Best request for proposal software for small businesses: Products, use cases, and FAQs

You'll want to make sure the best request for proposal software you choose helps you, your proposal team, your sales team, and everyone at your organization achieve your goals and save time.

Here's a list of the four best request for proposal software solutions:

Loopio

Loopio entered the market as an RFP solution and just recently expanded to support additional types of information requests like RFIs, DDQs, and security questionnaires. Though it has an impressive slate of collaboration features, Loopio’s AI tools and integrations are limited. Reviewers note that its functionality leaves a lot to be desired with results that don’t always offer meaningful value.

Additionally, Loopio’s content features are lackluster. Users report challenges with basic content and collaboration functionality like importing, formatting and task assignment.

Ombud

Ombud markets itself as an “orchestrated RevOps platform,” but it’s designed primarily for enterprise-level teams. Its core functionality relies heavily on AI, bringing key efficiencies to the response management process.

Ombud is a good solution if your primary pain point is response generation, but its content and collaboration features are not as strong as some other solutions, like Responsive. Additionally, as an enterprise solution, Ombud is likely not a good or cost-effective solution for small businesses.

Qvidian

Qvidian was founded nearly 50 years ago as an RFP solution and only recently expanded its feature set to include other information requests. Its age is a drawback for many users – reviews indicate that the Qvidian interface feels dated and is clunky to use.

Additionally, users complain about Qvidian’s mediocre integrations and AI functionality. Qvidian offers few out-of-the-box integrations, making collaboration difficult. Its AI features are flawed, with many users complaining about inaccurate content recommendations through its “Auto-Answer” technology, which does not leverage machine learning technologies – unlike Responsive.

Responsive

Responsive is the industry leading and best request for proposal software for both small businesses and enterprises. It's the #1 RFP software solution according to G2 for four years and counting and is trusted by companies across virtually every industry around the globe.

Responsive is the only request for proposal software solution that offers in-platform collaborative editing, content translation, content analysis, information profiles and more. Additionally, it's consistently first to market with robust integrations and the latest AI features to work seamlessly and save time. Intelligent features like LookUp, built-in analytics, leading AI tech and native integrations enable organizations of all sizes to win more bids with significantly less effort with Responsive—making it the best choice for small businesses.

Core features of the best request for proposal software for small businesses

The best request for proposal software turns a highly manual process into one that's boosted by time-saving automation. Here are some key features to look for to reinvent your RFP response process.

AI-enabled support

The best RFP software for small businesses will come with generative AI tools natively integrated. You can accomplish a lot with this AI-enabled support, which can write an entire proposal draft for you just from a single prompt. Whether you want to use AI to clear your writers’ block, ideate various answers, or to do the bulk of the writing for you, this machine support is a game changer to the response management process.

Knowledge management

Perhaps the most taxing part of proposal management is hunting for the right answers. RFPs ask about almost every aspect of your business, and finding the right documentation to support your answers can sometimes feel like a treasure hunt, especially if your business doesn’t have an organized storage solution.

One of the key advantages of RFP software is that it becomes your business’s centralized content library and knowledge base.

For example: DXP solution Crownpeak increased efficiency by 1000% (yes, that’s four zeroes) and saw a 6x ROI in just a few months using a knowledge base.

Seamless collaboration

Responding to RFPs is rarely an independent effort. Almost always, you’ll have to work with several subject matter experts (SMEs) at your company who can offer their expertise in a particular aspect of your business.

Solutions like Responsive integrate with all productivity tools (like Slack), so SMEs get a ping when their participation is needed. Then, they can just hop into the platform to directly add their contributions to a proposal.

For example: HALO Recognition increased their RFP proposal volume by 25% by streamlining collaboration.

Branding and visuals

Oftentimes, the difference between a good proposal and a winning one comes down to presentation. For small businesses that don’t have resources to support teams of graphic designers, creating a visually impactful proposal is often a challenge.

RFP software for small businesses will do this work for you. The best platforms will have branded templates that can help your business stand out from the competition. Additionally, the best RFP solutions will also be able to generate visuals to support your narratives. A proposal with tables, figures, charts, and images is scannable, making it easier for the reader to digest the material – enhancing its impact. This translates to a higher win rate and ultimately more revenue for your business.

