READ THE REQUIREMENTS CAREFULLY. It is important to read the guidelines and documents closely to make certain you are aware of and comfortable with all of the requirements before submitting a response. Verify that you want and can take on the work. Responding to a Request for Proposal (RFP) is a time-consuming process, confirm that you do not have any conflicts and that the experience and resources required to handle the work are available.
RESEARCH THE COMPANY. What do you know about the company? Can you determine what internal changes or goals are driving the RFP? Check for inside contacts to leverage back channels. Who do you know within the company? Who do your colleagues know?
PUT YOUR TEAM TOGETHER. Once it has been determined that you are interested in responding to the RFP, select your teams. Decide on the team members you will list in the RFP who will provide the services to the client. With the team in place, reread the RFP with an eye toward how to best align the team members’ experience with the RFP and the company’s values and goals.
CREATE PROPOSAL SUMMARY. Create an outline or template of the RFP requirements. Include the meeting, question and submittal date(s), contact and address information, delivery instructions, document format specifications in which responses are to be submitted (hard copy, electronic, email, online) and the number of copies required, minimum qualifications and requirements. NOTE: Many RFPs will include a document that explains how your proposal will be “scored,” pay attention to these criteria to strengthen your proposal.
PLAN YOUR APPROACH. Working with the proposed team, set your strategy for responding to the RFP. How will you highlight your strengths? How will you address any weaknesses? What value does your team bring to the client that other firms will not? What differentiates your firm?
ASSEMBLE RESPONSE. Armed with a proposal summary of the RFP requirements, start assembling content, determine what editing is needed, then write, collate, and delegate to team members as needed. Follow the response format requested: Use the same section and paragraph numbering, titles and subtitles, and other format specifics. Your response should also be visually appealing, with graphic images and your company’s logo throughout.
A well-written, thoughtful response will typically have the following sections: (1) information about your company; (2) what makes you better than competitors; (3) your specific thoughts on the RFP project, and how you are uniquely qualified to succeed; (4) answers to any of the customer’s specific questions; (5) your pricing section; and (6) your “happy client” references. Keep your response as concise and clear as possible and talk in the “customer’s voice”, so the customer knows you understand its business, and you look like you put customized work into your response, tailored just for your recipient. If the process allows, provide a thoughtful, professionally written executive summary that addresses how your business offers the best solution.
CROSS-REFERENCE your proposal with the Scope of Work, any format requirements listed in the RFP and ensure all mandatory forms are completed. Give the reviewers of the responses no reason to exclude you from the next round of reviews. Conduct a final review. Proofread your document thoroughly.
SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE ON TIME AND IN THE FORMAT REQUESTED. If possible, submit your response early, which gives the client a feel for what they can expect in working with you. However, submitting an RFP early is no guarantee that they will look at it any sooner.
BE PREPARED FOR LAST MINUTE REQUESTS. RFPs can often come in last minute, with tight deadlines for submission. The more complex the project, the tougher it is to pull together a thoughtful response in such a short period of time. For this reason, you need to have a template RFP on the shelf. Then, when the RFP comes in, you have 80 percent of the standard materials all ready to go and can focus on the 20 percent that needs to be customized. If you are pulling information from past RFP responses or marketing documents, do so only because it is relevant. Never just find/replace words and recycle or reuse stock answers. You must be more thoughtful if you want to stand out.
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