Creating successful responses to requests for proposals (RFPs) is challenging. The hurdles you have to overcome in the RFP process are numerous: Many RFPs are extensive and have extremely specific requirements along with tight deadlines. No more worrying about conflicting content and outdated information, any team can follow these four steps to successfully respond to an RFP.
There is a threat of conflicting content and outdated information. Fortunately, time-saving, teamwork and increasing the quality of your responses are no contradictory goals – with the right approach you can enhance all of these areas.
1. Reply only if it is worthwhile
Just because a new RFP has been published in your industry, you do not have to get to work right away. There are situations where the time and effort required to respond to an RFP may not be justified. Therefore, review the RFP carefully before you start responding. More information on how to make a decision can be found in our article “4 Questions to ask before responding to an RFP”.
2. Well planned is half the battle
Once the decision has been made to respond to an RFP, the process should be planned:
The content
The first concern is the content. Use your knowledge database to prepare answers to frequently asked questions. If you do not have a knowledge database yet, you can review your most recent RFP responses for valid answers. Surely some passages from previous answers can be reused in this RFP. This will save you and your team valuable time. Also, highlight areas where expert support is needed and make a list of the required departments
The timeline
Once it is clear which content is needed, create a timeline. Here, the responsibilities of the contributors and the deadlines to be met are defined. Try to plan in some extra time, especially if you are working with team members or experts new to the process.
3. Customized responses
After the plan is set, it is time for the actual response. For questions that are completely new or require the knowledge of an expert, information is now requested and appropriate content is created. For responses to frequently asked questions, use your knowledge base or previous RFP answers. However, caution is necessary when using older content, as many mistakes occur when copying and pasting are done quickly.
If you reuse content, do not forget to customize your responses for the specific offer. For example, if you know that your potential customer is very concerned about compliance, you can add extra details to your standard answers here or highlight the compliance statements more prominently in the description of your proposed solution.
4. Final review
After your new and old responses have been compiled and personalized, it is time for a final review. While you do not always have much time when dealing with tenders at short notice, even a quick proofread will have a positive impact on the quality of your answers. The consistency, comprehensibility, and convincing power of your answers should always be kept in mind.
Ultimately, everyone involved in the RFP response process is working towards a single goal: winning new business. Follow these 4 steps on the way to successful RFP responses in order to make your work pay off.
Your partner for all RFP responses
For more effective responses in the future, it makes sense to add a member to your team: RFP software! With the right software solution, you can save time, avoid mistakes, and improve teamwork. The result: increased quality in the responses you write – and thus increased chances of success. Has your company already automated the RFP process? If not, what are the barriers? Let’s see together how we can bring digital transformation to your company: schedule a demo now!
