This is a
very common query that will asked by many when they write the response
to a RFP. There are the standard responses that one can give like read the
RFP well, respond to the technical section very precisely etc. etc. However, I
will start with a very contrarian point that most of us are aware of but do not
give much attention.
Know the Customer Well
Knowing
the background of the RFP from a ‘friendly’ customer is very important. There
have been occasions when it is already pre-decided that the award will be done
to the existing vendor because it is an extension of the work that they are
already doing but when the client floats the RFP there are multiple vendors who
respond to it. If this information is somehow known then it does not make sense
to respond to the RFP by giving all your efforts. The best that can be done is
to do a copy and paste response just for the sake of doing it. However, there
can be occasions when the existing vendor may not have the skill sets that is
required and a RFP is floated for the purpose. In that scenario, the new
vendors should put it all that they have and try to get a foothold in the
company no matter how small the deal may be.
There are
RFP’s floated by large Government organizations in Information Technology,
Medical Resources etc. wherein more than one company are shortlisted. In some
cases, there are more than hundred companies that are empanelled to provide
services and these contracts are for multiple years. The budget outlined for
these contracts are large which makes a good chance for all winners to have a
slice of the pie. These RFP’s are generally floated after a gap of four years
or at the end of the contract period so it is a good chance for companies to
win such RFP’s.
Be Transparent
Transparency
is another important factor that respondents should adhere to in an RFP response.
If you are a 4 member team, tell that in the RFP upfront but have a very well
detailed plan as to how you plan to complete the project if you are awarded.
Many companies are skeptical to award a project to a small player no matter how
good you are at the job but if you want to win, you need to give in your best
and provide a truthful response. To build a working relationship with a new
partner, you need to be open about your team so that you do not fall in a
situation wherein you are not able to defend yourself and your company at a
later stage. Describe your company’s vision and mission, and who is involved.
Plug in your USP’s and mention why you are better bet than the competition.
Show your Capabilities
Another
factor I very strongly believe in is not to fail at the beginning. True you
might be up against giants but that does not necessarily make you any less than
them in terms of your deliverable. If you have reached the RFP stage then you
are as good as the rest of them if not better. If you lose the psychological
advantage even before writing the RFPresponse then
you have already lost the game. See where you are facing challenges after
reading the complete document. Do not take any shortcuts. Please try and read
the entire document especially if you are responding to the client for the
first time.
You can
face challenges in multiple sections. It can be Health and Safety at Work,
Contractual Mobilization, Quality Control etc. For each of these
sections, you have to understand and curate the content to make it appropriate
for the response. The way to resolve this is to understand the situation very
well by reading the RFP and also referring to existing material and aligning
the responses to the queries put in the RFP.
Customize the RFP very well and ensure High Quality
Finally 2
very important points that will make your RFP stand-out. Refrain from a cut and
paste job. Please remember every response is unique. Even if you are mentioning
about the high points about your service, try and map it to the RFP
requirements rather than simply taking it from the last one you responded. This
will clearly help you to stand out. Provide proof of all required documents. If
you are asked about your financial statements, client credentials etc. you will
need to provide them in the format as asked and close the response. All these
factors taken together can help you to create a winning response.
The
quality of the RFP response should be very high. Every question that is asked
should be very well answered and satisfactory for the reviewer. To explain
points create new diagrams and pull up old diagrams from the repository. The
old diagrams can be customized and reused.
The most
relevant experiences/references should be showcased in the response. This in
most cases is the make and break section of the RFP. The experiences should be
very well explained with diagrams if possible to explain the technical aspects
of the solution.
Categorize
the proposal into different sections, such as marketing, technology, etc. This
will make it easy for the prospect to understand the different parts of the
proposal and the different activities being recommended. In each section, you
should list out the specific deliverables based upon what is precisely asked
for that section. In most RFP’s the response structure is clearly given. So all
we need to do is to follow that structure and deliver accordingly. Do not make
the response repetitive by including same information in multiple sections. It
can be a turn off!
Take note
of a section called Value Addition. In many RFP’s there is a standard section
for value addition. It is very important to show our value adds and how we are
offering more than the competition or we are different from the competition.
This section though not a core section can add immense value to the response.
This can
only be achieved when there is very good co-ordination between the team members
working on the response. Generally a standard RFP response can be anywhere
between 50 pages to 150 + pages. It becomes imperative in such cases that every
member deliver their part of the response in time so that it becomes easier for
the person who is managing the document. The tracker should be constantly updated to
keep track of how close the response is to completion.
Cover all Sections of the RFP
All the
mandatory sections of the RFP needs to be responded. The evaluation team has to
go through multiple responses so one way to disqualify a bidder is to see that
if they have omitted anything that is mandatory. I remember from one particular
experience even missing a small functionality led us being disqualified from a
very big opportunity. Please understand that the business world is ruthless,
there is no love and on a given day there can be only one winner. So your
response should be designed to win.
Commit
the resources required to complete the RFP within the timeline. Whether it is
responding to a RFP or any other deliverable, if you are able to dedicate a
little extra resource, the results will always come out great. While responding
to the RFP, apart from the technical and commercial person there should atleast
be a great technical writer or designer who can give the finishing touches to
the document and highlight any errors with respect to the language. This will
help you to get the brownie points that you were looking for.
The wins that
we have been able to secure for our clients came from different segments but
one thing that we have seen in common is the high quality of responses, capabilities
of the responding organization and the references that have been put forth in
the document. To know more about our RFP writing capabilities you can drop a mail at info@intelligentq.co.in
COMMENT(S)
LEAVE A REPLY