Bidding on an RFP is different than being asked to provide a quote on a project. There are many similarities but RFP's must be treated differently if you expect to win them. In general they are a much longer process, ask for greater detail with respect to background information on your company and ask you to spell out in detail how you will go about providing a solution to their problem or needs.
##Why do companies issue RFP's?
In general they are issued to capture the widest possible range of responses and to flush out certain details of the project before the actual buying phase. For this reason, RFP's can be time consuming to respond to and sometimes end in no business at all, that's why it's import to understand what phase the RFP is being issued in. Is it the **project study phase** or the actual **procurement phase**. (Hint the RFP will usually detail this in the beginning)
Most often RFP's are issued by goverment orgranizations or large companies wanting several bids on project. They follow a pretty standard structure and will spell out in detail how the company would like the prospective bidders to respond.
##RFP's aren't always judged on price.
Companies will often issue RFP's to find the right fit in a business partner. It's expected that bidders will do their research and show their understanding of the clients particular business needs. I was recently involved in a Marketing RFP where the client disclosed the budget of their project and was simply looking for the right "partner". In our response to the RFP we had to demonstrate understanding of the cleints product, their target market and also their brand if we were to get the business. We were careful to use the same language and tone as our client and even used graphics that were similar to the ones on their website. (This is called mirroring in sales).
Here is a [link](http://www.cowichantribes.com/resources/Social%20Media%20Request%20for%20Proposal%20May%202013%20V2_1.pdf "RFP Document") to a typical (but short) RFP from a community group wishing to add a social media presence to their on line activities. Note that the RFP spells out the exact judgment criteria and asks for a very specific description of how the prospective company will complete the work including project deliverables and times. (Something QuoteRobot excells at via our templates ).
We hoped you've learned something and as always welcome comments or questions on this or any other topic related to QuoteRobot.
