Request for Proposal Form

A request for proposal form is used to ask another party to submit a proposal to provide their goods or services. The best request for proposal forms are highly detailed. It documents exactly what is needed and any other necessary information about the project. This helps the recipients of the request for proposal form determine whether they can adequately meet your needs.

What is a Request for Proposal Template (RFP)?

A request for proposal is used to submit a solicitation in the form of a bid for some type of commodity, service, asset, or property. It is typically used to get information about the proposed asset or service. This can include a history of the asset's ownership, financial information, information about the seller, or the product's availability.

A company may use a request for proposal to ask for services such as upgrading technological equipment, construction, or other services. This can ensure a business gets the best service providers and companies for the job. It also allows them to compare prices so they get an appropriate price for the assets or services.

To receive the best quality responses to your request for proposal, it is important to send a high quality request for proposal template. Your RFP document represents your company. When potential bidders view your request for proposal, they are deciding whether they will provide a response.  The best RFPs lead to the best proposals and right candidates, which lead to successful projects.

Components of a request for proposal template

A RFP template is a type of bidding request where an organization publicly announces that it would like a specific project completed.  The RFP invites companies who can perform the work to place bids for the work. The contract award goes to the proposal the provides the best value.  This process is typically used for more complex projects.

The RFP highlights all of the relevant terms and conditions of the contract and the bidding process.  It provides detailed information about what the bid should include and how it should be presented.

The RFP will normally include:

  • Project Name

  • Project overview

  • Background section - of company and business

  • Problem that needs to be solved/project goals

  • Principal point of contact

  • Budget

  • Evaluation criteria that will be used to select the winner

  • Description of the tasks that must be completed by the winning bidder

  • Format and proposal timeline

Why do you need an RFP?

Requests for proposal are important documents to invite potential contractors to submit proposals that offer solutions to your company.  An RFP informs and notifies potential contractors about the work that needs to be done in your company and encourages them to submit a proposal to meet those requirements.  An RFP lets potential collaborators know what you need and provides them with information that will allow them to provide better proposals.

When you publicly publish a request for proposals, you increase your chances of receiving a large number of responses to your request.  The RFP will help potential bidders better understand your requirements and respond with proposals that are tailored to fit your needs.

RFPs encourage competition between potential collaborators and is a good technique for ensuring that you receive the fairest price for the requested services.

Scope of Work vs. RFP

A scope of work (SOW) document is an agreement on the work to be performed on a project -- a map that guides the completion of the project. Therefore, a SOW is usually entered into after the RFP process has concluded, and a party has been chosen for the particular project. A SOW is a project scope statement used when working/collaborating with people outside a business/organization to avoid miscommunication, misinterpretations of expectations, presumptions, and/or disputes; a scope of work in project management is a project plan that details everything that will be completed for stakeholders. To be effective, a SOW must have explicit details, visualizations/examples, definitions of terminology, time for reviews and unexpected changes, and definitions of success.

Download a PDF or Word Template

Request For Proposal

Business Proposal

Sample Request for Proposal

+

Sample Request for Proposal

Create Request for Proposal Read Full Document