September 2015: It’s OK to No-Bid After FRFP Release, Really…
In every gate process multiple chances arise to decide whether to proceed with capture/proposal development. And, as time goes on, the decision to no-bid usually becomes less likely, especially in the time period following FRFP release. While infrequent, as an outside consultant I do recommend no-bid when the situation warrants. Several of these conditions existing together should oblige serious consideration of no-bid late in the process:
Immature capture (i.e. why we win and strengths not known or clearly articulated)
Scarce or incorrect proposal resources
Too little time (started late, or way behind schedule); proposal products too immature
Very low expected Pwin
Proposal manager assessment and recommendation
Even having all of these conditions in a pursuit, I’ve seen leadership proceed with proposal development and delivery. Reasons (articulated or not) have included:
A belief that the customer expects us to “put our hat into the ring”
Someone in the chain of command has committed (no matter what…)
There is too much invested to stop now
With the as-expected results (i.e. poor evaluation and elimination/loss), the unstated downside is the likelihood of damage to the customer relationship by knowingly delivering a less than stellar product. In the customer’s shoes, would you rather have received a polite no-bid communication or speculate (negatively) why a bidder did not put their best foot forward for you? I think we all know the answer. Black Dog Technology LLC's innovative processes and Proposal Navigator® tool efficiencies add productive work days to your constrained proposal development timelines. Contact us for your capture/proposal support needs or to arrange your Proposal Navigator® system capability demonstration. 2015 pricing is $25,000 annual subscription (unlimited use) per proposal center site.
The Proposal Team's Mission
Synthesize and package the capture team’s vision into a compliant, convincing and compelling offering whose selection can be successfully defended ... without breaking the pursuit budget “bank”...