For Suppliers
Responding to Public Sector RFQs and RFPs
Successful Public Sector Procurement requests depend upon the intimate knowlege that each supplier has of the opportunity, the requirements and the preferences of the client involved. Ultimately, price is a major consideration, but, before the sale is made, almost all public sector purchases go through a rigorous procurement stage. It would be a tragedy, certainly for the seller (and often for the buyer) if your marketing preparations were marred by poor bid response preparations or a mistake in the RFP, RFQ or other instrument response.
Tips for a Successful RFP Response
- Form the response team and assign responsibilities at the outset;
- Leverage structures and content from past proposals - but don't "force fit";
- Understand the scoring schedule and invest your time accordingly;
- Identify all of the response requirements by thoroughly reviewing the entire RFx document and categorize them as either "mandatory" or "rated". Seek clarification if a requirement is not clearly understood;
- Match the structure of your response to that required, or suggested, in the RFx document and create a skeleton of the structure ASAP;
- Conduct a competitive assessment to estimate how your competitors will respond to the proposal and be scored. Adjust your proposal accordingly;
- Err on the side of being specific rather than general or vague;
- Learn from past proposals and learn the preferred styles of different clients; and
- Never, ever, miss the submission deadline.
For more information on these tactics, please contact The Procurement Exchange.