Use cases for the best request for proposal software

Storing and organizing internal knowledge

Just like the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, a content library is essential to any of the best request for proposal software.

The content library consolidates subject matter expertise in one place. Then, the next time a new RFP opportunity pops up in your inbox, you’ll be able to tackle commonly seen questions in one fell swoop.

The more efficiently you can respond to RFPs, the more time you and your team have to work on other projects—be it building relationships with customers, creating sales collateral, or responding to more RFPs.

Keeping projects on track

RFPs and other business proposals are often the most collaborative activity an organization undertakes. When you’re working at a small company, it’s possible that everyone at your organization will be involved, in part, in a response to an RFP.

When your team adopts business proposal software, it means you’ll no longer be managing proposals via email, Teams, Slack, or spreadsheets.

Most of the best request for proposal software comes with built-in project management features, including:

• Importing RFPs onto the platform in Word, Excel, or pdf format
• Assigning questions and/or sections to key collaborators
• Automated reminders
• Sequential review cycles
• Exporting to source file
• E-Signature

Seamless collaboration

In addition to project management features, the best request for proposal software also streamlines collaboration with in-app commenting and @mentioning.

When all proposal-related conversations are in one place, you can make sure your organization stays aligned on proposals (and declutter your inbox in the process).

When you’re ready to evaluate vendors, be sure to demo the various platforms. You’ll want to find something that’s powerful enough to suit your needs, but intuitive enough to make sure your small team can get ramped up in no time.

Make data-driven decisions

The best request for proposal software comes with built-in dashboards and analytics, giving you the insights you need to minimize risk and enhance efficiency.

If you do it right, data-driven management helps sales teams sell smarter. It can also provide insights into how proposal teams can identify—then either avoid or plan around—process challenges, such as resource management challenges, reduced ROI, missing deadlines, and inefficient content development.

Integrate into your existing tech stack

The final component of the best request for proposal software is the ability to integrate into your sales tech ecosystem.

Since responding to RFPs is a key part of the sales process, it's critical that the best request for proposal software you choose is able to smoothly integrate into your tech stack.

This is especially important when working on a small team that doesn't have the bandwidth to manually update your request for proposal software to work in-sync with your CRM, like Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, or Hubspot.

Choosing the best request for proposal software for your small business

As you’re making your decision, here are some software selection steps you can follow:

Evaluate your pain points

Before you commit to an annual subscription to the best request for proposal software, schedule a meeting with any stakeholders in the proposal process. This includes subject matter experts, sales reps, and bid writers.

Leave the meeting with a clear understanding of the main goals you hope to achieve.

Your final list could simply be a bullet list, like:

• Improve collaboration on business proposals without relying on color-coded Word docs
• Consolidate answers to common RFP questions in one place, so SMEs aren’t answering the same question over and over again
• Create visibility, so leadership can easily check on proposal status

Determine your must-haves

Once you determine key goals for your proposal program, you need to prioritize the best request for proposal software features. Divide features into two columns—"must-have" and "nice-to-have".

If you want to make it easy for everyone to get up-and-running in the tool, an intuitive user interface might be a “must-have”. If your sales team lives in your CRM, an integration with Salesforce or Dynamics might be “nice-to-have”.

Compare customer reviews

Just like you might check Yelp before you head to an unfamiliar restaurant, reading through reviews from verified customers on platforms like G2 should absolutely factor into your decision making process.

On G2, you can also sort reviews by company size, user role, industries, and region—so you can find reviews from users just like you.

Here is a screenshot of comparing four of the best request for proposal software solutions:

Check on the full comparison on G2.

Test out the product and services

When you’re ready to evaluate vendors, be sure to demo the various platforms.  Bring your priority feature list, along with a list of questions you want answered. You’ll want to find something that’s powerful enough to suit your needs, but intuitive enough to make sure your small team can get ramped up in no time.

FAQs about the best request for proposal software options for small businesses

What are the primary benefits of using the best request for proposal software for small businesses?

The best request for proposal software significantly streamlines the proposal process, allowing small businesses to respond to more RFPs in less time and with greater efficiency. It centralizes knowledge, fosters seamless collaboration among team members, and helps level the playing field against larger competitors. This ultimately leads to higher win rates and increased revenue.

