This section of the Request for Proposal (RFP) should provide a high-level description of what the request for proposal is for and the purpose of the requirement. It may provide background information of the organization requesting proposals as well. Most of the requirement details will be included in subsequent sections of the document.

2. Proposal Guidelines

This section of the Request for Proposal should provide a description of what each responding organization’s proposal should contain. It should also include a timeline within which all proposals must be submitted. Any requirements that must be included in each proposal should be described in detail in this section of the RFP.

3. Project Purpose and Description

This section of the Request for Proposal should provide the purpose and description of the project or work to be performed in as much detail as possible. In order for companies to submit accurate proposals, they need the details of exactly what work needs to be performed and the purpose of the work. The purpose of the work is important because sometimes bidders may be able to provide different but more effective solutions.

The purpose of this project is as follows:

Project Description:

4. Project Scope

While the project description provides bidders with general information about the project, this part of the Request for Proposal should include detail of what exactly is required for the project as well as what is not included as part of the project. In addition to the description of the project, this section should detail any additional work required to achieve the desired result (i.e. research, coding, etc.).

5. Request for Proposal and Project Timeline

The Request for Proposal should provide known information about the timeline for the RFP process as well as the project itself. Much of the project timeline will be determined in the project initiation and planning phases once the winning bidder is chosen. However, any known deadlines or timeframes should be listed in this section.

Request for Proposal Timeline:

Project Timeline:

6. Budget

This section of the Request for Proposal should explain what bidders include in their proposals regarding budget items. Often, an RFP will ask bidders to list pricing a certain way or describe what exactly should be included in the pricing for the proposal. This may describe specific items to include or exclude depending on the project or task.

7. Bidder Qualifications

This part of the Request for Proposal should describe the criteria that will comprise the successful bidder’s organization. You may solicit examples of work from bidders, contact information for follow on questioning, company history, executive background, information on company size, organizational charts, or any other number of information to aid in the decision-making process.

8. Proposal Evaluation Criteria

Here the Request for Proposal should describe exactly how proposals will be evaluated. It should include a list of criteria that will be reviewed and describe what is suitable for each of the criteria. The more detail that can be included, the more thorough and complete the proposals should be.

9. Resumes

In this part of the proposal you should include text explaining the format of the resumes (if applicable), and what resumes should be included i.e. key staff, subcontractor partners.

10. Appendices

In this part of the RFP you should include what can or should be provided as supplemental materials.

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