Dropping a poor Request for Proposal (RFP) into the marketplace will have one of two effects. If it is too generic, the reaction will be similar to dropping raw meat into a piranha tank. This gives the buyer a pile of boilerplate responses that are difficult to evaluate because they are so dissimilar. Nothing is tailored to the buyer’s needs and many irrelevant options are included. The price range will be all over the map.
If the RFP is too specific or overreaching, the reaction will be more like dropping soap into greasy water. This is the lonely silence of a disinterested vendor community. As my friend Dan said recently, “Catchall projects that start with everyone’s wish list from the last five years almost never succeed.” And he added, “We avoid RFP’s altogether.”
Producing, issuing, and evaluating the responses of an RFP is a project worthy of serious effort. It requires planning, focus, and expertise. Friends don’t let friends issue their own RFP. They recommend getting a professional involved who understands how suppliers think so that the result is a clear buying instrument. A clear and compelling statement of purchase intent will get the attention it deserves and command the respect of the best suppliers.