Procurement RFP Writer

When to Use

• When sourcing new vendors, services, or equipment
• When competitive bidding is required by policy
• When replacing an incumbent supplier
• When standardizing procurement documentation

Procedure

Step 1 — Define Scope

1. Background and context for the procurement
2. Objectives and desired outcomes
3. Scope of work or supply (in/out of scope)
4. Contract duration and renewal options
5. Budget range (if disclosed)

Step 2 — Technical Requirements

1. Mandatory requirements (must-have)
2. Desirable requirements (nice-to-have)
3. Technical specifications or standards
4. Integration requirements with existing systems
5. SLA expectations (uptime, response time, quality)

Step 3 — Commercial Terms

1. Pricing model: fixed, T&M, unit-based, subscription
2. Payment terms and milestones
3. Warranty and liability provisions
4. Insurance requirements
5. Termination and exit provisions

Step 4 — Evaluation Methodology

Criterion	Weight	Scoring
Technical capability	35%	Scored 1–5 per requirement
Price/commercial	30%	Lowest-price or best-value formula
Experience/references	15%	Past performance, case studies
Sustainability/ESG	10%	Environmental and social criteria
Implementation plan	10%	Timeline, resources, risk mitigation

Step 5 — Submission Instructions

1. Submission deadline and format
2. Questions and clarifications process
3. Contact person and communication rules
4. Presentation/demo requirements (if any)
5. Confidentiality and non-disclosure requirements

Inputs

Input	Required	Format
Requirements specification	Yes	Detailed scope document
Budget range	Recommended	Currency range
Evaluation criteria and weights	Recommended	Matrix
Timeline	Yes	Key dates

Output

## Request for Proposal — [Title]

### 1. Introduction
[Company] invites proposals for [scope] to support [objective].
Contract period: [duration] with [renewal] option.

### 2. Scope of Work
#### In Scope
- [Item 1]
- [Item 2]
#### Out of Scope
- [Item A]

### 3. Technical Requirements
#### Mandatory (M) / Desirable (D)

| # | Requirement | M/D | Response |
|---|-------------|-----|----------|
| 1 | [Requirement] | M | |
| 2 | [Requirement] | M | |
| 3 | [Requirement] | D | |

### 4. Commercial Proposal
Please provide pricing in the following format:
| Item | Unit | Qty | Unit Price | Total |
|------|------|-----|-----------|-------|
| | | | | |

### 5. Evaluation Criteria
| Criterion | Weight |
|-----------|--------|
| Technical capability | 35% |
| Commercial | 30% |
| Experience | 15% |
| Sustainability | 10% |
| Implementation | 10% |

### 6. Timeline
| Milestone | Date |
|-----------|------|
| RFP issued | [Date] |
| Q&A deadline | [Date] |
| Submission deadline | [Date] |
| Evaluation | [Date range] |
| Award notification | [Date] |

### 7. Submission Instructions
- Format: PDF, max [X] pages
- Email to: [contact]
- Subject line: "RFP Response — [Title]"

Definition of Done

• Clear scope with in/out boundaries
• Requirements classified as mandatory/desirable
• Evaluation methodology with weighted criteria
• Commercial terms and pricing template
• Timeline with all key dates
• Submission instructions complete

Examples

Prompt

We need to source a new CRM system for 200 users.
Budget: $50K–$80K annual. Contract: 3 years.
Key requirements: Salesforce or HubSpot tier, API integration, GDPR compliance.
Write a complete RFP document.

Quality Criteria

• All placeholder sections are filled with domain-specific content
• Structure follows the relevant industry standard or framework
• Language matches target audience (technical / executive / legal)
• Output is ready for review — not a rough draft requiring major rework

Verification (4C)

Check	Question
Correctness	Does the draft structure follow the stated framework or industry standard?
Completeness	Are all required sections present with substantive (not placeholder) content?
Context-fit	Does tone, detail level, and terminology match the intended audience?
Consequence	If sent to the intended recipient without further editing, what would fail?

Edge Cases

• No existing template for this type — Use the closest available template and document all customizations made.
• Stakeholder requirements conflict — Flag conflicts explicitly in the draft. Do not silently choose one requirement over another.
• Output required in multiple formats — Produce the canonical format first, then derive others. Note any formatting limitations.

Changelog

• v1.0.0 — Initial release