Planning an RFP?

What if you threw a party and nobody came? This can happen with a Request for Proposal (RFP). Here are some of the unsatisfactory reactions you might see...

No Response
A lack of interest by suppliers can be caused by an RFP that is:

• Unclear -- Vendors want to know that they can deliver what you want. If they have serious doubts about what you're asking for, of if the RFP contradicts istelf, they won't waste their time.
• Overreaching -- If you ask for the moon, the landing craft, and mining rights on Neptune, vendors know you can't afford all that and won't bother to respond.
• Too Demanding -- Don't ask for the resumes of the people who will be working on your project until you have a relationship with the builder and the start date is known.

Irrelevant Responses
You [thought that you] asked for apples and you have oranges and grapefruits showing up. The most likely culprit is a generic RFP. Don't say that you need "inventory control." Say that you need "multi-aisle warehouse management system that supports optimized picker routing." Don't say that it needs to be "flexible." Say that the "system must allow an unlimited number of contact (person) entries per customer account." It is possible to be too specific -- but an RFP that is too specific is more rare than a purple ostrich.

Help - I'm Buried!
Too many proposals? This problem is likely to be accompanied by the one above too. The cause is an RFP that is too "loose." The lack of specific focus and firm criteria made every hungry company think that they could get an audience with you.

Send us your RFP. We'll look it over and give you a free heads-up.