Creating a successful RFP starts with asking the right questions. You'll need input from key stakeholders, understanding of the vendor landscape, and clarity on how the project impacts your organization. The best RFPs combine project-specific questions with standard vendor questions. It takes effort, but it's worth it. You don't want to pick the wrong vendor after an extensive search.
In this guide, we'll cover why the right questions matter, how to gather input from your team, and which standard questions to ask vendors.
The importance of asking vendors the right questions
The purpose of a request for proposal is to make the supplier selection process easier. It gives you a clear view of what each vendor offers and helps you stay objective. When dealing with complex, high-value projects, asking the right questions combined with RFP weighted scoring works great. It makes sure your RFP results match your business priorities.
These benefits make RFPs the best tool for finding partners that give maximum value and minimum risk. However, everything depends on asking the right RFP questions.
Questions to ask yourself before you begin
Before you ask any RFP questions to vendors, ask yourself a few questions first. These questions will help your project start on the right foot and run smoothly.
Are you ready for an RFP?
Sometimes, an RFP isn't the best tool for your project. If you're just checking a price, finding the most qualified vendor, or gathering market information for planning, an RFP is not the way to go. You may need to first send a request for information (RFI), request for qualification (RFQ), or request for quotation (RFQ).
Even if you decide another RFX process works better as a first step, most of the advice here still applies. So keep reading for helpful tips on RFQ and RFI questions to ask vendors.
Who will serve as the procurement manager or project lead?
The RFP process can be complicated. It's important to make sure everyone knows their role, including who is responsible for moving the process forward. This information matters for your internal team and for vendors who may have questions.
Which teams and individuals will serve as stakeholders and evaluators?
Every procurement project needs input from the department making the request. Most also need additional teams and individuals to set requirements, review vendor responses, and approve terms or contracts. For example, many RFPs involve IT, procurement, and legal departments. The earlier you include them, the better. Using a RACI matrix to clarify roles and responsibilities helps a lot.
Questions for your team and stakeholders
Now that you've decided an RFP is the right tool and identified your stakeholders, you're one step closer to writing an effective RFP. It's time to tap into the knowledge and expertise of your team through stakeholder interviews.
The goal here is to identify your key needs and wants, which will determine your RFP criteria. Then, with that information, you can build a project scope that guides your RFP creation. Defining your scope at the start saves you countless problems later.
What is the project budget?
While price shouldn't be your only consideration, it's always important. Set your financial expectations and limits early on. Otherwise, you risk falling in love with a solution you can't afford. Remember, get input and approval from your executives about your budget before you start looking for providers.
What are the end goals of the project?
Clearly define the problem you're trying to solve and what the ideal solution looks like. Ask stakeholders what success means. Would it be a more efficient process, a better quality product, or an improved outcome? What factors about the product or service help achieve that goal?
What factors are crucial deal breakers?
Ask your team what would immediately remove a candidate from consideration. This will help speed up the evaluation process. Here are some common deal breakers:
Critical audit findings
Failure to meet security standards
Lack of defined policies or procedures
Can't meet budget or timeline requirements
Use of unvetted sub-contractors
Customer support concerns (outsourced, language barrier, etc.)
Lack of client references
Custom development required
Which factors of the product or service are most important?
First, brainstorm with your stakeholders to create a list of available features and functions. Then, label each item by priority: must have, nice to have, future need, or not in scope. This list will help keep you from getting distracted by flashy features. It will also make the selection process easier and keep your project within budget.
Will the RFP be a multi-step process?
What steps will your RFP process include? Will the RFP be comprehensive and stand alone? Or will the process start with an RFQ, move to an RFP lite, and end with RFP presentations for the shortlisted finalists?
The multi-step approach makes the process easier for everyone. Starting by qualifying vendors requires less effort from interested vendors and encourages more to participate. Gather initial information by asking RFI questions to vendors. Ask deal breaker questions early to narrow the field. Then, when you have four to seven vendors left, move to the full RFP. At this stage, you can ask more detailed questions and vendors feel more invested.
How will vendors be evaluated and scored?
One common mistake is not finalizing the evaluation and scoring system before sending an RFI/RFP. This creates problems for your team and for your suppliers. After all, how can you measure success if you're not sure what you're assessing? Also, how can vendors create good proposals if they don't know how they'll be judged?
After you work with your team to answer these questions, you can start writing your RFP. Remember, all the information you've collected helps your process and is also valuable to your vendors. Include as much information, background, and context as possible to get relevant, insightful responses.
Questions to ask your vendors
Now it's time to put your RFP questions for vendors together. Use the information from your internal discussions and research to create custom sections and questions. In most cases, ask a mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions. This gives vendors room to impress you while also providing some easy-to-score responses.
Along with the standard RFP questions below, include questions based on stakeholder feedback and category-specific questions.
Discover industry-specific RFP questions
Your vendors are experts in their field and usually eager to help you build your RFP. Many vendors have an RFP template they can share with prospects. When you read it, you'll discover questions you may not have thought to ask. However, watch out for questions that seem to heavily favor the vendor who provided the template. If you prefer an unbiased industry expert on your side, consider hiring an RFP consultant, posting in industry forums, LinkedIn groups, and trade publications.
Standard RFP questions for vendors
Here are some essential questions you should ask every vendor, regardless of your industry or project type.
Who is your competition?
This question matters for two reasons. First, is the company honest? How they answer tells you a lot about how they do business. If they won't say who their competitors are or why they lose to them, you might question their transparency. Second, have you considered their competitors for the project? If they mention a company you haven't included in your RFP, research whether their competitor is a better option.
How will your customer success team help us meet our goals?
Successful supplier relationship management is an ongoing process. One of the biggest factors in long-term project success is having the support you need to reach your goals. So it's important to ask customer success questions. What is the implementation timeline? Who handles training and onboarding? Are there extra fees for support? How and when can your team contact a customer success representative?
Can we reach out to references and see case studies similar to our use case?
Reference questions let you hear feedback directly. Talking with a current customer is a great way to get an unfiltered view of the product or service. You can ask what went well, what they'd do differently, and what advice they have for you. If you can't talk directly to a customer, ask for relevant case studies. Then, ask follow-up questions about any differences between your use case and the case studies they provide.
How will you protect our organization from risk?
Security questions should always be part of your vendor review process. To understand what's required, ask your IT team what they need to know for success. Are certain certifications or security standards required? How are communications handled? Also, make sure there's ongoing compliance with security requirements.
How Wonit can help
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