That was what I had originally envisioned for this post. A list of questions to consider before you commit to expending the time (as well as covering the hard costs for travel, etc.) associated with a serious RFP response. Maybe even ten questions. After all, people do like lists.

As I got into it however, I started thinking about how I have come to approach this decision-making process over the years. And I realized that all of the questions I had in mind were really just variations on one big question:

Why would the client choose your firm over other respondents?

For example:

If it is an out-of-town project, and there are qualified local firms that offer the requested services, why would the client choose you over the local options?

Is it the continuation of an ongoing project, or the implementation of a plan that was developed by another firm? If so, why would the client choose you over the firm with previous experience on the project?

If you didn’t help the client write the RFP, and it looks as though someone else did, why would they choose you over the firm that gave them the assistance?

If it is a price-sensitive client, and your firm charges premium fees, why would they choose you over the less expensive alternatives? Can you make a compelling case for why your services are worth more? Do they even have the ability to take that into account? Or are they required to hire the low bidder?

Are there other firms who have done this exact same type of project for organizations just like the client? Or even worse, the client’s competitors? Many clients see safety in hiring that kind of familiarity, rather than using their imagination to picture how non-specific experience might be relevant to their project. Will you be able to convince them that it is?

Is the project big enough to attract the attention of “superstar” firms? What can you offer the client to offset the appeal of a big name?

Hopefully you are already on one of these “inside tracks.” You’re the local favorite. The firm that helped them write the RFP. The one who worked with their competitors. Or even the superstar firm. Even if you are, however, you need to be aware that there might be respondents that fall into some of the other categories themselves, and you need to be ready to preemptively offset those threats.

And if you aren’t any of those things – you’re just someone who found the RFP through FindRFP, or through another method of monitoring RFP opportunities, and you need the work – then you need to give some serious thought to what you are going to do to level the playing field.

Photo by DraconisVH.

Very thorough, yet concise, and has a flow that makes it clear that it wasn’t just pasted together at the last minute. Well worth checking out.

This isn’t surprising, of course, because there are a lot things you can learn by looking at how other firms handle their proposals, even if they were prepared for a type of project very different from what you are pursuing. You can get some insight into how other people show project schedules, how much detail they include in descriptions of previous experience, what information they include in resumes, whether their scope descriptions are narratives or lists, how they organize their fees, and how closely they adhere to the technical requirements of the RFP.

Unfortunately, examples of previously produced RFP responses aren’t always easy to find. Even though most RFP responses for government/public projects become public information once they are opened, very few organizations have systems in place to make these responses available over the Internet. And even when they are available, it takes some creative searching (and a little luck) to find them.

Since I do run across examples of RFP and RFQ responses on occasion, I am going to try posting links to them as I find them, and I hope that some of you will consider sharing your discoveries as well.

The first installation of this series is an assortment of responses to a request for proposals issued in July 2006 by Piedmont, California for a Piedmont Civic Center Master Plan. The responses from five firms, along with the original RFP (Civic Center RFP.pdf), can be downloaded from this directory on the City of Piedmont’s website. Note that some of the responses are broken up into multiple PDFs, so you will need to download multiple files if you want to see all of them.

FYI, I believe that the team led by Fisher-Friedman Associates was the winner.

The responses – almost all negative – made me think more about my own opinions on this topic, which I touched on a few weeks ago in a post about responding to RFPs.

While I’m definitely more open to the possibility of there being value in speculative work than most of these interviewees, I agree that it’s not right in every instance, and in some cases it’s a horrible idea. Unfortunately, the standard recommendation to just look at these situations on a “case-by-case” basis isn’t all that helpful, which led me come up with this simple rule of thumb:

When someone asks for spec work, don’t do it.

In other words, be wary of the following approaches from potential clients:

• We’re asking five firms to design/write/produce ________ for us, and the firms that presents the most appropriate solution will get the project.
• Why don’t you show me a couple of concepts, and if we like one of them we’ll buy it from you.

In the first approach, you are doing spec work that really isn’t going to give you a decisive competitive advantage, since the other firms are doing the work as well. Sure, maybe your work will be better and you’ll get the project, but in most of cases I don’t think the odds are favorable enough to justify risking your valuable resources on the effort.

I shouldn’t even have to tell you what’s wrong with the second approach, other than to point out that it’s getting dangerously close to the tactic that Mo Fuzz, played by Don Cornelious in the 1988 cult classic Tape Heads, uses to trick Tim Robbins and John Cusak into producing his record label’s music videos for free.

And the right time to do spec work?

The best time to do spec work is when the client isn’t asking for it, or even expecting it. By showing extra hunger for the project, and also giving the client an idea of how you work, you’ll yourself apart from the competition, which might make the extra effort worthwhile.

