What does the "perfect RFP" look like?

The answer varies widely depending on several factors including: the product or service being sought, the companies or industries receiving the RFP, and on the individual organization’s relative experience.

However, to determine what perfect RFP should look like for your organization, there must be an understanding the following:
The core components normally included in any well written RFP
The minimum required information needed from the customer allowing you to develop the best possible response

While the core components comprising an RFP should be consistent, and will be more fully explored below, the minimum required information contained in each component of the RFP can vary significantly. First, lets looks the components of a good RFP.
 

Core Components of an RFP
Major Component Description
Executive summary One to two pages (maximum). Provides a high-level description of the organization, the project, timelines, and goals. This section answers the question of why this effort is being undertaken.

 

Major Component Description
Instructions to vendors Presents expectations as to how the vendor is to respond to the RFP. These expectations include:

  • Timelines and planned events concerning the RFP presentation and proposal response
  • How and to whom to send the response
  • Recommended or required content and its format
  • Evaluation criteria that will be applied to the responses
Client information/ contacts Provides a high-level description of contacts to use during the proposal development phase. Also define any special communications policies between the organization team and the vendor.
Mission statement Defines the business need, scope, and objectives to potential vendors. It helps vendors understand not only what you want to accomplish but why.
The section guides you to:

  • Clearly set forth the business need or problem to be addressed (not necessarily the solution), which will become the foundation for developing an ROI model
  • Provides the business process that is being addressed
  • States the desirable project outcome and sets direction
< font color="#808080">Project description/ definition  
Business requirements  
Initial statement of work or scope  
Technical requirements Helps the vendor to understand technical issues which:

  • Define the equipment that must be used to develop and deploy any Internet product so as to complement any current configuration. At the very least, there should be no conflicts with the current configuration.
  • Define if there is an existing database that needs to be supported or will be impacted by the Internet project
  • Ask if a new database needs to be developed with an API interface to exchange data for synchronization
  • Define software compatibility issues or policies
  • List any hosting arrangements or policies to be made
  • Define any security requirements
Vendor questions Lists all questions that will provide clarification or general information not provided above to your team.
Project deliverables Lists of all potential project deliverables.

Critical success factors, project assumptions risk, and mitigation strategy

 Sets out conditions and specific descriptions to ensure understanding when working with the vendors.
Pricing instructions Provides instructions as to how pricing information is to be provided.
Terms and conditions Provides protection and sets out guidelines to conduct business with vendors.
Reed, Mitch. 2003. Developing Successful Internet Request for Proposals. Bloomington, IN: 1stBooks

Minimum Required Information

To truly determine the makeup of the perfect RFP for your organization, determine and define exactly what is the minimum required information needed from your customers to allow you to properly develop a proposal.

This can in part be accomplished by answering the following questions about your products or services:

  1. What business requirement or business problem is solved when your customers uses your product or service?
  2. What business processes are directly or indirectly impacted? How?
  3. What data transactions may be required? How will these transactions be process, how often, and by whom?
  4. What are the operational requirements?
    Facilities (location, size, layout, …)
    Employees (users, shifts, roles)
    Operating times (hours, Saturday, Sunday, or holidays)
  5. What are the technology requirements if any? Will your system need to interface with an existing legacy system?
  6. What other specific data points are needed by you to develop the best possible solution or price?
  7. What are the reporting requirements?

These are just a few basic questions.

Remember, not only do you need to know the minimum information needed to develop a proper RFP response; you need to understand who within your organization needs this information and how the information, or lack thereof, impacts their decisions.

By understand the core components of a well-written RFP combined with the knowledge of the minimum information to develop a sound proposal, you are well on your way to being able to work with customers helping them to develop the perfect RFP.