Are You Dreading that RFP?

Who in the world likes creating a Request for Proposal (RFP)? It’s painful! It’s a lot of detail! And when were you ever trained on how to do it right anyway?

You have to be kinda sick to groove on RFP design and development.

OK. I’m sick.

The fact is, I suffered on the vendor side for years, creating proposals, sorting through the good, the bad, and the ugly of RFPs. I know how vital a good RFP is – a huge factor in the success of any training development project is a comprehensive, strategically-focused, well-designed and clearly written RFP. With a good RFP, a client can intelligently compare “apples for apples” proposals. With a good RFP, a client and a vendor/partner can actually communicate on how the project will unfold. Without it, misunderstandings and project creep are almost inevitable.

I’m just finishing up a project with a client designing an RFP template, and writing some RFPs for learning systems. I like it, because it gets down to articulating strategy, injecting creativity, and making a workable blueprint. In a sense, it’s architectural design, using ideas and words. Love it. A bit sick, I know. But as my client said on the phone this afternoon, “You’re really good at this!”

The fact is, vendors really prefer to know what you want, in the most complete terms possible. I’ve been in those shoes for years, so I know what vendor/partners are looking for, and how to spell it out in a document that communicates clearly.

So, if you’re dreading that RFP, or perhaps want to build a more comprehensive RFP process, give us a call here at Impactiviti (973.947.7429). And, if you’d like to talk about a workshop for your training managers on Vendor/Project management (which includes RFP development), let us know.

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