Boardroom Metrics provides Request for Proposal (RFP) response writing for Information Technology clients in the United States, Canada and Europe.

Information Technology (IT) RFP responses must be written in a way that complies with all the mandatory requirements of the issuer – requirements that are unique to every proposal.

In addition, IT RFPs often contain sections that ask for technical answers. In some cases, these answers need to be precise, but other technical questions may be intentionally vague to determine the capabilities of the responder.

The Differences Between an IT RFP, RFI and RFQ

To begin addressing some of the key challenges many companies face, let’s start with the definitions of some basic concepts.

There are, of course some basic differences between and RFP, RFI and RFQ. These differences, and their impact on how to respond are an important starting place.

The fundamental principles described below, are widely accepted across the globe.

1 – RFI (Request for Information). An RFI is typically used by procurement agencies and government bodies to identify what is on the market, what the current market conditions are, and who are the companies providing the required products and services.

In other words, an RFI does not result in a contract, but helps the RFI issuer gather enough information to subsequently release an RFP.

Responding to an RFI is a great opportunity to influence the content, the methodologies, and the expectations of the coming RFP.

Writing an RFI response is the most flexible way to demonstrate compelling values and unique capabilities of a company

2 – RFP (Request for Proposal). An IT RFP on the other hand, can be a very comprehensive document and varies greatly in type, size, and content.

The main purpose of an RFP is to obtain the best value for the issuer’s business.

By best value we mean the overall value of the products and services in exchange for the price paid.

The evaluation criteria for an IT RFP response depend heavily on both commercial and technical criteria.

Responding to an RFP is often resource intensive and extremely time-consuming.

IT RFPs are frequently prepared by a Procurement Department on behalf of the user, and not necessarily by someone. This can result in these proposal requests seeming a little non-technical and somewhat confusing.

3 – RFQ (Request for Quote). RFQ’s have been used for tangible, ‘off-the-shelf’ products with preset specifications, widely available in the market place.

Today, RFQs, are primarily used to simplify the bidding process and qualify vendors and suppliers by one criteria only: price.

Use of RFQ’s has been gaining momentum in recent years. You can expect to

How to Proceed When Invited to Participate in an RFP, RFI or RFQ for Information Technology

1 – Determine why you might respond and what your objectives are.

Without a doubt, most IT organizations respond to RFP’s because they want to win more business. However, there are many other benefits that should be considered, including the ability to gain:

  • Customer insight
  • Product insight and feedback
  • Market visibility
  • Customer relationships
  • Strategic Partnerships, and
  • Other benefits.

Clarifying the reasons for responding in specific terms and objectives will help you decide whether to respond or not. A very common mistake made on IT RFP’s is choosing not respond based solely on the perceived chances of winning. This could be short-sighted.

2 – Formalize your process for making the decision to respond or not respond.

This decision should not just be an intuitive one.

It should be rational, based on the capabilities of the company and its resources not only to respond, but also in delivering and implementing the mandatory requirements.

You should make sure you have the technical capabilities to respond. This could include experience, industry certifications and sufficient staff to support the bid, should you win the business.

Making such a decision, involves bringing the right people together within an organization (composition); ensuring that all options are discussed (context); enhancing the communication among these people to avoid groupthink (communication); and also controlling the process to stay on course towards the desired outcome (control).

3 – Define a customized, specific strategy for how to respond.

Too often, organizations fall into the ‘cut and paste’ trap – treating every issuer and ever issuer’s needs in the same way. Obviously, this is a mistake. The only way to rectify it is by treating every issuer and their needs as being unique. This starts by reading each Request very carefully from beginning to end, then defining a customized set of goals and strategy for responding.

This strategy defines the best, specific elements that must be included in the response to both meet the issuers needs and the organizations goals for responding. Without a strategy and focus, responses become wordy documents without the relevant content.

Let’s remember “not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” – Albert Einstein.

4 – Write effectively to match the issuer’s needs and the value you provide.

Aiming for quantity, and providing a vast number of irrelevant benefits rather than describing a company’s key values in simple terms is not only time-consuming for the responder, but buries the true values that differentiate a company from its competitors.

Effective writing also involves matching the language of the issuer and making sure that the key messages and values are not only well presented, but respond to the inquiries in a direct and uncomplicated way.

One of the most common mistakes that responding IT organizations make is failing to meet the minimum, mandatory requirements.  This is seldom because the company is not capable of delivering on them. Rather, it’s a failure to read the document carefully. For Information Technology RFPs, this may be even more critical, as mandatory requirements may include resumes of key staff and their qualifications. Missing a mandatory requirement could disqualify you from being considered, even if you have all the skills and qualities required to fulfill the requirements.

This is also the area where a professional can help to quality control the content of the document and avoid compliance issues.

Summary – Responding to IT RFI’s, RFQ’s, RFP’s

RFIs, RFPs, and RFQs are a common part of the everyday business development process in successful organizations. Responding effectively is a commitment requiring talent and resources. Many organizations choose to fulfill that requirement internally. However, many others prefer to outsource their RFP commitment to professionals.

Regardless of business or industry, someone who specializes in responding to RFI’s, RFP’s and RFQ’s can help simplify the process, save time and provide a better, higher quality response.

Over and over again, clients confirm that hiring an outside, professional RFP writer was just what they needed to get their proposal response strategy onto the winning track.