The Request for Proposal Rules
The simple rules for writing a request for proposal and responding to a RFP.
Request for proposal author & issuer
The more information available in the request for proposal, the better the response. Said another way: the quality of the RFP response will be proportional to the effort put into the request for proposal authoring process. The result document of the RFP authoring process should be an exhaustive listing of expected requirements, risk factors and any other items which, while common institutional knowledge for the issuer, would suprise any respondent unclear with the intricate workings of the issuing organization.
Request for proposal respondent
It is a simple rule yet often overlooked: respond to the requirements listed in the request for proposal. The issuer spent time (we hope a good amount of time) identifying their needs and formally documenting them in their RFP. In your RFP proposal every item must be addressed, if the item is not understood, ask rather than ignore.