preview

The Request For Proposal Process

Better Essays

Cynthia Holden
IS 578 The Request for Proposal Process
Enterprises seeking a consulting firm or product vendor for management, strategy, outsourcing, software implementation, change management, or a host of other reasons issue a request for proposal (RFP) to elicit bids for services or products from vendors in the form of a responding proposal. The RFP process is a means of bringing structure and transparency to the procurement decision and the process allows both the client and potential vendors to vet each other to determine if they are suitable business partners. Before an organization issues the formal RFP to potential vendors, the organization completes several steps.
Steps to the Formal RFP One of the most imperative steps …show more content…

And the weight they will assign to each of the criteria.
Drafting and Publishing the RFP Documenting the requirements for the engagement is essential, however the requirements need not be exhaustive as to limit the creativity of the respondents. The RFP team needs to take care that the RFP does not include the solution to the issue. In doing so, the team is essentially saying to the respondents, “We know what is best.” Consequently, some firms may conclude that the potential client is difficult to work with and not worth the effort of responding to the RFP. This limits the pool of respondents and the client may miss an opportunity to collaborate with a consulting firm or product vendor whose ideas and or products are beneficial to their organization’s project success. Requirements are just a portion of the RFP, it should also include, organizational background, short project description and project objectives: In my experience this is often the lengthiest section of the RFP, as it describes the characteristics that define a successful outcome of the project in the team’s estimation. It is worth noting that in general, specific, closed questions are easier to evaluate and score than open-ended ones. However, open-ended questions allow for creativity and may add to the evaluation time, as well as clarity on what the consulting firm or product has to offer. The RFP commonly

Get Access