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Sample bid or no-bid memo

SAMPLE MEMO. This complete sample was created by Winwright Partners for a fictional solicitation and a fictional bidder, to show the format, the scoring and the reasoning inside a real bid or no-bid memo. It is not a client deliverable. No client, agency or contract described here is real.

Winwright Partners, Capture and Proposal Desk

Bid or no-bid memorandum

SAMPLE
ToOperations Manager, BrightNest Commercial Cleaning LLC (fictional bidder)
FromCapture and Proposal Desk, Winwright Partners
DateOctober 14, 2026 (sample date)
SubjectJanitorial services, RFP 26-114 (fictional)
RecommendationBID, with the four conditions in section 6

1. Summary

Recommendation: bid. In this sample, the fictional bidder can meet every mandatory requirement in RFP 26-114, the scope matches the kind of work the sample record describes, and the submission window fits the full 10 business day process with both review stages. The recommendation is not unconditional: the past performance record is thinner than the evaluation criteria reward, and the price position must be confirmed before kickoff. Section 6 lists the four conditions.

2. What is being bought

The fictional agency is buying nightly janitorial services for six municipal buildings, on a three year base term with two one year options. The solicitation asks for a staffing plan with a named supervisor, a facility by facility cleaning schedule, quality control inspections with monthly scoring, and a price schedule in the agency format at Attachment 4. Proposals are due 15 business days after the sample date, submitted as three volumes through the agency portal.

3. Eligibility and compliance gates

Active registration in the agency portal, stated as current in the sample factsPass
Insurance at the limits in Section 5.1: the certificate must be reissued naming the agencyWatch
Signed certification forms A to C at Attachment 2, complete in the sample filePass
Named supervisor with a named backup: the backup has not yet confirmed availabilityWatch
Page limits, font and file format rules in Section 3.3: the draft plan fits with room to sparePass

4. Fit scoring

Eligibility: registration current, one insurance watch item4 of 5
Capability fit: the service model matches the scope as written4 of 5
Past performance match: relevant summaries exist, at smaller scale than the fictional buildings3 of 5
Competitive position: the incumbent is not named in the sample record, and the field is expected to be competitive3 of 5
Price position: a credible price is possible, and the margin depends on supervisor coverage3 of 5
Time available: 15 business days, so the full process and both review stages fit5 of 5
Total22 of 30

The sample threshold for a bid recommendation is 18 of 30 with no failed gate. This fictional opportunity clears the threshold, and both watch items are curable before kickoff, which is why the recommendation is bid with conditions rather than bid outright.

5. Risks, and how they are handled

  • Incumbent advantage: the sample record does not name an incumbent. The draft is written to the published evaluation criteria, not against a guessed competitor.
  • Supervisor dependency: the staffing plan rests on one named supervisor. Condition 2 in section 6 requires a confirmed backup before kickoff.
  • Price pressure: a blended rate would hide the cost of the largest building. The price schedule is built facility by facility from Attachment 1.
  • Amendment risk: two amendments are already part of the sample record. The amendment log is checked again on Day 8, before the compliance review closes.

6. Conditions before kickoff

  • The reissued insurance certificate, naming the agency, is received before the engagement letter is signed.
  • The backup supervisor confirms availability in writing.
  • Two of the three references in the sample record confirm they will respond if the agency makes contact.
  • Final price inputs are delivered by Day 3, so the price volume is drafted with the narrative, not after it.

7. Recommendation and next steps

Bid, subject to the four conditions above. If the conditions are met, kickoff is Day 1: the full solicitation is scanned, the compliance matrix is built by Day 3 (the companion sample matrix shows the format), drafting runs to Day 7, the two stage review closes on Day 9, and the package is submitted on Day 10. This memo is the free step. Proposal work starts only on a signed engagement letter at the published fee, and if any condition fails, this recommendation converts to no bid and no fee is taken.

End of sample memo. The bidder, the agency, the solicitation, the dates and every fact in this memo are fictional, written for this sample. A live memo is written from the client's real solicitation and verified facts, and it carries no sample label.