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Request for Proposal Template

Issued by:

​[Sender.Company]​

​

Representative:

​[Sender.FirstName]​[Sender.LastName]​

Image 1

(Add project description here)

What is a request for a proposal?

A request for proposal, often called an RFP, is a document that businesses use to ask potential vendors for project proposals. The document explains what the business wants from its project, what vendors should do to apply, and how the business will select the right candidate. Some nonprofits and government institutions are required to use RFPs to solicit proposals. You can use this sample RFP template to solicit proposals for a variety of vendors, from construction sub-contractors to social media marketing service providers.

Introduction & Background

​[Sender.Company], a (DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS), is in need of (DESCRIPTION OF END PRODUCT) and is accepting proposals in response to this Request for Proposal (this “RFP” or this “Request for Proposal”) in order to find a qualified source to provide (DESCRIPTION OF END PRODUCT). Our goals with (DESCRIPTION OF END PRODUCT) are:

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Goal

Description

Image 3

Goal

Description

Image 4

Goal

Description

Image 5

Goal

Description

The objective of this Request for Proposal is to locate a source that will provide the best overall value to [Sender.Company]. While price is a significant factor, other criteria will form the basis of our award decision, as more fully described in the Evaluation Factors section of this Request for Proposal below.

In this section of the basic RFP template, provide relevant background information on your company. What is your industry? Who are your customers? More importantly, what’s the evaluation criteria, and what are the deliverables? Answering these questions up front helps bidders understand if they are unqualified and streamlines the RFP process by avoiding the solicitation of low-quality RFP responses.

Using our Information Request Form streamlines the information-gathering process, ensuring you have the necessary data to make informed decisions.

Submission Guidelines & Requirements

The following submission guidelines and requirements apply to this Request for Proposal:

1. First and foremost, only qualified individuals or firms with prior experience on projects such as this should submit proposals in response to this Request for Proposal.

2. Bidders intent on submitting a proposal should notify the representative identified on the cover page no later than (DATE).

This may be useful, since it could show how on or off the mark you are in this stage of the RFP process. For instance, if you do not receive any notice, then the time frame might be too small for your project goals, or perhaps the scope of work is unclear.

3. Bidders must list at least (NUMBER) projects that are substantially similar to this project as part of their response, including references for each. Examples of work should be provided as well.

4. A technical proposal must be provided that is not more than (NUMBER) pages. This technical proposal must provide an overview of the proposed solution as well as resumes of all key personnel performing the work. In addition, the technical proposal should provide a proposed schedule and milestones, as applicable.

A good RFP may or may not choose to separate the technical and price proposal during procurement of bids. You may opt to remove the page limitation as well. Use your judgement. The page limitation is meant to streamline the review and evaluation of proposals, but if you do not have a good understanding of what is involved in the work, you may not be able to settle on an appropriate page limitation.

5. A price proposal must be provided that is not more than (NUMBER) pages. This price proposal should indicate the overall fixed price for the project as well as hourly rates and an estimated total number of hours, should [Sender.Company] decide to award a contract on an hourly rate basis.

Pricing will vary by project. For example, you may want itemized pricing if you will be buying materials or equipment. Additionally, you may want to see the breakdown of the overall fixed price. Edit the above as necessary to fit your preferences.

6. Proposals must be signed by a team member who is authorized to commit on behalf of the bidding company.

7. If you have a standard set of terms and conditions, please submit them with your proposal. All terms and conditions will be subject to negotiation.

You may also opt to create an appendix to this request for bid template that includes the set of terms and conditions each bidder is expected to bid against. This appendix demonstrates the terms and conditions you want the bidder to follow. If you choose to follow this path, edit the above clause to use wording such as, “Please review the suggested terms and conditions in Appendix A and revise your standard set of terms and conditions to follow them. All terms and conditions will be subject to negotiation.”

8. Proposals must be received prior to (DATE) to be considered.

9. Proposals must remain valid for a period of (NUMBER) days.

Think about how long it will likely take to complete the selection process. Account for the time taken to review, evaluate, and negotiate a contract with the service providers, and then add a buffer. You will want to request a validity period that will keep their prices valid for that period of time.

When vendors or contractors are competing to secure your project, a Bid Proposal Template is crucial. This template helps vendors present their offerings, pricing, approach, and timelines in a standardized format.

10. [Sender.Company] anticipates selecting at least two individuals or firms to have more in-depth discussions with, and will make an award to one of these “down-selected” individuals or firms. However, [Sender.Company] reserves the right to select no proposals should no bidder submit a proposal that meets the company's needs.

More complex projects may justify even more guidelines and requirements than above. Less complex projects may justify less guidelines and requirements. Add and remove requirements as necessary to ensure you get proposals that have value.

Project Description

The purpose of this project is as follows:

Why do you need this project done? Are you using an outdated product now and need a redesign? Is your business facing roadblocks by not having this done? Provide some details around the current state of things at your company and where you ultimately want to be.

