take things a step further. These are more detailed solicitations where qualifications must be met before pricing is evaluated. Common in construction and recurring service contracts.
Tip: Make sure your business meets every qualification listed. Even a minor omission can result in disqualification.
Ask Yourself:
  • Do I fully meet the required qualifications and certifications?
  • Can I deliver exactly what is being asked for?

3. Request for Qualifications (RFQual)
Purpose: To identify and pre-qualify a pool of vendors for future projects.
This type of RFQ is focused on qualifications only—not pricing. Agencies use it to create a bench of pre-approved vendors for indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts.  These can also be called Bench Solicitations or MATOCs (Multiple Award Task Order Contracts).
Note: Getting on the bench doesn’t guarantee work—but it opens the door.
Tip: Treat this as a visibility opportunity. Stand out with your capabilities and past performance.
Ask Yourself:
  • Is my capability statement strong and tailored?
  • Do I have a compelling resume for each team member?
  • What subcontractors can I bring in to expand my offering?
  • Do I have the past performance examples to support my qualifications?

4. Request for Information (RFI)
Purpose: Market research to inform future solicitations.
RFIs are not procurement tools but intelligence-gathering exercises. This is your chance to help shape the upcoming solicitation—by showcasing your expertise and providing insight.
Tip: Participate! Even if no contract is on the table now, your response could influence future requirements.
Ask Yourself:
  • Do I have insights or innovations to share that would benefit the agency?
  • Can I articulate those insights clearly and professionally?

​5. Request for Proposal (RFP)
Purpose: Complex procurements requiring a detailed technical solution.
RFPs are the most involved and time-consuming. They often place more weight on your technical approach, project team, and past performance than on price alone.  The solicitation is typically focused on solving a problem or achieving a goal.
Tip: Build a proposal library to speed up your response time and ensure consistency.
Ask Yourself:
  • Do I have a structured process for writing proposals?
  • Have I documented my technical processes and success stories?

Final Thoughts
Understanding the nuances between solicitation types is a key component of becoming a competitive bidder in the public or private sector. As you develop your capability to respond, start small—perhaps with RFQs or RFQuals—and build your confidence.
If you're not sure which type of solicitation best fits your business at this stage, or if you need help developing standard documents like a capability statement, pricing sheet, or past performance portfolio, we’re here to help.

​Need help preparing for solicitations?

We offer one-on-one advising, small group training, and cohort-based programs designed to get you contract-ready.
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Doing business with the City of Moreno Valley, CA

4/9/2021

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​RightSource advisers attended a recent session reviewing the purchasing process for the City of Moreno Valley, CA.  These presentations are so helpful for the small business community while helping the City achieve its objective of having a diversified pool of vendors that can compete effectively to keep the City's costs low while delivering quality products and services.   Below, I'll summarize some of the key takeaways and how they differ from other communities in California:

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NAICS, PSC, SIC, Oh My!

11/15/2020

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North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) - established by the federal government as a successor to the SIC (Standard Industry Classification) system that preceded it.  Both SIC and NAICS codes are managed by the Federal Census Bureau (more than just counting people every ten years division) and available at census.gov.  The idea of all these coding systems is to clearly classify businesses so that economic and industrial data can be compared effectively.  It doesn't make sense to compare a bakery to Google, for example, when you are assessing

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Testing for Process Points of Failure

12/9/2018

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Failure Mode and Effects Analysis As A Tool In Business Process Improvement

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis is a tool more closely related to manufacturing operations, but can be used as an incredibly helpful exercise to ensure process robustness.  It's a tool that is used in a variety of quality structures, including Six Sigma, For manufacturing, the premise is simple:  Break down every single item in a manufactured product and identify what happens if any single item fails on a scale of 1 to 5.
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    Author

    Nuha Nazy is the President and Founder of RightSource Services. Nuha is a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience building businesses that depend on talent and intellectual property development at their core. 

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