GO
Strong fit, real proof, workable deadline, manageable risk, and a clear reason the buyer should believe you.
Free GovCon Tool
Bid / No-Bid Scorecard
Before you lose a week chasing a bad-fit solicitation, score the opportunity like a disciplined GovCon adviser. This tool gives you a practical GO, TEAM, PASS, NOGO, or PENDING starting point.
Scorecard Output
Fill in the inputs and click Score Opportunity. Your bid/no-bid scorecard will appear here.
This is a first-pass score. Upload the solicitation into Marcus for evidence-gated review before making a real pursuit decision.
TEAM
The opportunity is attractive, but you need a partner for past performance, staffing, geography, or scope.
PASS
The work, timing, proof, pricing, or competition does not justify the effort right now.
Evidence first
Score the opportunity only after you have the notice, deadline, scope, NAICS, set-aside, attachments, and company proof in front of you.
Use PENDING
If critical facts are missing, the right answer is PENDING. Collect the documents, ask questions, or find a partner before deciding.
Connect the workflow
Pair this scorecard with the SAM.gov search plan builder and teaming scorecard.
Do not score hope
Score evidence. A business may want the contract, but the scorecard should reflect actual capability, deadline, compliance burden, price risk, and buyer fit.
Use TEAM as a real option
TEAM is not a failure. It means the opportunity may be worth pursuing only if a partner fills a clear gap in capacity, past performance, location, or technical scope.
Keep a decision record
Save the output so you can compare later wins, losses, and passes. Over time, disciplined bid decisions become a stronger pipeline because you can see which assumptions were accurate and which ones cost time.
Ask Marcus to challenge you
After scoring, ask Marcus what you are being too optimistic about. A useful review should identify weak evidence, missing attachments, unrealistic pricing assumptions, and deadline risk.
Move from score to action
A score is only useful if it produces a next step. That step may be collecting documents, asking the contracting officer a question, finding a teaming partner, or passing cleanly.
Use it before proposals
Do this before writing. The scorecard protects proposal time by forcing the hard decision before momentum and sunk cost make a bad bid feel inevitable. That discipline is one of the fastest ways to improve capture quality.
GovScout field note: bid discipline is a margin strategy
A bad bid does not only waste proposal hours. It also trains the team to ignore evidence. Use the scorecard to protect focus, preserve margin, and keep the pipeline honest.
| Score pattern | Likely meaning | Best next action |
|---|---|---|
| High fit, weak proof | The work matches but the evaluator may not believe you yet | TEAM or build a proof packet before bidding |
| Strong proof, bad deadline | You can perform, but compliance risk is high | Ask for clarifications or pass cleanly |
| Good set-aside, weak scope fit | Certification helps, but does not create capability | PASS or find a partner with real delivery proof |
| Moderate score, clear partner gap | The opportunity may be real if the missing piece is specific | TEAM with a named gap and outreach target |