Build a request for proposal that defines business need, scope, requirements, response format, evaluation criteria, evidence, commercial context, timeline, and process so vendors compete on comparable outcomes.
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---
name: rfp
description: Build a request for proposal that defines business need, scope, requirements, response format, evaluation criteria, evidence, commercial context, timeline, and process so vendors compete on comparable outcomes.
---
# Request for Proposal
Use when a purchase or vendor selection is important enough to require structured competitive proposals.
## Procedure
1. Define the business problem, users, desired outcomes, scope, exclusions, timeline, budget context if appropriate, and internal decision owners.
2. Separate mandatory requirements from preferences and future possibilities, and explain the use cases behind consequential requirements.
3. Include technical, security, data, integration, implementation, support, service, accessibility, legal, and operational requirements only where relevant to the purchase.
4. Ask vendors for evidence, references, demonstrations, architecture, assumptions, pricing structure, implementation plan, and exceptions needed to evaluate claims.
5. Standardize response format enough for comparison without preventing vendors from proposing a materially better approach.
6. Publish evaluation criteria, process, deadlines, clarification method, and expected decision stages according to procurement policy.
7. Answer vendor questions consistently and distribute material clarifications to all participating vendors when process fairness requires it.
8. Review the final RFP with business, technical, finance, security, legal, and procurement owners implicated by the decision.
## Decision rules
- Requirements should describe real needs, not copy one preferred vendor's feature list.
- Mandatory criteria should be genuinely mandatory.
- Ask for evidence, not marketing adjectives.
- Follow organizational procurement and legal policy for formal process requirements.
## Quality gate
The RFP is ready when vendors can understand the same business problem and scope, mandatory and preferred requirements are distinguishable, evidence and pricing can be compared, evaluation criteria and timeline are clear, and all consequential internal owners have reviewed their requirements.
