rfp-analysis

name	rfp-analysis
description	Analyze an RFP/RFQ and produce a Go/No-Go recommendation before committing to proposal writing. Use this skill when the user asks to "analyze this RFP", "should we bid on this", "案件評価", "Go/No-Go判断", "evaluate this opportunity", "RFP assessment", "is this deal worth pursuing", "案件判断", "bid/no-bid decision", or needs to assess whether an RFP is worth the effort of responding. Also trigger for "win probability", "competitive analysis for this bid", "提案可否判断", and any request to evaluate an RFP before committing resources. This skill should run BEFORE create-proposal — it's the gatekeeper that prevents wasting effort on unwinnable or unprofitable bids.
metadata	{"version":"0.1.0"}

RFP Analysis & Go/No-Go Assessment (案件評価・提案可否判断)

Analyze a customer RFP/RFQ and produce a structured Go/No-Go recommendation. This skill runs BEFORE any proposal work begins — it's the gatekeeper that saves your team from investing weeks on bids you can't or shouldn't win.

Why This Matters

In Japanese SIer consulting, proposal effort is expensive — a serious bid can consume 2-6 weeks of senior staff time. Experienced firms win 20-40% of bids they pursue. The difference between profitable and unprofitable firms is often the quality of their Go/No-Go process, not the quality of their proposals.

Workflow

Step 0: Connect to NotebookLM

The RFP must be in NotebookLM before analysis:

notebooklm list --json
notebooklm use <notebook_id>
notebooklm source list --json

Step 1: Extract Assessment Dimensions

Run these queries to build the evaluation picture:

# Deal basics
notebooklm ask "What is the project name, client name, estimated value, and submission deadline?" --json

# Scope and complexity
notebooklm ask "Summarize the overall project scope, scale, and technical complexity" --json

# Mandatory qualifications
notebooklm ask "What mandatory qualifications, certifications, past experience, or eligibility requirements does the RFP specify? List ALL must-have criteria" --json

# Evaluation criteria and weights
notebooklm ask "How will proposals be evaluated? What scoring criteria, weights, or selection process does the client describe?" --json

# Technology requirements
notebooklm ask "What specific technologies, platforms, or technical capabilities are required?" --json

# Timeline
notebooklm ask "What is the project timeline, go-live date, and any interim milestones?" --json

# Contract structure
notebooklm ask "What contract type, pricing model, payment terms, or commercial structure does the RFP specify?" --json

# Incumbent and competitive signals
notebooklm ask "Are there any references to an incumbent vendor, current system provider, or signals about competitive landscape?" --json

# Penalties and risks
notebooklm ask "What penalty clauses, liquidated damages, warranty obligations, or unusual risk terms are mentioned?" --json

Step 2: Score Each Dimension

Evaluate on a 1-5 scale across these dimensions:

A. Strategic Fit (戦略適合性)

• Does this align with our target industries and growth strategy?
• Does winning this open doors to follow-on work?
• Does the client represent a strategic account we want to develop?

B. Capability Match (技術適合性)

• Do we have the required technology expertise?
• Can we meet mandatory qualifications (certifications, past performance)?
• Do we have enough bench strength to staff this?

C. Win Probability (受注確度)

• Is there an incumbent with advantage?
• Do we have prior relationship with this client?
• Are the evaluation criteria favorable to our strengths?
• Is this a "checkbox RFP" (client already chose, just needs paperwork)?

D. Profitability (収益性)

• Is the deal size worth the proposal effort?
• Can we deliver within the client's budget at acceptable margins?
• Are the contract terms commercially reasonable?
• Are penalty/warranty clauses manageable?

E. Delivery Risk (デリバリーリスク)

• Is the timeline realistic for the scope?
• Are requirements clear enough to estimate?
• Are there integration or migration complexities?
• Are there regulatory or compliance risks?

F. Resource Availability (リソース確保)

• Can we staff key roles (PM, TL) from our current bench?
• Do we need to hire or subcontract, and can we do that in time?
• Does this conflict with other active proposals or projects?

Step 3: Produce the Assessment Sheet (案件評価シート)

Header:

Field	Value
RFP Title	[from RFP]
Client	[from RFP]
Estimated Value	[from RFP or estimated]
Submission Deadline	[from RFP]
Project Duration	[from RFP]
Assessment Date	[today]
Assessed By	[user]

Scoring Matrix:

Dimension	Score (1-5)	Weight	Weighted Score	Key Factors
Strategic Fit		15%
Capability Match		25%
Win Probability		25%
Profitability		15%
Delivery Risk		10%
Resource Availability		10%
Total		100%	X.X / 5.0

Decision Thresholds:

• ≥ 4.0: Strong GO — prioritize this bid
• 3.0 - 3.9: Conditional GO — proceed if specific conditions are met (list them)
• 2.0 - 2.9: Likely NO-GO — proceed only with executive sponsor approval
• < 2.0: Definite NO-GO — decline politely

Qualification Checklist (必須要件チェック):

Mandatory Requirement	We Meet It?	Evidence / Gap

If ANY mandatory requirement is unmet with no workaround, the recommendation is automatic NO-GO regardless of score.

Step 4: Risk and Opportunity Analysis

Top Risks (if we bid):

Risk	Impact	Mitigation Possible?

Top Opportunities (if we win):

Opportunity	Value	Probability

Red Flags (deal-breakers to watch for):

• Unrealistic timeline relative to scope
• Budget that can't cover the required team
• Penalty clauses with uncapped liability
• "Wired" RFP signals (evaluation criteria perfectly matching one vendor)
• Client history of late payments or difficult relationships

Step 5: Recommendation

Produce a clear recommendation:

GO — with estimated proposal effort and key staffing needs for the bid team CONDITIONAL GO — with specific conditions that must be resolved before committing NO-GO — with a polite decline message template

If GO, estimate the proposal effort:

Activity	Who	Days
RFP analysis (done)
Solution design	TL/Architect
Estimation	PM/TL
Proposal writing	PM/BA
Review & polish	Management
Presentation prep	PM/Sales
Total proposal cost

Step 6: Output

Generate as a .docx document (using the docx skill) for circulation to the Go/No-Go decision meeting. This is an internal document — it should be frank and direct, not client-facing.

Key Principles

• Be brutally honest: This document protects the company from bad bids. Optimism here costs real money downstream.
• Mandatory requirements are binary: You either meet them or you don't. "We can probably get that certification in time" is not meeting the requirement.
• Consider the opportunity cost: Every bid you pursue is time NOT spent on other opportunities.
• Factor in proposal fatigue: If your team is already writing 3 proposals, a 4th one will suffer in quality.
• Incumbents win ~60% of rebids: If there's an incumbent and you're the challenger, your win probability starts low.

For the Go/No-Go scoring template, read references/scoring-template.md.