Expert Tips For Writing RFPs
Because we have recently highlighted the importance of quality Requests for Proposals (RFP), we decided to hear what others have experienced when sharing or responding to RFPs and how we can learn from their experience. These three leaders offer insights into the good, bad, and ugly of RFPs and how they respond to this. RFPs play an important role in setting up and directing your nonprofit strategy because they are the starting point for many big projects that support your organization such as fundraising, business, and strategic planning projects. We have included these responses in their entirety and we offer our own thoughts after looking at each one. Let’s see what they had to say...
The first response we will look at comes from Wendi Jacobs, Marketing Manager at Acer Exhibits & Events. First, we feature her full response, and then we will take a look at the best insights we learned from it...
“I have been on both sides of the RFP – I worked in services procurement for a global corporation and now work in an agency where I respond to RFPs. When looking for creative services of any kind, the number one secret to success for issuing an RFP is to make it a two-way street. The more the agency understands your organization, the better they can respond. Let the agency learn a little about your firm, your brand proposition, what you’re currently doing, what’s worked in the past, pain points with your current approach, target markets/personas, a mood board, competitive insights, branding guide, current initiatives, project objectives and of course key metrics you measure for success. In this way, the agency can tailor the response to your specific needs to create a robust solution and get you information and services that really matter to your firm.
Some of this detail is missing in a lot of RFPs that would really help the agency highlight their capabilities in the areas most essential to your business.
In terms of the worst RFPs to respond to, there are two primary culprits: those which contain limited-response excel forms only, and those run by off-shore outsourced procurement houses. The two are not mutually exclusive. We had one nightmare situation where the external procurement agency for a potential client required the “average cost for shipping an exhibit in the US” – when exhibits can range from one crate to three truckloads, and then shipping rates vary dramatically based on origin and destination locations in a very large country. The only response option was a single numerical value in a single cell, with no details around the shipment. We were literally forced to put a number in a box and there was no means to explain the basis behind it. Of course, all of the other respondents had the same problem we did and the potential client had no basis for comparison between responses. Beyond this, the procurement house had a very strict policy for questions, where they would accept and answer questions only at prescribed intervals. They ended up adding weeks to their own process while they worked through the rigid timeline to get all of the questions answered. Since the external procurement team had no knowledge of the potential client’s branding platform and clearly had no understanding of the industry in which they had issued an RFP, they wasted countless hours of their own time and the time of responding agencies.”
This is a comprehensive response to the successful and unsuccessful aspects of RFPs as seen firsthand. The idea of looking at RFPs as a two-way street is a critical insight. Just as you want a quality vendor, the applicants are looking for RFPs that won’t give them a massive headache. Furthermore, the more informative and clear an RFP is, the better responses you can get. This all adds up to an easier and more efficient review process in which you can more easily select a quality candidate. As for the ugly side of RFPs, it is very much a different side of the same coin. When RFPs are not built for ease of use and information sharing, vendors struggle to represent themselves clearly and authentically, leading to spotty responses and likely an uninformed review of responses. These are great insights that can be reworked into helpful tips to guide your RFP writing process.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our next insightful response comes from Hilda Wong, Founder at Content Dog, who offered succinct responses to our three questions. Content Dog is a firm focused on quality content development and offers insightful advice on the content development aspect of RFPs.
What are the secrets to writing a good Request for Proposal?
“If you wish to write a good request for a proposal, then create a library of standard questions, sections, and templates in your request so that it seems like your request is organized. Your RFP should include the background and introduction of your company too.”
This ties into something we have said in previous blogs as well. Organization and clarity are key because vendors are assessing you as much as you are assessing them. A messy RFP may turn away quality vendors. More so, it could leave them confused and improperly respond or be unprepared if selected for the contract. A great point to remember.
What do you typically see missing in a Request for Proposal that should be in it?
“Sometimes an RFP does not include the timeline of work. And it is essential to mention the timeline in the RFP so that the other person is clear on all details. It makes it easy for them to accept or reject the proposal.”
Like we said above, confused vendors will only waste your time and theirs. A clear timeline makes it very easy for vendors to look at your RFP and make a decision about their eligibility. Vendors are busy and seeing the timeline allows them to make an informed decision about adding their project to their workload.
What do you typically see in a Request For Proposal that makes you cringe?
“A bad RFP is usually identified by the following things- missing out on the basic information like instructions, evaluation criteria, or instructions on how the proposal is to be formatted or organized, etc.”
This is spot on. Missing instructions and the specific merits on which your proposal will be evaluated will lead to less informative responses and a more difficult review/selection process. When vendors have these tools and guidance at their disposal, they can put their best foot forwards and display their skills, insights, and experiences for you to make an informed decision and drive your organization forward with this project.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our final response comes from Zachary Colman, CEO of Creatitive. This response echoes the thoughts of our previous responses as well as the ideas we highlighted in our RFP creation guides. Let’s take a look at this response...
“Include a detailed scope of work, outline the timeline for the project & any deliverables or milestones. Specify your budget and what services you're seeking to have the contractor perform? Provide specific instructions like where sensitive data should be stored (consider email, cloud storage, etc) if applicable. And lastly, ask them to submit in one document their company bio/statement of work history along with samples of previous work.”
This response hits on a key feature of quality RFPs, details. Details of what is expected of vendors are key so that they can respond in relation to those key deliverables, budget amounts, and even specific instructions related to your project such as sensitive data storage. Informing vendors of specifics that your organization will expect is key. Don’t wait to tell them this information until they are hired. Surprises are not a good thing in the world of RFPs. Being upfront and specific will allow responses to be tailored to your situation and for the selected proposal to be prepared for their starting day.
RFPs can seem daunting, subjective, or easy. It depends on your experience and confidence with crafting RFPs, but we believe that regardless of this, common features can boost the quality of your RFP. The tips in this blog as well as our guide to writing a strategic plan RFP will help you check the boxes on creating an RFP that attracts the best vendors for your needs and helps those applicants give you the best quality work they possibly can.
We have helped nonprofits will many projects and creative solutions. Whether it is leadership development, interim leadership, strategic planning, or other project needs, we have the insights and experience to guide your organization through whatever issue it’s facing. Reach out to us today for a consultation on your project needs.
