As a former Principal in one of the top Management Consulting firms, I have being Project Manager both of proposals and projects ranging from a few person/months to 2000 and 3000 person/years. Everything about the article was in essence factual. I did enjoy it very much. The only iota that I would like to add is that the delivery deadline if not met, can destroy any chance of being considered, regardless of the investment done in developing the documents.
Thanks,
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Hi,
Do you have tips for the other party? I mean the people who make RFPs. I need to understand how to write an RFP, what sections to consider, etc.
Any help will be appreciated,
Do you have tips for the other party? I mean the people who make RFPs. I need to understand how to write an RFP, what sections to consider, etc.
Any help will be appreciated,
I too agree that it's important to read the RFP carefully. I've just completed the evaluation of an RFP for a large NMS. Two bidders, who may have had good products, were rejected because they didn't provide the details we asked. They assumed that we would invite them in for Q&A - which was definitely in our published timeline. A third bidder was almost rejected because of the same reason. They were kept in only because the company had already investing $500K in the software and we had knowledge of what it could do. If it wasn't for that - the proposal would have been rejected. I should mention that in the 2 of these cases, these were LARGE companies.
Jeff this sounds so much like the project that we(a team of three) had to build for our Capstone class in college that it scares me!!! To a tee! The teacher couldn't figure out why the other teams were getting their projects done so fast and in the end he realised why we took our time building ours. As you mentioned we put all of the facts together and gave them more than they asked for with an awesome Access database project that the professor used as an example the following class, as one of my fellow employees told me so.
Our company went to a RFP conference for a potential project which was funded from a state to a lower level department. When the meeting began, the agency said they had x number of dollars and wanted the sun, moon, and stars as of yesterday. What we did not know was that the agency was going thru the hoops to play the game of politicians. That is where you look like you are doing something and actually do nothing. The money was to little, the time to short, the deliverables a wish list, anda total of wasted time and attention. Beware of these types of RFP's
Always ask: especially at the RFP Pre-bid meeting if a Govn. entity: is there funding now and/or will the effort be funded and when. That will give you some idea as to how real the project is. Ask what type of contract is this to be awarded: Fixed price, Time & Materials, Indefinite Quantity, indefinite delivery ETC. there are many types---knowing this is critical. ( It tells you how you are going to get paid and when).
KNOW exactly what all the "Deliverables are and when they are due" and are MY payments based on "Deliverables"- if so what are those terms and deliverables.Is there a "hold-back" of funds due to performance. Is there a "Performance BOnd" needed-how much? Are their payment penalties, how do I cure a penalty in order to get those funds back?
What is the "Term" of the contract period? Fixed length, any renewal options, if so how many?
Is there a transition period from the emcumbent to a new contractor- if so how much and are you paid during this period for services provided?
What are the performance measurements based on and who decides whether you are performing or Not?
RFP responses are basically simple,its the after stuff that will KILL Ya!
Beware and get professional help before you jump into to the "Fire" with the BIG BOYS!
Good Luck!
KNOW exactly what all the "Deliverables are and when they are due" and are MY payments based on "Deliverables"- if so what are those terms and deliverables.Is there a "hold-back" of funds due to performance. Is there a "Performance BOnd" needed-how much? Are their payment penalties, how do I cure a penalty in order to get those funds back?
What is the "Term" of the contract period? Fixed length, any renewal options, if so how many?
Is there a transition period from the emcumbent to a new contractor- if so how much and are you paid during this period for services provided?
What are the performance measurements based on and who decides whether you are performing or Not?
RFP responses are basically simple,its the after stuff that will KILL Ya!
Beware and get professional help before you jump into to the "Fire" with the BIG BOYS!
Good Luck!
I'm on the other side. I would like to see what a bidder considers a well written RFP for help desk software (so I can copy much of it).
I regularly write prepare proposal, including process control system software. You are right on the mark. Only one issue. RFP specification requested a simple solution. Assume you have met all other details, your proposal will now need to pass the Bean Counter test. The Bean Counter is not permitted to consider these nice added features. Your price will most likely be higher than someone proposing to meet the minimum requirements.
It is best to respond with a price for the bare bones as specified and offer the enhancements as an Option. That way your bid will be commercially evaluated on par with the other quotations. This allows you to show you have more to offer technically and keeps you from being rejected on price alone.
Knowing too much can actually hurt you in the bidding process. Good Luck, You never know.
It is best to respond with a price for the bare bones as specified and offer the enhancements as an Option. That way your bid will be commercially evaluated on par with the other quotations. This allows you to show you have more to offer technically and keeps you from being rejected on price alone.
Knowing too much can actually hurt you in the bidding process. Good Luck, You never know.
A belated response, but...
Something else to watch out for: "Wired proposals" where another vendor with an inside track has helped to define the specifications. Guess who is qualified to meet the requirements at every turn. In this situation, youhave to try to shift the terms to where your strengths lie.
One RFI (Request for Information, a precursor to an RFP) from a telephone company called for a slew of technical information clearly wired for an IBM mainframe environment. I was assigned to respond by default (the sales team was consumed by another job). In a centralized environment such as described, we (DEC) wouldn't have been competitive for 5 minutes.
Instead, I responded that there was not enough information because our proposal would be based on systems at multiple operational sites, with connections to each other as needed, and to a central site for transferring summary data. I outlined a distributed approach, and the kinds of additional information we would need to specify hardware, software and network components, and the corresponding pricing.
I know we qualified for the formal RFP, although I had left DEC before the final contract was rewarded.
Something else to watch out for: "Wired proposals" where another vendor with an inside track has helped to define the specifications. Guess who is qualified to meet the requirements at every turn. In this situation, youhave to try to shift the terms to where your strengths lie.
One RFI (Request for Information, a precursor to an RFP) from a telephone company called for a slew of technical information clearly wired for an IBM mainframe environment. I was assigned to respond by default (the sales team was consumed by another job). In a centralized environment such as described, we (DEC) wouldn't have been competitive for 5 minutes.
Instead, I responded that there was not enough information because our proposal would be based on systems at multiple operational sites, with connections to each other as needed, and to a central site for transferring summary data. I outlined a distributed approach, and the kinds of additional information we would need to specify hardware, software and network components, and the corresponding pricing.
I know we qualified for the formal RFP, although I had left DEC before the final contract was rewarded.
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