​

Add project purpose description

​[Sender.Company] currently uses (FORMER SOLUTION). The executive team has determined that it is not effective at (PURPOSE). This lack of efficacy causes (PROBLEM 1).

Furthermore, the current solution is (PROBLEM 2). [Sender.Company] believes that by improving (SERVICE/SOLUTION), we can offer current and future clients more effective service.

The description of the project is as follows:

Provide a project overview while keeping this section purpose-driven or goal-oriented. After all, you may have a number of bidders who can provide the same result using different approaches, all of which have cost implications. Ideally, you want to provide a project description that leaves the methods to the bidder. For example, a website RFP would list the functionality and outcomes the business wants from their new site instead of specific features or programs.

​

Add project purpose description

​[Sender.Company] is seeking a provider to implement (PROJECT)  that is (DESCRIPTOR 1), (DESCRIPTOR 2) , and (DESCRIPTOR 3) . The (PROJECT) should accomplish (PURPOSE) .

The project must also achieve (GOAL 1), (GOAL 2), and (GOAL 3). Finally, the project should include (GOAL 4).

Project Scope

Where the project description provides general information, the scope section provides the more detailed requirements. This does not mean that you should tell the bidder how they should perform the work. On the other hand, you can provide case studies or project management to align potential contractors on a result-oriented path.

The scope of the project entails (SCOPE OF WORK). You may provide this in list or paragraph form.

The successful bidder will be responsible for (EXPANDED SCOPE OF WORK).

The criteria set forth below should be met to achieve successful completion of the project:

  1. Criteria 1

  2. Criteria 2

  3. Criteria 3

  4. Criteria 4

  5. Criteria 5

The acceptance of the work is contingent based on the following criteria:

  1. Criteria 1

  2. Criteria 2

  3. Criteria 3

  4. Criteria 4

  5. Criteria 5

Acceptance criteria are usually for fixed-price jobs. It provides the needs for completion of the entire project or phases/milestones of the project. Acceptance criteria will help ensure you are getting that to which you have agreed.

RFP & Project Timelines

The Request for Proposal timeline is as follows:

Request for Proposal Issuance

(MM/DD/YYYY)

Selection of Top Bidders / Notification to Unsuccessful Bidders

(MM/DD/YYYY)

Start of Negotiation

(MM/DD/YYYY)

Contract Award / Notification to Unsuccessful Bidders

(MM/DD/YYYY)

The need-date for project completion is (DATE). Bidders may propose a date earlier or later and will be evaluated accordingly.

Budget

​[Sender.Company]’s budget for the project is (DOLLAR AMOUNT).

Be careful when specifying your budget. While some contractors will be honest with their costs, others may add elements to the project to fit your proposed number. Expect to see many proposals at or just below your proposed budget and few above.

Evaluation Factors

Telling bidders what they will be evaluated on will show them what you care about and result in more worthwhile proposals, which is good for all stakeholders. In this section, tell the competitive field what your rating system is. You can edit the items below to prioritize the elements that you find most important.

​[Sender.Company] will rate proposals based on the following factors, with cost being the most important factor:

  1. Responsiveness to the requirements set forth in this Request for Proposal

  2. Relevant past performance/experience

  3. Samples of work

  4. Cost, including an assessment of the total cost of ownership

    5. “Total cost of ownership” refers not only to the cost of the project but also to the cost to maintain the end product. Experienced bidding parties should understand this, but you can clarify if you are soliciting new companies.

  5. Technical expertise/experience of bidder and bidder's staff

​[Sender.Company] reserves the right to award to the bidder that presents the best value to [Sender.Company] as determined solely by [Sender.Company] in its absolute discretion. [Sender.Company] reserves the right to choose no winning bidder after the bidding process should no proposal meet its standards.

By signing below, you agree to accept the terms of this Request for Proposal and become one of the bidders for the project under discussion.

​[Sender.Company]

​

Signature
MM / DD / YYYY

​[Client.Company]

​

Signature
MM / DD / YYYY

​[Sender.FirstName]​[Sender.LastName]​

​[Client.FirstName]​[Client.LastName]​

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FAQ

  • A request for proposal is a document that a company, a non-profit, or a government agency sends to potential contractors. It works for construction, IT, and other niches, as the format is pretty much the same everywhere — only the job specifics change.

  • The typical structure of an RFP goes like this:

    1. introduction of the company/agency and project goals

    2. requirements and guidelines for those submitting

    3. project description, scope, and timelines

    4. budget size 5. evaluation criteria

    5. other applicable terms and conditions.

  • An RFP is sent when a company has a problem or wants to achieve certain goals but doesn’t know how. It wants the solution as well as pricing for it. RFQs are sent when a company knows exactly what it needs and wants to find out the price for getting the job done.

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