How to Write a Request For Proposal (RFP) that Drives Responses

As a marketer, you have a lot of things on your plate and can’t manage everything on your own. Moreover, some tasks are just not possible or practical to manage manually. At some point, you’re going to need to work with other businesses that offer tools or services to help you doyour job more efficiently. That’s where a request for proposal comes in, enabling you to attract prospective vendors who can help you achieve your business goals.

If you’ve never written a request for proposal (RFP) before, you may not know how to get started or what you need to include. The good news is, we’re here to help. This guide walks you through the process of writing a successful request for proposal that drives responses from the most viable vendors. Let’s dive right in.

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How to Write a Request for Proposal that Drives Responses:

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What is a Request for Proposal (RFP)?

A request for proposal or RFP is a document that provides a list of requirements that vendors need to meet to complete a project. Typically sent out by businesses that need to find the right technology solution or professional service, it serves as an open invitation for vendors to submit their proposals. This enables them to attract potential vendors who can provide them with the tools they need or to whom they can outsource some of their work.

It's crucial to get your request for proposal right because it details all the criteria that vendors must meet in order to win the bid. As such, it enables you to collect proposals from the most relevant vendors, making it easier to decide on the right one for your business.

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编写提案请求的8个步骤

So, if a request for proposal is so important, how do you write one? Check out the steps below to start writing your very own request for proposal.

1：定义项目，范围和预算

从明确的定义项目开始，并了解供应商将在其中扮演的角色。换句话说，在撰写提案请求之前，对供应商的需求有一个正确的了解。讨论您需要做什么，应该如何完成以及理想地完成需要多长时间。

Additionally, you’d also need to talk about how much you’re willing to spend for the service or platform. This provides you with a solid foundation for your RFP as you clearly know what you’re looking for.

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2: Provide an introduction

现在，您对要寻找的东西有了清晰的了解，现在该写一个介绍来解释您的项目和期望了。引言应该能够帮助潜在的供应商了解您的RFP的目的以及他们需要帮助您实现的目标。这也将是一个很好的机会，可以解释您是否面临任何挑战以及供应商如何帮助您克服它们。

除了这些基础知识外，您可能还希望包括有关项目的其他信息。这可能是详细信息，例如您打算启动项目以及将运行多长时间。引言应帮助潜在供应商更好地了解您的需求，以便他们可以评估他们满足他们的能力。

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3:解释你的公司和项目的历史

接下来，是时候向供应商介绍您的公司了。给他们简短的公司历史记录，以及您所做的项目。谈论您的品牌价值，历史和其他重要的背景信息。这些信息应该能够帮助供应商了解您的市场以及您的业务目前的影响力。

请记住，许多潜在的供应商可能以前从未听说过您的公司。通过让他们对您作为品牌的身份有了解，使他们可以轻松做出明智的决定。然后，他们可以使用此信息来评估它们是否适合您的需求以及是否想与您合作。

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4：描述您的要求

descri现在是最重要的部分be exactly what you need in a vendor. Provide specific details about the services or solutions that you’re looking for to help you achieve your goal. Be sure to include details such as the level of experience you’re looking for (in the case of service solutions). For software solutions, you may also want to include details such as the level of access you need based on your team size.

重要的是要在本节中尽可能具体，以便潜在的供应商可以知道他们是否提供所需的解决方案。这将有助于他们决定是否应该发送提案，从而使您能够立即过滤您的选项，以从最合适的潜在客户那里获得建议。

For example, if you’relooking for a social media marketing agency，您可能需要一个可以照顾内容计划，生产和日程安排的机构。此外，您甚至可能需要他们代表您管理社区。在这种情况下，一个不提供的机构社区管理may opt to avoid sending in a bid, so you don’t need to waste your time reviewing their proposal.

或者，假设您正在寻找社交媒体管理工具for a team of three. And you want to be able to plan your content, schedule your posts, monitor your comments, and analyze results all in one place. That way, only those vendors who can meet the above requirements will send in a proposal for you to review so you’re instantly filtering your options.

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5：提交说明

Vendors who plan on sending in a proposal should know how to respond to your request for proposal. Make sure you’re providing clear instructions on the structure they should follow in their proposal as well as what they need to include. When all the proposals are formatted in a similar way, it becomes easier for you to process the information and evaluate them.

例如，您可能要求它们包括一定数量的标题。或者，您甚至可以要求他们提供每个标题下的积分列表。此外，您还可以要求他们发送以前的作品，案例研究和演示的样本，以更好地评估其工作质量或平台功能。

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6: Include your selection criteria

It’s also important that you include a detailed list of the criteria using which you’ll be evaluating the proposals. This gives vendors an idea of how they’ll be evaluated so they can understand their chances of winning the bid. As such, only the most qualified vendors will respond to your request for proposal, making it easier for you to sort through your options.

提供有关您的优先级，基本要求和偏好的详细信息，以便供应商确切地知道您要寻找的东西以及如何定位其产品。例如，您可以优先考虑专门从事营销服务以外的内容生产的代理商。基本要求可能是计划和执行社交媒体营销活动的能力，而您可能更喜欢与某个行业中的公司合作经验的代理商。

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7：指定RFP时间轴

此外，对于所有参与的人都了解您的目标时间表至关重要。您期望什么时候收到回复？何时宣布选定的供应商？确保包含这些关键的截止日期，以便供应商不必在您没有做出选择时继续与您联系以获取更新。

Besides these, you’d also want to include your project start time and end time. Knowing these timelines will allow vendors to plan their schedules and assess their availability before they choose to respond. This benefits both parties because you don’t want to end up working with a vendor who’d eventually not be able to help you meet the deadline. Also, vendors will be able to understand whether they can fit your project in considering their current workload.