I’m not advocating this for every opportunity you pursue, but if it’s a project that you really want (or need), then don’t hesitate to do some research on the client’s customers or competitors, develop a strategic approach, or even produce some design concepts.

You’ll probably increase your chances of getting the job, and the fact that they didn’t ask for spec work also increases the likelihood that it’s someone with whom you’ll actually have an enjoyable, and profitable, relationship.

Photo by thatonecoolkid94.

Because these RFPs are issued by such a broad range of organizations, and cover so many different types of projects, the right assortment of tools are essential to finding the opportunities that are appropriate for your business, and finding enough of them that you will have a reasonable chance of actually winning some.

Here are a few of the methods that I have experimented with over the years, and the strengths and weaknesses of each.

1. Onvia

Onvia was my go-to RFP monitoring tool for a few years, until I tested it against Find RFP (below), and then switched over to that service completly. Even the cheapest Onvia package is far more expensive than other RFP monitoring services, and the charge goes up dramatically if you want nationwide coverage.

Like the other, less expensive, services, Onvia gets most of its information by scouring all of the websites that state and local governments use to post RFQs and RFPs. Onvia’s justification for their higher price is the extra research and market analysis services they provide, and the fact that they also include some private (non-government) bid opportunities. Both of these extra features, however, seemed to be aimed primarily at contractors and other companies in the construction industry, so unless you sell parabolic light fixtures, rent construction barricades, etc., it’s probably not worth the extra money.

2. Find RFP

As I mentioned above, I tested Find RFP against Onvia for several months before canceling my Onvia subscription, and I didn’t see any relevant opportunities on Onvia that weren’t also on Find RFP. Combine that with the fact that Find RFP was a lot cheaper ($29.95/month for national coverage) and it wasn’t a hard decision.

Governmentbids.com is similar to FindRFP, but I haven’t tested it before. FedOpps.com is another option that I haven’t tried, but it seems to have some additional features, and they don’t provide pricing on the website, so I am assuming that it is more expensive. Most of these services have free trial periods, so it might not be a bad idea to try more than one and see what works best for your business. If possible, try them simultaneously so that you can see if one is picking up opportunities that the others are missing.

One thing that I will suggest about any of these services is that you consider using a keyword search to tailor the RFPs you receive, instead of using industry codes. The industry codes are pretty vague in many cases, and it is very common for RFPs to be categorized incorrectly. And the more specialized or obscure your service is, the more important it is to use this approach. Don’t just pick an industry code that sounds close and hope it works, because if RFP writers select other codes then you won’t see those opportunities.

3. RFP Database

RFP Database is different from the other RFP services in that it relies on users to supply RFPs and RFQs, rather than pulling information from government sites. Members earn “credits” for submitting RFPs they have found in other places, and then use these credits to view RFPs submitted by others.

The good thing about this system is that it isn’t limited to government RFPs. Users can submit opportunities they find anywhere, so you will occasionally find things that don’t show up in the other services. The downside is that the coverage is not at all thorough, and opportunities can occasionally show up very close to the due date, which combine to make this mainly useful as a tool to augment another service such as Find RFP.

4. RFP Postings on Professional Organization Sites

Depending on your specialty, there is a chance that there is a professional organization out there that posts RFPs of interest to you on their website. I won’t try and list any here, since you probably know which organizations are relevant to you, but just as an example, here is the American Planning Association’s RFP/RFQ database.

Most of these sources aren’t going to notify you by email when a new opportunity is posted, so you’ll either have to set up a system to remind yourself to check these regularly, or use a tool like ChangeDetection.com to alert you when something is added to the page.

5. Local or State Government Purchasing Sites

The hundreds of sites that services such as Find RFP troll for their listings can also be accessed directly, generally for free. So if you have a particular geographic focus, it might be worthwhile to track down the RFP/RFQ areas of websites run by the state, city, and county governments for that area, as well as universities, hospitals, etc., and sign up to be notified of new opportunities that meet your criteria. Just go to these sites and root around looking for language like “doing business with us” or “resources for businesses.” The actual list may be called “bid listings,” “procurement opportunities,” etc., so don’t just look for “RFP” or “RFQ.”

The same rule about using keywords instead of industry/commodity codes that I mentioned in item 2 also applies here. Don’t set up a situation where you are depending on the RFP creator to categorize the RFP correctly.

6. Google Alerts

Setting up Google alerts for keywords such as “graphic design” and “RFP” or “interactive exhibits” and “RFQ” seems like a great idea, but my experience is that it really doesn’t work. Things seldom appear, and when they do it is often months, or even years, past the due date.

7. Twitter Search

No post these days would be complete without mentioning Twitter, and in this case it actually does seem to be more useful than Google for generating timely market intelligence. Most of the mentions of RFPs on Twitter seem to be people looking for them, but there are occasionally tweets with info about new opportunities.

