Bid/No-Bid Scoring Matrix

The four categories and their weights — Scope Clarity 35%, Budget Alignment 30%, Timeline Pressure 20%, Stakeholder Position 15% — mirror the same four-vector qualification framework used throughout Pre-Sales OS. Scope clarity and budget alignment carry the most weight because they're the two factors most correlated with scope creep and non-payment; timeline and stakeholder position matter but are secondary risk multipliers, not primary ones.

Pick the option that best matches what the client has actually told you, not what you assume. If a client hasn't given a budget number despite being asked, that's a real answer — score it low (1-2) rather than skipping it. The tool needs all four categories answered to compute a final score; the running estimate you see while answering assumes a neutral midpoint for any category you haven't reached yet.

No — this is a simplified, standalone version of the same four-vector framework. The full product reads your actual client brief with AI, detects hidden assumptions and scope traps in the text itself, and produces a pricing range and tailored discovery questions alongside the risk verdict. This tool asks you to self-score against fixed criteria; it's meant to be a fast gut-check, not a replacement for a full brief analysis.

Most real client conversations land in the middle — some clarity, some gaps — which is exactly what the 40-70 score band captures. "Bid Carefully" isn't a hedge; it's a specific recommendation to narrow scope, require a deposit, or ask pointed clarifying questions on the weakest-scoring category before you quote, rather than declining or pricing blind.

Yes — it's free, has no signup requirement to try, and takes under a minute per project. Many freelancers and agencies run it as a standing filter before writing any proposal, the same way they'd run a quick gut-check today, just made explicit and consistent.