RFP’s can be lengthy and sometimes confusing documents.

The following Top 10 Rules are intended to assist in understanding RFP fundamentals, so as to increase your probability to succeed, and, even more critically, avoid disqualification.

A Request for Proposal (RFP) is simply a formal document which fundamentally asks, “Explain to me how you will provide me with a good and/or service, and at what price”.

Typically, the RFP is seeking information from Respondents (those who provide proposals in response to an RFP, sometimes also called Proponents) which communicate the following:
(1)  I will meet the MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS  to provide the goods and/or services desired;

(2)  I am the BEST person/company to provide the goods/services for the BEST VALUE (Price),   (EVALUATE MY RESPONSE).

(3)  If you determine that I’ll meet the MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS, and I’m EVALUATED as the BEST respondent, I’m willing to enter into a CONTRACT with you, (most often to be substantially similar to the one attached to the RFP.)

Both the issuer of the RFP, and the Respondent, must follow a formal PROCESS, described in the RFP document, in order for the RFP response to be evaluated.
Organized into the 3 areas above, (MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS, EVALUATE, CONTRACT) plus the 4th, PROCESS, the following top 10 rules will substantially increase your probability of success. Let’s begin with PROCESS.

PROCESS

1. Read the PROCESS section(s) of the RFP FIRST and follow the process precisely. Sweat the Small Stuff: note and meet deadlines precisely, ask clarification questions by the indicated timelines, prepare your response in the format requested, answer all questions, and ensure authorized signatures are provided.

2. Part of the process often has a timeline for asking clarification questions: This is the time to in particular seek any clarification on “musts” or “mandatory requirements” – are these truly mandatory?

3. If there is a bidder’s meeting where questions are being asked, consider going to it to learn more about key issues and questions, and who your competitors might be. At a minimum, be sure to review Q’s and A’s from the meeting, which will more than likely be sent out to all respondents.

4. Once you have completed your response, check to see that your response is complete, and accurate.  It is not uncommon for responses to be disqualified because the response did not have an authorized signature, or because an Appendix (like the Price Table) was omitted when sending the response, or where other requested information was simply missing. If the response is being submitted electronically, follow up to ensure it was received.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS  – Can I meet the Mandatory Requirements?

5. Next, read the RFP and note all areas where the word must is indicated, and/or where the RFP states that there are mandatory requirements.  If you do not communicate back that you can meet all mandatory requirements and/or deliver on the musts, your submission will be disqualified – no matter how strong you think the rest of your response is.  Not sure if a requirement is really mandatory? See 2. above, be sure to ask before the clarification question deadline.

EVALUATE- How can I communicate that I’m BEST?

6. Do some research on the organization that prepared the RFP. What are their overall business problems/issues? What are the values/ethics of the organization? Who is on their Board of Directors? If possible, determine who will be evaluating the responses? What do you know about the incumbent supplier and their strengths and weaknesses?

7. Draft your proposal response:

• In the format requested;
• Answer all questions precisely;
• Be sure to address open ended questions, such as “your response should……”.

Your response should at the same time incorporate what you learned from step 6, above, and should be written so that it “hangs together “ –  as an overall proposal to address the “big picture” overall business needs.

8. How much should I write?

• Consider mark weighting carefully – you want to provide greater content length and breadth in areas where you can score the most marks, and taking into consideration 6. above;
• Be careful to include in your proposal the overall answer to the question, “how am I going to fulfill your needs”?
• Provide detail only in areas that are marked highest, and where detail is needed as evidence of a feature or capability. Consider using appendices for details.
• Focus on what’s important – you don’t want to put evaluators, who are reading multiple responses, asleep! Not helpful to include reams of general promotional material, for example, if it doesn’t relate to questions asked or to the overall product or service required.

9. Your Price bid should be:

• Competitive, based on your knowledge of the marketplace.
• Provide Value for Money and be realistic – consider the quality of your goods and services, and the weighting of Price in the RFP.
• Sustainable for you, based on your internal cost and margin characteristics;
• Firm, unless otherwise stated in the RFP, you likely will not be able to renegotiate it during contract finalization.

CONTRACT

10. Read the sample contract attached to the RFP and note any language stating “must” or “mandatory”, then refer back to 2. and 5. above to clarify. Overall, once this step is completed, you should be generally comfortable with negotiating a contract substantially similar to that attached to the RFP.

About the Author
Joseph Manner, now principal at JDManner Consulting, has over 15 years of experience in both drafting RFP’s,  and in evaluating RFP responses, from his experience as Director, Store Network Planning at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), and as the Manager, Alternative Service Delivery and Procurement, with the ServiceOntario Project, Government of Ontario. Joe can be reached at [email protected].