7-Minute Go/No-Go Check

Use this working rubric to identify obvious fit, capacity, and compliance questions before investing significant effort. The seven-minute limit is a heuristic, not a benchmark. It does not replace a complete review of the solicitation, eligibility rules, contract terms, budget, or delivery risk.

Instructions

For each criterion, mark Go, No-Go, or Unresolved and record the source supporting the answer. Count the ratings at the end, but treat a confirmed hard eligibility failure as a no-go regardless of the score.

---

1. Funder Alignment (2 minutes)

Questions to Consider:

• Does the funder’s mission align with your work?
• Are their stated priorities a match for your programs?
• Have they funded similar organizations or projects?

Decision: ☐ Go ☐ No-Go ☐ Unresolved

Source / Notes:

---

2. Eligibility (1 minute)

Questions to Consider:

• Do you meet all stated eligibility requirements?
• Are there geographic, organizational, or programmatic restrictions?
• Is your organization type eligible?

Decision: ☐ Go ☐ No-Go ☐ Unresolved

Source / Notes:

---

3. Capacity & Timeline (2 minutes)

Questions to Consider:

• Can you realistically meet the deadline?
• Do you have the internal capacity to gather materials and provide inputs?
• Is the timeline compatible with your other priorities?

Decision: ☐ Go ☐ No-Go ☐ Unresolved

Source / Notes:

---

4. Request Amount & Match (1 minute)

Questions to Consider:

• Is the request amount appropriate for your organization size?
• Can you meet any match requirements (cash or in-kind)?
• Is the funding level worth the effort?
• Are delivery cost, payment timing, and match obligations feasible?

Decision: ☐ Go ☐ No-Go ☐ Unresolved

Source / Notes:

---

5. Competition & Reason to Pursue (1 minute)

Questions to Consider:

• How competitive is this opportunity likely to be?
• What relevant evidence, relationship, experience, or local position supports a credible pursuit?
• Can the team explain why this opportunity merits effort without inventing a precise probability?

Decision: ☐ Go ☐ No-Go ☐ Unresolved

Source / Notes:

---

Final Decision

Count your scores:

• Go: _____
• No-Go: _____
• Unresolved: _____
• Mandatory No-Go: ☐ No ☐ Yes

Decision Rule

• 4–5 Go, no mandatory No-Go, no critical unknown: Advance to full qualification
• 3 Go or a critical unknown: Hold; assign an evidence owner and decision date
• 0–2 Go or any hard eligibility failure: No-Go

---

Next Steps

If Go:

• Read the full solicitation and amendments
• Build the compliance and input matrix
• Confirm decision-maker, owner, budget path, and timeline
• Document assumptions, exclusions, and the next decision gate

If Unresolved:

• Name the missing evidence
• Assign an owner and source
• Set a decision date before the pursuit becomes urgent
• Keep the opportunity out of committed forecasts until qualified

If No-Go:

• Document decision and reasoning
• Remove from active consideration
• Focus on better-qualified opportunities

---

This working rubric is part of the Wellridge Group resource library at wellridgegroup.com/resources. Adapt it to your governing requirements and accountable human review.