Every organization reaches a moment where scattered spreadsheets, Google Docs, and email threads just aren’t enough. Maybe it’s the stress of responding to your first big million-dollar RFP, or perhaps it’s the chaos of coordinating between growing sales, subject matter experts (SME), and bid or proposal teams.
Whatever the reason, you’re here because getting strategic about the RFP process matters. Whether you're issuing RFPs or responding to them, the stakes are higher than ever. Yet, the process can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re juggling tight timelines, a dozen reviewers, and an insurmountable mountain of details.
To help, we’ve prepared this guide to walk you through the full lifecycle of a successful RFP. From planning and creation to review and submission, you’ll find tips to avoid common pitfalls, streamline collaboration, and deliver responses that stand out. We’ve also included an overview of RFP checklists with examples you can bookmark or download to keep your team aligned.
Building a better RFP process has evolved beyond just creating a more efficient process. You must be more competitive now. Let’s break down how you can do both.
What is an RFP?
A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a formal document that organizations issue as part of their vendor selection process to solicit structured bids from vendors. It clarifies project goals, evaluation criteria, scope, schedule, and budget, enabling apples‑to‑apples comparisons.
Outside the United States, RFPs are also called tenders. Instead of “issuing an RFP,” organizations “run a tender.” Instead of “responding” to an RFP, vendors “bid” on a tender.
When to use RFPs (and when not to)
When you should use an RFP
- The project is complex, high‑value, or strategic (e.g., software selection, infrastructure, large‑scale services)
- You need comparable, structured vendor proposals
- Time and effort in procurement is justified by risk or deal size
When you should not use an RFP
If the scope is small or well‑defined, consider a Request for Information (RFI) or a Request for Quote (RFQ) instead. RFIs are more casual than RFQs and more generic than RFPs. RFQs are best suited for determining the cost of a product or service, and are generally a great way to illustrate everything your price tag includes and potential ROI.
When to respond to an RFP
There are several factors to consider when determining whether to respond to an RFP. We recommend that your standard RFP intake process include a go/no-go step. Considering time is also both valuable and scarce, we also recommend responding to RFPs that you know or feel confident you can win. Ask yourself:
- Is the RFP suitable for your organization and solution?
- Do you have a comprehensive solution that addresses all the challenges presented?
- Does your pricing match the budget?
- Do you have an existing or prior relationship with the issuing organization?
- Do you have any idea why the RFP has been issued?
- Can you meet the submission deadline?
The RFP process at a glance:
Below is a simplified overview of how the RFP process works, outlined in a three-phase flow that’s applicable whether you’re issuing or responding:
1. Creation & planning
- Issuers: Conduct stakeholder interviews and gather precise business requirements (BRD) to define goals, scope, evaluation criteria, and timeline.
- Responders: Evaluate opportunity via a bid/no‑bid checklist (fit, budget, timing, win probability).
2. Draft, issue, and manage
- Issuers: Use templates and a checklist to build the RFP, invite qualified vendors, and manage Q&A threads.
- Responders: Mobilize SMEs, assign questions, track deliverables, and structure content with bullet‑friendly, skimmable format.
3. Evaluation, shortlist, and selection
- Issuers: Use scoring guides/rubrics to evaluate vendor proposals and notify winners. Plan internal approvals when needed.
- Responders: Review, polish, and submit. Post-submission is when you track outcomes to inform future bids.
Why does RFP software matter?
RFP software falls into the response management software category, with a primary value of efficiency. Some organizations want to respond to more RFPs, while others want to improve response quality. Most want both.
How does RFP software help?
According to Responsive’s 2025 State of SRM Report, the leading organizations saw a 25% growth in revenue that was directly attributable to RFPs in the last year and an RFP win rate of 40% or higher.
The organizations that are leading the charge in the new AI era of strategic response management (SRM) are seeing an increased emphasis on RFPs. However, the above accomplishments are not met in isolation. This growth in revenue and win rate is met alongside evolving buyer behaviors and expectations that include:
- 84% of buyers report tighter budgets
- 82% of buyers expect faster response times
- 76% of buyers have a more stringent approval process
- 75% of buyers require a higher degree of personalization
“Meeting the buyer where they are — that’s the challenge. Buyers already have 70% of the information before they talk to us. They’re benchmarking. They’ve done their research. So for us, it’s about how fast we can respond, how relevant we can be, and how well we differentiate. If we’re too slow or too generic, we lose.”
Neel Shah
DVP of Commercial Operations at ADP
The full SRM report includes more data, and the full interview with Neel Shah, but the point is clear: buyers expect more from RFPs while spending less, with far more personalization and quicker response times. At the same time, bid and proposal teams are under increasing pressure from executives to deliver better results to drive increasing revenue.
Everyone is tasked with doing more in less time, and with how fast business deals are won or lost, it’s nearly impossible now to keep up without some form of automated platform and process that helps organizations of all sizes respond to a growing number of RFPs.