What essential features should small businesses prioritize in the best request for proposal software?

Small businesses should look for the best request for proposal software with AI-enabled support for quick content generation, robust knowledge management for a centralized content library, and seamless collaboration tools like in-app tagging for subject matter experts. Branding and visual capabilities are also important for creating professional, impactful proposals, along with integrations into existing tech stacks like CRMs.

What common challenges can the best request for proposal software help small businesses overcome?

The best request for proposal software helps small businesses overcome the time-consuming nature of proposal writing by automating repetitive tasks and providing quick access to information. It eliminates the chaos of managing contributions from multiple subject matter experts and ensures consistent branding without needing dedicated design resources. The software also helps address the disadvantage small businesses often face against larger organizations with dedicated proposal teams.

How can small businesses choose the best request for proposal software for their needs?

Small businesses should start by evaluating their specific pain points and defining clear goals for implementing the best request for proposal software. Prioritize "must-have" features like intuitive interfaces and necessary integrations, while distinguishing them from "nice-to-have" functionalities. Comparing customer reviews on platforms like G2 and conducting product demos are crucial steps to ensure the chosen solution aligns with their operational needs and team capabilities.

What should my proposal team look like?

If you’re a small organization, you might have 1- or 2-member proposal team, or sales reps could be responsible for creating their own sales proposals. Either your proposal team or your sales rep should own the proposal process, and reach out to subject matter experts on other teams (e.g. product, engineering, security, marketing, legal, etc.) for help on specific questions.

How do you write a good business proposal with the best request for proposal software?

Writing a good business proposal starts with a strong process. The best request for proposal software simplifies that process, making it easier to collaborate with an extended team. With automated processes for scheduling, collaboration, and completing wide swaths of massive RFPs using answer libraries, you can blaze through the first pass of a response faster than working without software.

Here's a quick overview of how you can write a good business proposal with the best request for proposal software:

1. Qualify the bid — Check data from past similar RFPs. What took weeks without the best request for proposal software may only take hours with it. All things equal, is this RFP winnable?
2. Understand requirements — Let the tool create a checklist of open items based on what remains after the automated first pass conducted at intake by your Content Library.
3. Answer commonly seen questions — RFP technology consolidates all your previous Q&A pairs into an intelligent Content Library, so you can automatically respond to repeat questions in just a few clicks.
4. Assign due dates and tasks to key collaborators — Assign each RFP question or section as a task to individual collaborators from the project dashboard in Responsive. They’ll then receive a notification from where they’re already working (e.g. email, Slack, or Teams).
5. Assign questions for review and approval — Simplify the review and approval process with automated reminders and cues across multiple platforms.
6. Polish — From intake, work within a branded template and support answers with approved content that’s always up-to-date according to the SME in charge of that content.
7. Proofread — Still important, but working with already-approved content will decrease how much you have to proofread.
8. Submit to issuer — Push send from Responsive or your integrated CRM

How does the best request for proposal software support my process?

The best request for proposal software supports your proposal process and makes it easier to manage your RFP project and review everything in one place. With the right software in place, you're able to assign tasks to authors and reviewers, assign content owners, and keep content organized and up-to-date.

If you’re a 1- or 2-person proposal team, software helps you provide enterprise-level support to your sales team. If you’re a sales rep responsible for managing your own RFPs, software helps you automatically respond to commonly seen questions—so you can focus on building customer relationships and closing deals.

How does the best request for proposal software provide efficient collaboration?

Since fewer people are involved in the response process at smaller organizations, each person's time is extremely valuable. The best request for proposal software gives you the ability to share information across various platforms. Content and assignments are seamlessly integrated into one platform, without the need for cumbersome reformatting, converting, and importing/exporting tasks.

How long does it take to implement the best request for proposal software?

The answer everyone hates: It depends. If you’re a small team with a lot of bandwidth to upload and organize your content, you could be up-and-running in less than a month.

But the more bells and whistles you add on—things like integrations with Salesforce, Slack, or SSO—the longer it takes. The more users you have, the longer it takes. The more complicated your process is, the longer it takes. The less bandwidth your team has to upload and organize your content, the longer it takes.