If you’re sitting at your desk searching “How do I write an RFP?” you’re in good company. Request for Proposals (RFPs) can seem like just another office task, but for a lot of teams, they’re stressful. Companies use RFPs to collect offers from vendors and pick a fit for their project or service needs. It’s standard—everyone from small offices to big brands does it. But even when the process is common, getting it right isn’t always easy.
Why RFPs Matter for Office Teams
You already have a busy day with your regular workload, and then someone brings up the RFP. Maybe you need better printers, a new software tool, or help with a 12-month campaign. The company wants the best choice, so they put together detailed requests for vendors—hoping for good, trustworthy options in return.
If your office is the one issuing or replying to an RFP, doing it well opens the door to strong partnerships and better pricing. It influences real decisions about budget, tech, and future projects. RFPs aren’t just busywork; the outcome literally changes how your team works.
The Steps in an RFP and Where It Gets Tricky
The usual flow starts with recognizing the need, writing the RFP, collecting information, and organizing requirements. Then you share it with potential vendors and collect their proposals. Finally, you review all the bids, meet to decide, and pick a winner.
What trips teams up? For starters, the document gets long, complicated, and ends up with too many cooks in the kitchen. Maybe the team isn’t clear who owns what. Or the request doesn’t actually explain your real problem. Sometimes everything gets rushed and goes out with mistakes that confuse vendors or make your company look unprepared. The challenge is keeping things clear, accurate, and on time, so vendors want to reply.
What Makes an RFP Shine?
If you want vendors to care, your RFP has to be easy to follow. Start with a short intro: what your business does, why you’re asking, and what you need. Next, list clear objectives, background, and requirements. Include deadlines and the criteria you’ll use to choose a winner. Use tables or bullet points. Leave no guessing for the vendors. Formatting matters—don’t squeeze everything into walls of text. White space, short paragraphs, and bold section headers help everyone breathe.
Clarity is king. If someone skims your RFP, they should know what you want on the first read.
Getting Your Office Team Act Together
No one RFP ever works when a single person wrestles with the whole thing. Successful teams usually organize into parts—a project lead, researchers, writers, finance reviewers, and final approvers. It’s smart to have a checklist and set expectations early.
Collaboration tools—whether it’s a shared doc or a group chat—keep everyone in sync. Quick daily check-ins (even 15 minutes) catch confusion before it spreads. You want everyone pulling in the same direction, not stuck waiting for signoff or clashing over who does what.
Getting the Facts Straight
The RFP needs good data to work. Research starts with what your team already knows, then fills gaps with info from managers, product leads, or external experts. Searching past project notes helps (few things go totally “from scratch”). Many teams forget to include IT or finance until the last minute—loop them in early so technical and budget pieces are correct.
Sometimes, you’ll want competitor data, benchmarks, or legal requirements. Grab details from reliable sources and double-check for accuracy. Your finished RFP should help everyone understand the problem and what’s possible to offer as a solution.
Writing a Proposal That People Actually Read
So now the RFP goes out, and vendors start writing. If your office is on the response side, this is where the real work begins. Good proposals read less like academic essays and more like conversations. Use clear, active language and address the client’s goals directly. If you see a requirement, engage with it—don’t paste in boilerplate and hope for the best.
The strongest proposals include examples of past work, real numbers, and show you’ve listened to the client’s situation. If you can, customize even small sections to match the language and structure of the original RFP. That way, reviewers feel like you’re talking to them, not just tossing in a generic solution.
Don’t Skip the Review
Most teams miss simple mistakes because they get too close to the work. Before submitting the RFP or your proposal, ask someone outside the main team to read it. Typos and unclear instructions make your company look careless. Better yet, send it to someone who will ask annoying questions—a skeptical peer will usually spot gaps you missed.
Even small changes to words or structure can make your message stronger. Read out loud if you have to. The best teams treat the draft as a living doc right up to the deadline.
Handing It In: Making Submissions Smooth
When you’re ready to send, check submission details carefully. Is the deadline shown in the right time zone? Does the platform accept big files, or do you need to trim that mega spreadsheet? You don’t want a solid RFP ruined at the last second by a missed technical step.
Always keep copies of what you sent, along with the confirmation email or screenshot. If you see an issue, contact the client—not all submissions are automated, and sometimes a quick heads-up fixes a lot of future headaches.
What Happens After You Hit Send?
Don’t just go silent. A short follow-up email helps show you’re interested and opens the door for questions. Some vendors add a calendar note to remind themselves to check back in a week. Clients will sometimes have clarifications or need more info—reply quickly and keep your answers short and clear.
If you lose out, still ask for feedback. The more you learn, the better your next shot. For offices responding to RFPs, half the job is improving every round.
Shortcuts and Smarter Tools
By now, most offices have accepted that RFPs aren’t going away, so small wins add up. There are useful tools to cut the hassle—Google Docs for real-time editing, Slack to keep questions moving, or Trello to manage deadlines. Specialized RFP tools like RFPIO, Loopio, and Qvidian can pull historical answers or set approval workflows, saving hours each week.
If you want to see more ways teams organize their process or what platforms they choose, sites like arnaud.cyou review lots of office software and offer breakdowns on RFP management. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel each time.
A Quick Recap
RFPs can take over your schedule if you let them, but they don’t have to feel overwhelming. The main pieces—good organization, clear writing, honest deadlines—never change all that much. Software is making it easier, but process matters even more. What often sets successful teams apart is how they work together and keep each project honest and human.
Right now, more offices are making RFPs a shared job, not a last-minute panic. Teams find having a small group, smart checklists, and some collaboration tools saves time and helps them put their best work forward. It’s not magic. Just a bit of planning and good communication makes the task less stressful—and maybe even a little satisfying to finish.