Bid Analysis is where you decide whether an opportunity is worth bidding for. It lets you evaluate every dimension of a tender — client, market, delivery capability, commercial viability — before committing resources.
The defining feature is that you configure your own go/no-go criteria directly in the platform. Rather than working through a fixed checklist, you build decision boards that mirror how your organisation actually makes these calls, and reuse them across future opportunities.
Where to find it
In the left-hand sidebar, click Bid Analysis.
Viewing your opportunities
Opportunities can be viewed two ways, in the same manner as Projects.
Table view | A structured list. Best for scanning and sorting a large number of opportunities. |
Board view | Cards grouped into columns. Best for seeing where opportunities sit at a glance. |
Filtering and ordering
You can filter and order opportunities by:
Deadlines
Opportunities
Name
Client
Contract value
Analysis steps
Order ascending or descending in either view. Sorting by deadline is the fastest way to see which decisions cannot wait.
How a go/no-go decision works
The process runs in four steps:
1. Create the opportunity | Name it, add the client, and upload the tender documents. |
2. Build an analysis board | From scratch, from a saved template, or by having BidBot build it from your existing criteria. |
3. Analyse | Work through the board, using BidBot to interrogate the tender pack. |
4. Decide | Mark the opportunity Go or No-Go. |
The components you build with
Boards are assembled from components. You choose which to use and how to arrange them, so a board can be as bespoke as your decision process requires.
Notes and text | Free-form notes and text. |
Charts | Pie, line, trend, part-to-whole and ranking charts. |
Tables and frameworks | Scorecards, criteria matrices, milestone timelines and risk registers. |
Narrative | Narrative, executive narrative, and evidence and rationale. |
You can configure any component or decision criterion you want. BidBot builds these for you on request — see BidBot in Bid Analysis.
What to put on a board
Because boards are fully custom, the useful question is not what components exist but what your decision actually needs to weigh. Most organisations cover some combination of the following.
Strategic evaluation
Evaluation criteria and how the bid will be judged
Key points, risks and opportunities
Blind spots — critical information that is missing or unknown, such as an undisclosed budget or absent evaluation criteria
SWOT assessment
Time remaining until the submission deadline
Contract information
Commissioning authority — who is issuing the tender, and what that means for reputation, payment history and relationship value
Contract name and how it aligns with your strategy
Summary of the scope of works or specification — scope, deliverables, service levels and constraints
Contract duration, supporting resourcing and cash flow planning
Submission date
Submission requirements
Word, page and character counts and limits
Format requirements — PDF, DOCX, or an online portal
Required appendices and supporting documents, such as CVs, case studies, financials and references
Evaluation criteria
Award criteria, such as the price-to-quality weighting
Evaluation process and scoring methodology
Scored weightings per criterion, guiding where to focus effort
Commercial terms
Number of providers — single or multi-supplier award, and what that means for win probability
Lots, and price per lot
Performance and service levels — KPIs, uptime, reporting frequency
Margin and profitability scenarios
Total and annualised contract value
Risk and compliance
Killer questions — the binary mandatory requirements that rule you out if unmet
Required accreditations and qualifications
TUPE obligations affecting workforce planning and cost modelling
The killer-question checklist is worth building first on any board. A single unmet mandatory requirement ends the decision, and finding that out early saves the rest of the analysis.
Getting set up
If you are onboarding and want help configuring your first boards around your existing decision criteria, contact your support manager or email [email protected].
Related articles
Creating and managing opportunities — creating opportunities, uploading tender documents, sharing and exporting boards.
BidBot in Bid Analysis — having BidBot build your board from your own criteria.
Saving and reusing analysis templates — making a board repeatable.
Making the Go/No-Go Decision — recording the decision and what happens next.