A/E/C firms face a broad variety of risks in their day-to-day business operations. Some of these risks involve manpower and/or financial resources wasted or opportunities missed through poor project pursuit decisions.
When firms pursue projects for which they are not strongly qualified, they commit manhours and other resources to pursuits they will most probably lose, jeopardize winnable opportunities by withholding needed resources, and risk burn-out of valuable, experienced marketing staff.
Ultimately, there are many bad reasons to say “yes,” just as there are good reasons to say “no.” In order for a firm to succeed, they must have a process that gets them through the minefield of the "Go/No Go" decision without being controlled by the most senior person’s ego, the loudest voice at the table, or the highest ranking title in the room.
My best understanding is that the “Go/No Go” evaluation is a way to help decision-makers say “no” when “no” is the correct answer, and to ensure that no opportunity is missed through a lack of proper consideration. A “Go/No Go” process that yields a "no go" decision will probably be a losing effort; a process that yields a “Go” decision is much more likely to be successful.
But how do we know? how do we decide?
Here are some points to consider:
- If the RFQ/RFP asks for a huge amount of information and only gives you 7-10 days to assemble that information, the project is probably "wired" for another firm.
- If the RFQ/RFP asks for a huge amount of information (maybe even asking for the same information more than once) and has page limitations, the project is probably "wired" for another firm.
- If the RFQ/RFP asks for a very specific set of firm and individual registrations, licenses and certifications, the project is probably "wired" for some other firm.
- If a client asks you to submit an SOQ or proposal and the RFQ/RFP doesn't seem to call for your firm's specific qualifications, perhaps the client has pre-selected a firm but needs two others to submit in order to legitimize their selection process.
- If your firm doesn't have a credential specifically enumerated in the RFQ/RFP, great pictures of great projects will not be sufficient to cover up this lack.
- If your firm doesn't have a viable project manager, the right staff with the right experience, or the right kinds of projects in your portfolio, this pursuit is probably a waste of resources, unless you have been marketing the owner seriously (multiple visits over a period of at least six months).
In preparing the "Go/No Go" evaluation, you must be brutally honest, and you must accept the final result of the evaluation. If the result is "No go," and you decide to submit anyway, you will not only waste the time you spend preparing a submittal, but you will have wasted the time you spent doing the evaluation in the first place!
One of the most important ways to maximize Return on Investment (ROI) for your marketing efforts is to make sure those efforts have the strongest possible chance of bearing fruit before you commit and expend firm resources. A strong "Go/No Go" process goes a long way toward maximizing ROI.