You should probably have a standing Twitter search for phrases related to you industry anyway, and this should pick up any tweets about RFPs or RFQs. You might also try testing some RFP-specific phrases to see if that is worthwhile. There are a variety of options for creating these searches. My current favorite is TwitterSearch for iGoogle.

Putting it Together

My  recommendation is that you use a combined approach in order to see the maximum number of opportunities and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. Start by picking one of the inexpensive paid services like Find RFP to do most of the work for you, and then set up all of the free tools as you have time in order to provide some extra coverage. Since these RFPs are by definition “public,” there is a lot of competition, so you’ll need to see a lot of them to find the few that you really have a chance at. Taking a look at a large number of RFPs also gives you an chance to share the opportunities that aren’t right for you with friends and colleagues, which can be a great networking activity.

If you have other tools or tricks for finding public RFPs, feel free to share them in the comments.

Photo by rvaphotodude.

But what about the other end of the spectrum? The RFP that provides some background information, outlines a scope of work, and asks you to provide experience, team CVs, a basic work plan, and a fee. “Alright,” you think, “It’s about time I got an easy one.” (“Aboot time” if you’re Canadian.) Not so fast there, tough guy/gal. Remember that the goal here isn’t to get through the RFP, it’s to get the project. If that isn’t your goal, then maybe you shouldn’t be wasting your time with a response at all.

And if the goal really is to get the project, then you need to go after it like you want to win it. Because unless it’s a truly craptastic opportunity (a crapportunity?), you can bet that at least one other respondent is going to be approaching it in that fashion. Try imagining what you would do if you had just started out on your own, and this would be your first real project, or if your firm had to get this project to stay in business. Because for one or more of the other firms going after it, that may actually be what this project represents.

What might this kind of effort entail? How about some or all of the following:

• Ask questions. The RFP may be so clear that you think you don’t have any questions, but I’m sure that there is some piece of information that would enable you to make a more meaningful proposal if you had it. And the very act of asking also helps to establish you as a firm that is taking the RFP seriously. Just make sure that you aren’t asking dumb, irrelevant questions. The questions themselves should illustrate your understanding of the assignment.
• Customize the description of your project approach or proposed scope. Even if it’s a fairly straightforward assignment, requiring a very standard scope of services, look for ways to tailor the description of your approach to the project, rather than just cutting and pasting you standard language. It seems minor, but it helps to reiterate your interest in the project, and you would be surprised how many people don’t bother to do it.
• Talk to users, customers, or stakeholders. This is easier than it sounds, and it can make a big impact on the potential client. You don’t have to do the same kind of in-depth analysis that you would do if you actually got the project. Just a sampling will go a long way.
• Do some spec work, especially something that illustrates what you learned in the item above. I know that people hate it and resist doing it (and the hate and resistance seem to get stronger the further you move from the world of advertising, where speculative work has always been commonplace), but doing something on spec is probably the most powerful weapon you have in this process. I’m convinced that if there are two firms of even remotely comparable qualifications competing for a project, and one firm does speculative work and the other doesn’t, the firm that did the work will get the project every time. RFPs where one firm was preordained as the winner are an exception, of course, but that’s the subject for another post.

What are some of the excuses people use to justify not taking this kind of aggressive approach to their responses? Here are a few:

• The RFP specifically says that they aren’t looking for spec concepts or specific recommendations, just a description of our approach. Ignore that instruction. In fact, look at it like a trick, put there to test your level of desire for the project. Because somebody is going to take those extra steps, and they are going to come across as a firm that is more interested in the project, as well as doing a better job of demonstrating how they work.
• What if I get in trouble for making a covert site visit or contacting stakeholders without permission? What do you have to lose? You don’t have the project now, and you’re probably not going to get it unless you take some extreme actions. Just be discreet, and use good judgment, and I doubt you’ll do anything that could get you in trouble.
• What about violating the rules? Won’t we be seen as a firm that can’t follow directions? I’ll let you in on a secret. The people in the client’s organization who really care about the procedural aspects of the RFP process aren’t the ones making the final decision about who to hire. Sure, there are some rules that are in place for a good reason, and you will look careless and unprofessional if you don’t follow them. You need to provide the correct number of copies, on time and in the right place, for example, and don’t leave out important information or wantonly disregard page limits. As far as over-delivering goes, however, you shouldn’t worry about it. Even if it raises some eyebrows among the purchasing managers, the marketing or facilities or IT or project management people that have the biggest voice in who gets the job are going to appreciate the extra effort.

I’m not saying that you have to approach every opportunity like this. There may be some small projects that don’t warrant this kind of effort, but that you just can’t stand to pass on for one reason or another. But for major engagements, I think you have to ask yourself “If we don’t want to do whatever it takes to win this, then why are we pursuing it?” Incorporate this attitude into your RFP response process, and I suspect that you’ll find your success rate growing dramatically.