An RFP is a Request for Proposals, a document issued by an acquisition agency that is an expression of need for contractor support. It may be for goods or services. The Request for Proposals is often lengthy, outlining in detail what qualifications and/or capabilities a supplier or vender must have to be eligible to submit a proposal and what project requirements and outcomes the bidding party must meet or exceed.

Common Contents in Request for Proposals

Every RFP will differ somewhat in format, length and contents, but bidders can expect some content to be similar regardless of the funding agency:

• Summary of the project out to bid
• Instructions to prospective bidders
• Eligibility requirements for bidders
• Scope of work to be accomplished
• Expected goals, outcomes and deliverables
• Proposal submission instructions and deadline
• Important dates
• Agency/Project contact information
• Budget requirements
• Technical and cost proposal format instructions

Requests for Proposals may also include a narrative section that explains the rationale or need for the project and/or provides background information about the agency.

RFPs are not perfect. The author and his/her review team may have omitted some information. You’ll be afforded the opportunity to ask questions regarding those omissions or apparent mistakes. But remember, if you ask a question, every other prospective bidder will get to see your question and the answer…is it worth asking?

Everything in the RFP is Important

While some parts of the Request for Proposals may become repetitive or seem irrelevant to your RFP response, don’t make the mistake of scanning through the document. All parts of the document provide useful information regarding your eligibility to bid for the project (or what you need to do to become eligible) and the themes that the customer and acquisition agency considers important. Picking up on key phrases and themes is crucial to creating winning proposals.

Requests for Proposals can be difficult to interpret. The proposal management experts at McGrady & Associates, LLC can help. Contact us today for help making sense of your RFP and begin developing the winning proposal that gets you the signed government contract.