Request for Proposals are often a necessity for every business and company. With this template, you will be able to succinctly but descriptively lay out your company’s next project with ease and assurance.
Here’s a sample Request for Proposal template that can be easily customized and adapted to meet your requirements. It’s free to download and use.
What is a Request for Proposal?
A Request for Proposal, or RFP, is a document that allows you and your business to list the details, scope, and goals of a project in order to secure the best outside business that would work best and help you meet your goals.
Completing Request for Proposal
The attached RFP template includes areas for all necessary information needed by any vendor to properly issue a proposal for your project. To personalize your specific document, be sure to include and detail the following elements:
- Contact and Basic Identifying Information: This is the top section of the document, and the first information your potential vendors will see. This section includes your name and contact information, the name of your business, the name of your project, and relevant specific information such as project budget and completion dates.
- Description of Project: The next section of the request for proposal template is an area to give a brief description of your project. This includes any relevant information about your business and your industry that would help narrow down the vendors interested in your project. Here, you need to clearly describe what you need a potential vendor to provide you in terms of service and project, and why you need a specific vendor to do this project. The key here is to include the pertinent information of your company and project that will gain the initial attention of a potential vendor.
- Scope of Project: In this section, you will detail specific tasks and goals within the project. Be sure to include specific responsibilities and duties required by the vendor (or all vendors involved). List and describe specific tasks and necessities that need to be completed along every step of the project. At the end of this section - in the attached request for proposal template download - be sure to state the exact decision criteria by which you will select your vendors for this project. End the section with the statement: “This project will be awarded to the vendor that [specific requirement]”
- Goals of Project: Much like in the project scope section, the goals section is the area to list and detail the specific completion criteria for your project's various steps. This section is used to further detail the scope of your project by indicating the specific, ordered requirements by which the project will be completed.
- Known Issues of Project: In this section, you will detail any obstacles or difficulties that a vendor might have to overcome should they be awarded the project. This section is not to describe the issues of your project, but rather to indicate to the vendors possible issues that would impede them from being awarded the project. It is important to be upfront when you request a proposal, as this will only benefit your business by ensuring you select the most qualified candidate. For example, if you know your project will require advanced knowledge of specialized software, you must include this requirement in this section in order to eliminate unprepared contractors. In the above request for proposal template, indicate as many or as little issues as you need in order to trim the field of potential less-than-adequate candidates.
- Standards of Project Evaluation: Here, you will list the various requirements that a potential contractor would have to meet to be considered for the project. Again, be sure to be as specific as possible so as to avoid any subpar contractors. Examples of these standards include the contractors’ past work, any specializations in pertinent areas of expertise that would benefit the project, official letters from previous projects denoting success, and the appropriate cost of your project. You can also create personalized questions for the vendors to answer to better gauge their grasp and expertise.
- Submission Terms of Project: Submission terms lay out the specific guidelines each vendor must follow when submitting their proposal for your project. These terms are entirely up to you and the needs dictated by your project. Sample terms include a specific date by which to return the proposal, official documents and proof of previously completed projects, budget estimations, timeline estimations, and any further requirements that you have indicated in the request for proposal. These can also include specific formatting rules. Again, this is your chance to ensure you award your project to the very best vendor for the job.
Concluding Tips
RFPs play a vital role in ensuring the smooth and calculatable growth of your business. It is important to remember that the goal of an RFP is to find the best contractor for your specific project, out of a sea of similar vendors. When using this simple Request for Proposal Template, be sure to customize all applicable information to suit you, your business, and the specifics of your project. These sections can be as detailed as you see necessary to properly and adequately showcase your project needs. Additionally, be sure to include specific numbers wherever possible, including budgets, dates, and time frame.
