RFP is the acronym for Request for Proposal. You might also see the acronyms RFI, RFQ, or RFB. The “I” stands for Information and is frequently a predecessor to an RFP. The “Q” stands for quote and the “B” stands for bid. Some organizations use the acronym ITB, or Invitation to Bid.
Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are a method of engaging multiple suppliers in a competitive bidding process to purchase products or services.
Because of transparency and non-collusion regulations, organizations in the public sector generally post opportunities online.
Most Corporate Sector work comes from marketing, networking, and building relationships. Generally, companies will invite a select group of companies, typically those with which they’ve already worked.
RFPs can be long, uninteresting, and less than user-friendly documents. It is so easy just to skim the RFP, only looking at the deadline and RFP title and falling into a state of complete overwhelm.
At any given time, there are thousands of both public and private sector RFPs available for your business to pursue. But how do you choose the best opportunity out of so many good opportunities?
You can achieve confidence and confirm alignment surrounding a bid/no-bid decision by asking yourself why you’re responding to the RFP and whether you have the time and resources needed to respond.
Okay, so the bid aligns with your business goals, mission and core capabilities, and you’re confident you have the resources needed. What’s next?
You’ve read the RFP and taken notes on the most pertinent aspects; now it’s time to craft the response.
The winning recipe for a solid RFP response is equal parts compliance and responsiveness. Your “what” includes client needs (both explicit and implicit), your solution and resources.
How do I get a proposal across the finish line? The answers to “what” and “who” cover most of the project overview and process. The “how” involves proposal delivery.
A blank document can be such a scary thing. But the first step to writing your proposal isn’t actually writing—it’s preparing to write.
The proposal manager is the quarterback of the proposal effort. It is up to them to call the shots and lead the bid effort.
A proposal project plan is your one-stop-shop for all of the information needed to manage a proposal from start to finish.
Deciding who in your organization should be involved in an RFP response can be tricky. A proposal professional can wear many hats, but it is best to have distinct roles for each team member on more extensive efforts.
Once your team establishes each person’s roles and responsibilities, you need to decide what tools the team will need to collaborate on the proposal.
Are you a small business owner struggling to grow your business? Or perhaps you work for a larger company drowning in RFPs and other solicitations. For either of these cases, proposal consultants can be your saving grace in helping you achieve 100% compliance and create a responsive, winning proposal.
Hiring proposal industry professionals can eliminate chaos and fuel growth. But how do you know when to seek professional proposal help?
What does a grilled cheese have to do with proposals? Learn about the importance of compliance in proposal writing through a Request for Grilled Cheese (RFGC).
If compliance isn’t enough to generate a winning proposal by itself, how do we take our proposal to the next level? Pairing compliance with responsiveness creates a killer combination that will make your submission a true winner.
When working on a new RFP response, it can be challenging to determine what to prioritize and when. Luckily, we have heard from contracting officers and proposal reviewers to learn what we should focus on when writing a proposal.
Your executive summary can make or break your proposal effort. Therefore, it is vital to craft a knockout, client-focused executive summary.
Proposals based on bid documents will often have an outlined set of requirements for the executive summary. However, some bid opportunities will not have explicit instructions. In these cases, you must craft a compelling executive summary from scratch.
Differentiators and discriminators are vital components of a compelling proposal document. However, it’s easy to get them mixed up. Though they sound alike and serve similar functions, their impact is vastly different.
Many of our clients are small businesses seeking to build relationships with new clients but do not have in-house proposal development support.