Why We Ask 3 Questions Before Bidding

With AI, we can write a full RFP response in a few hours instead of a week. That's a genuine improvement.

But speed doesn't improve win probability. If there's a mandatory certification we don't have, a local incumbent with a 10-year relationship, or a buyer who's clearly going to pick an off-the-shelf tool — a polished 3-hour proposal is still 3 hours wasted. Plus the distraction, the opportunity cost, and another demoralising rejection.

Why we bid

We bid for one of two reasons, and it matters which one it is:

1. To win — we have a credible path to winning and want the contract.

2. To be known — we don't have high chances of winning this one, but this is a buyer or market we want on our radar and we want them to know Datopian exists. This is a legitimate reason to bid, especially for open data portal procurements in markets we're actively building presence in.

The reason changes how much effort is appropriate. A win bid justifies a few hours of focused work. A presence bid should be low-effort by design — 30–60 minutes, AI-generated base, minimal customisation. If we're bidding for presence, that should be explicit and agreed upfront, not something we discover after spending 3 hours on a proposal.

So before we commit to bidding, we answer three questions.

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The 3 Questions

1. Win thesis — why would they actually choose us?

One or two sentences. If it's vague, that's a signal.

• Weak: "We're good at data portals."
• Strong: "They're migrating from Socrata and we've done four of those, including one in the same sector."

2. Red blockers — anything that disqualifies us regardless of quality?

Think: mandatory certifications we don't have, a stated budget that doesn't cover our floor, a requirement for in-person delivery we can't meet, an incumbent with a decade-long relationship. If the answer is yes and there's no clear mitigation, the default is no-bid.

3. Proof — do we have a specific, relevant example?

Not "we've done something similar." Name the project. If the answer is "sort of" or "we'll find something", that's a gap that will show up in the scoring.

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Where This Lives

The three questions are now part of the RFP issue template in datopian/sales. Fill them in on the issue before any writing starts. The decision — Bid / No bid / Partner first / Low-effort — lives there too.

What This Is Not

This is not an approval process. It's 15–30 minutes of honest thinking before we spend 3 hours generating something with no real chance of winning.