Considerations Before Issuing Your Next RFP
The Request for Proposal process may be dreaded by most, but it’s certainly not dying anytime soon. Clients and agencies alike face an array of challenges and miscommunications when it comes to the standard RFP process. In hopes of making the process quicker and less painful for both parties, we’ve rounded up some questions to consider before issuing your next RFP.
Are my project goals and priorities clearly outlined?
Having your goals and priorities for the project clearly outlined from the get go is crucial when looking for an agency partner. For starters, be sure to share the overall reason for the project, problems you are aiming to solve and your top priorities for the project that fit within your budget.
Do I have a realistic timeframe?
Setting practical timeframes is not only important for the project as a whole, but the RFP process as well. If you request that agencies have a well-written response to you within 1-2 weeks, and they do so as asked, be prepared to stick to your own deadlines in return. Set yourself up for success by allocating time to allow for questions and providing thorough answers, which in turn will help agencies to provide more tailored responses and effectively show you why they are best suited for your project.
Is responding easy for agencies?
When an RFP becomes too much of a pain to respond to, vendors won’t. If you’re aiming to partner with top agencies, give them a reason to want to work with you by providing enough information to make responding easy. Simplifying the response process for your potential partners will benefit you as well, because it will result in higher engagement and better responses.
Do I have a budget?
If so, am I going to share it? You most definitely should! Sharing a budget with agencies does not automatically sign you up to be scoped the highest budget amount. It does however give them something to go off of when crafting a thorough, tailored proposal. Providing a budget not only helps the agency define the playing field of the project, but almost always guarantees that you receive more relevant responses to your specific needs.
At Westwerk, we know just how important and intimidating a website redesign or a complete rebrand can be! But by answering these questions, you can improve the RFP process and set yourself up for success long before the project kickoff. If you’d like to chat on RFP’s or the brand and web process in general, drop liz a line and she’ll get back shortly!