“If you’re in bids and proposals and you bury your head in the sand, you’re going to suffocate. Your sales colleagues are already using tools like ChatGPT or Copilot. If proposal professionals aren’t careful, we will be marginalized. Sales will go around us. That’s why I believe proposal teams need to own the knowledge, process, and quality. If your competitors are using generic prompts on ChatGPT and getting bland, vanilla outputs, and you’re curating high-quality reusable content, you’re going to win. That’s the way forward.”
Jon Williams
Managing Director of Strategic Proposals
For a more comprehensive list of the best RFP software available, complete with user reviews of the top solutions, check out our RFP software buyer’s guide.
What is an RFP checklist?
A Request for Proposal (RFP) checklist catalogs the steps, information, and documents required to create and complete an RFP. These checklists enable strategic sourcing and procurement managers to improve consistency, reduce risk, and organize the RFP process.
The two types of RFP checklists
As a procurement manager, you know the value of a clear, chronological checklist for managing the RFP process. Internally, it keeps your team aligned and on schedule. Externally, a checklist in your RFP helps vendors confirm they've met your requirements, improving response quality and compliance.
Vendor-facing checklists are handy for strategic sourcing RFPs with complex formats or documentation needs. This post primarily focuses on internal checklists for procurement teams, but you'll find examples of both below.
The benefits of an RFP checklist
Improve consistency
With hundreds of data points in every proposal, consistency is key, especially as procurement becomes more data-driven. A checklist helps standardize your process, ensuring every RFP follows the same structure and delivers comparable, reliable responses.
Centralize information
A checklist can act as a hub for key resources, linking to templates, scoring guides, and documents like requirements questionnaires or award letters. This saves time and keeps your process organized, especially if you're not using RFP software.
Reduce risk
Omitting key questions or policies can lead to compliance issues or missed requirements. A checklist ensures all essential criteria (such as vendor diversity or risk assessments) are included in every RFP.
Minimize addendums
Missed details often mean issuing last-minute addenda, slowing the process. A thorough checklist helps prevent oversights and keeps your RFP complete from the start.
Combined RFP checklist (for issuers and responders)
Phase | Issuer checklist | Responder checklist |
Pre-launch / Bid decision | • Interview stakeholders • Define scope, budget, criteria • Draft BRD/business requirements document | • Go/no‑bid decision: budget, fit, resource availability, timeline |
RFP drafting | • Use template with overview, timeline, deliverables, and evaluation methods | • Map internal SMEs to questions • Pull standardized answers from the content library |
RFP issuance & Q&A | • Share RFP with vendors • Publish FAQ log and clarify vendor questions | • Record internal questions and feedback • Review RFP for format, clarity |
Response development | – | • Type responses in skimmable format: bullets, call‑outs, metrics, customer quotes |
Review and finalize | • Set internal approval process• Run final quality review | • Proofread, consistency, and tone check • Peer review and finalize |
Evaluation/submission | • Use scoring guide or rubric • Notify winners and notify declined vendors | • Submit via proper channel • Follow up after submission for feedback |
Post‑process & optimization | • Document lessons learned, refine templates | • Capture feedback on lost bids, update content library |
RFP checklist best practices and pro tips
Put the client first
Craft every answer with the client’s needs in mind. Make it clear how you solve their problem, not how great you are as a solution.
Keep it scannable
Use bullets, clear headings, and short paragraphs. Avoid dense blocks of text. Proposals and RFPs should be easy to browse on tight evaluation timelines.
Leverage templates and content libraries
Collect standard company history, security policies, customer metrics, and team profiles in one centralized template. Domain‑agnostic RFPs often reuse up to 80% of content.
Use checklists regularly
Don’t rely on memory. Checklists protect against oversights, from omissions in evaluation to missing sections in submissions.
Automate with SRM software
Modern response management tools help centralize content, automate formatting, track approvals, and flag missing responses. Teams report up to 80 % faster turnaround and higher win rates with tools like Responsive.
Sample RFP checklists
Below, you’ll find a curated list of RFP checklists divided into a section for procurement managers and a section for vendors.
Checklists for procurement and sourcing managers
Lemler Group RFP checklist - While this RFP checklist from Lemler Group is for a specific type of project, it’s an example of how you can add some simple design elements to make the list more straightforward to use.
California Office of Historic Preservation – This example from California is concise, at just a page long, and covers just the basics. For a simple RFP, this checklist should do the trick.
State of Rhode Island - This sourcing checklist from Rhode Island offers a clear, organized, and thorough walkthrough of the steps required to initiate and manage a procurement project.
Checklists for vendors
State of Alaska - Provided as a courtesy for prospective vendors, this checklist helps to ensure that proposal submissions meet all the general RFP requirements.
Avondale – This vendor proposal checklist provides a combination of tasks and required documents to help vendors offer a complete and compliant proposal.
Everyone wins when you use an RFP checklist. Your process is more organized, and your vendors have everything they need. RFP checklists are a great way to ensure efficiency and protect your business with minimal additional effort required.