这对于寻求服务解决方案的RFP尤其重要。请记住，根据您的要求的详细程度，您需要相应地调整时间表。如果供应商必须提供高度详细的建议，他们可能需要更多时间来计划其响应。

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8：校对，修改和上线

Now that you’ve written down all the crucial information, it’s time to proofread your request for proposal. Look for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors as well as complicated sentences that may be difficult to understand. You want to come across as professional and trustworthy while avoiding any chances of miscommunication.

除了基础知识外，还要确保您正在寻找可能不利于项目时间表的错误。例如，截止日期中的错别字可能会导致您在潜在的供应商上失去，因为他们无法满足它或收到建议的巨大延迟。另外，您的项目预算中缺少0可能意味着因拒绝竞标的潜在供应商而失去，因为工资太低。

进行任何必要的修订，并给RFP一次一次，以确保其专业和清晰。然后，您最终可以遵守您的提案请求。

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编写有效RFP的最佳实践

In addition to simply following the steps above, there’s a certain way to make sure that your RFP gets the responses it deserves. Follow these best practices to write an effective request for proposal.

• 保持简单易懂

为了避免沟通不畅的机会，请确保使用潜在供应商可以理解的语言。您可能需要减少行业术语，并求助于简单的英语，同时仍然保持专业。尽量避免长期运行的句子，而是将它们切成更短的，更易于处理的句子。

• Make the Most of Headings and Bullet Points

与大型文本相比，标题和项目符号使您的RFP更容易消化。充分利用它们，以分解您的提案请求，并使其更加扫描。

• Be as Detailed as Possible

Don’t miss important details that could help potential vendors understand your project and requirements better. Vendors are more likely to respond with the right proposal when they have a clear idea of what you’re looking for and what kind of role they’ll play.

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提案请求的示例

Still not sure what your request for proposal should look like? Let’s take a look at an example of how a typical RFP looks so you can get a better idea.

Request for Proposal: Social Media Services for June’s Vintage
16 December 2022
发行者：六月的年份
联系人：六月菲利普斯
[电子邮件保护]
(445)917-3069

Introduction

June’s Vintage, a retail store that deals in vintage clothing, is accepting proposals to find a reliable agency to manage our social media on our behalf. The purpose is to:

• 发展我们的社交媒体社区。

• Engage our audience on an ongoing basis.

• Maintain a strong brand presence across leading social networks (Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok).

该提案请求的目的是找到一个社交媒体机构，该机构将提供最佳的总体价值并带来令人印象深刻的结果。我们希望在三个月内运行一个测试项目，我们可以决定建立长期合作伙伴关系。

背景

我们的老式业务成立于2007年，此后在整个费城建立了强大的客户群。我们的大多数客户都是25至50岁之间的本地时尚爱好者，并在店内购物。但是，随着我们扩展到在线购物渠道，有机会将这种覆盖范围扩展到本地。事实证明，这是充满挑战的，因为我们的社交媒体存在相当有限，我们缺乏在社交媒体上积极吸引观众的时间和专业知识。

Project Overview

We would like to be able to consistently post and engage with audiences across three key social media platforms–Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. As such, we’re looking for an agency that can help us with the following:

• 通过发布日历创建一个可靠的社交媒体策略。

• Develop fresh content ideas and take care of content creation in accordance with the publishing calendar.

• 代表我们安排和发布帖子。

• 监视并回复客户评论。

• Run a week-long advertising campaign to attract new followers/customers.

Our budget is $2,500 per month with some room for flexibility depending on the level of service that can be provided. Ideally, we would like to employ an agency that has experience working with small retail stores and local businesses.

提交准则

All proposals must be created using the format below (bulleted lists will be highly appreciated):

• Executive summary

• 业务背景

• Highlight your unique selling point

• 提供相关的经验，使您有资格参加该项目

• Details of proposed deliverables and services

• 注意您将使用的社交媒体管理工具来完成必要的任务

• 不是如何与我们共享内容以供批准

• 包括您的费率

• 参考和/或案例研究

• 提供为以前客户创建的社交媒体内容的样本

• 与您的代理机构合作的其他条款和条件

请以.pdf格式提交您的建议[电子邮件保护]经过January 30, 2023.

评价标准

六月的年份将使用以下标准评估建议并选择合适的供应商：

• Experience providing full-service social media solutions for a minimum of 24 months

• 对上面突出的要求的响应能力

• 服务率的竞争力

• 过去/当前客户的推荐

• 用于执行必要任务的工具和技术

时间线

六月的复古期望根据以下时间表完成RFP和项目：

• Issuance of request for proposal – December 16, 2022

• 提交建议的截止日期 - 2023年1月30日

• Vendor selection date – February 15, 2023

• Finalization of contract and other project discussions – February 20, 2023

• Project start date – March 1, 2023

• Initial project completion – May 31, 2023

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开始您的第一个提案请求

现在，您确切地知道了对建议的请求是什么样的，以及在其中包含什么，现在该写自己的时间了。在线有很多免费模板，可以帮助您起草完美的提案请求。