Key takeaways
- An RFP is a structured competition with rules the buyer controls.
- Decide whether to bid before you start writing.
- Answer the question asked, in the buyer's order, with evidence.
- The best RFP responses come from relationships built before the RFP was issued.
What does an RFP contain
An RFP contains the buyer's background, the problem to solve, the requirements a supplier must meet and the rules for responding. Public sector and large company RFPs also include contract terms and a scoring method.
- Background on the buyer and why the project exists.
- Scope and requirements, often split into must-have and nice-to-have.
- Questions each supplier must answer, sometimes with word limits.
- The timeline: clarification questions, submission deadline, shortlist and decision.
- How responses will be scored and what pricing format to use.
What is the difference between an RFP, an RFI and an RFQ
An RFI asks for information, an RFP asks for a proposed solution and an RFQ asks for a price. A request for information comes early, when the buyer is still learning what exists. A request for proposal comes when the need is clear and the buyer wants to compare approaches. A request for quotation comes when the buyer knows exactly what it wants and is comparing prices.
Should you respond to every RFP
No, you should respond only to RFPs you have a fair chance of winning, because a good response takes days of work from several people. Make a bid or no-bid decision first.
Ask a few plain questions. Did you know about this project before the RFP arrived? Do you meet every must-have requirement? Can you speak to the buyer during the clarification window? If the answers are mostly no, another supplier probably helped shape the document, and your time may be better spent elsewhere.
How do you write a strong RFP response
A strong RFP response answers every question in the buyer's order, in the buyer's words, with specific evidence. Evaluators often score section by section against a sheet, so an answer that is hard to find scores as missing.
Take an illustrative case. A buyer asks how you handle onboarding for a team spread across three countries. A weak answer describes your onboarding in general. A strong answer names the steps for their three countries, who on your side runs each one and what the buyer's team needs to provide, in the order the question asked.
Where Pebbles Ai fits
- FoundationCompany IntelCompany Intel holds your offerings, approach and brand voice, which every assistant works from, so first drafts of written answers start from your own facts. It does not produce designed proposal documents.
- CapabilityResearch & analysisResearch & analysis reads the buyer's website and public sources and builds research you can trace back to its sources, useful for the bid or no-bid call.
Common questions
What does RFP stand for in sales?
RFP stands for request for proposal. It is the document a buyer uses to invite competing proposals from suppliers for a defined project.
How long does an RFP process take?
It depends on the buyer and the size of the project. The RFP itself states the deadlines for questions, submissions and the decision, and public sector processes tend to run longest.
Can you contact the buyer during an RFP?
Only in the way the RFP allows. Most set a clarification window and a single contact for questions; contacting others on the buyer's side can disqualify you.
About this page. Written by the Pebbles Ai team for people who run sales, marketing and growth. Last updated .
