Published by JMB Project Management Co. LLC
A request for proposals should help suppliers explain how they would meet your requirements and help your organization compare their responses. Begin with the business problem and the scope you intend to procure.
An RFP becomes difficult to evaluate when suppliers have to invent different assumptions about the assignment. Make the known requirements explicit and identify where you want the market to propose an approach.
Describe the operating context
Explain who will use the result, how the organization currently works and which constraints affect delivery. Identify existing systems, interfaces or stakeholders relevant to the assignment.
Give suppliers enough information to estimate their work. Where information cannot yet be supplied, set out the assumptions they should use or ask them to state their own clearly.
Define deliverables and responsibilities
Describe the outputs required and how they will be assessed. Establish which work the supplier will perform and which activities remain with your organization or another provider.
For an illustrative system implementation, identify responsibility for data preparation, migration, testing and training. These activities may otherwise be included in one proposal and excluded from another.
Ask for evidence of the proposed approach
Request an implementation plan, named roles, dependencies and assumptions. Ask suppliers to explain how they will handle changes and manage unresolved requirements.
Assess relevant experience through the responsibilities performed, not just a list of client names. Establish how the people being proposed will participate in your assignment.
Agree the evaluation method in advance
Define the criteria, evidence and weighting before reviewing responses. Consider capability, approach, delivery commitments and commercial terms against the requirements that matter most.
The UK Government Commercial Functional Standard provides an international reference for commercial governance. Procurement decisions should follow the rules and delegated authority applicable to your own organization.
Make acceptance testable
State how the organization will determine whether a deliverable is acceptable. Identify the evidence required, who will review it and how issues will be resolved.
If acceptance depends on a working interface or a supported process, include that requirement in the scope. A delivered document or installed component may only be one part of what your organization needs.
Resolve ambiguity before commitment
Use clarification questions to examine differences in scope and assumptions. Record the agreed position so the selected proposal can become a clear starting point for delivery.
JMB supports project scoping, RFI and RFP development, helping organizations define requirements and coordinate the project activities surrounding supplier selection.