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A request for proposal (RFP) is a form of reverse auction that solicits a business proposal by an organisation interested in the procurement of a service or product from potential suppliers.^[1] It is usually part of a complex sales process, and made through a bidding process.^{[citation needed]}

Unlike invitations to tender, which award contracts based upon the price and quality of the tender, RFPs allow suppliers more flexibility in proposing an original service or product in alignment with a company's needs.^{[citation needed]}

Similar requests include a request for quotation (RFQ) and a request for information (RFI), where a customer needs more information from vendors before submitting an RFP. An RFI is typically followed by an RFP or RFQ.^[2] When an RFP is made after negotiations with prospective contractors, the submitted tender is known as a BAFO (best and final offer).^{[citation needed]}

Components

A request for proposal requires the bidder to produce an original business proposal based on the buyer's needs. Depending on the RFP document's specification, a bidder may be required to decide upon project expectations, timetable, product design, and vendors. Other requested information may include basic corporate information and history, technical capability, product information.^{[citation needed]}

Role in government procurement

In United States government procurement, Federal Acquisition Regulation 15.203 covers requests for proposals, stating

Requests for proposals (RFPs) are used in negotiated acquisitions to communicate Government requirements to prospective contractors and to solicit proposals.^[3]

The FAR allows for evaluation of proposals, further discussions with bidders and invitation for submission of written final proposal revisions (FPRs), upon which a final selection decision is based.^[4] Federal government requests for final proposal revisions must

advise offerors that the final proposal revisions shall be in writing and that the Government intends to make award without obtaining further revisions.^[5]

The term "request for proposals" is sometimes used in relation to government procurement in the United Kingdom, for example a request for proposals to raise and manage the UK Government's proposed Broadband Investment Fund was issued in June 2016.^[6]

Other requests

The collective term RFX is often used to embrace a request for proposal (RFP), or any of the terms listed below.^[7]

A request for association (RFA), also known as request for partnership or request for alliance, is a proposal from one party to another for acting together (usually in business) and sharing the benefits of this joint action.
A request for expression(s) of interest (RFEI), is part of the EOI (expression of interest) discovery process in order to gather information regarding the potential procurement of the services sought, similar to the RFQ, sometimes done prior to publishing an RFP.
A request for information (RFI) is a proposal requested from a potential seller or a service provider to determine what products and services are potentially available in the marketplace to meet a buyer's needs and to know the capability of a seller in terms of offerings and strengths of the seller. RFIs are commonly used on major procurements, where a requirement could potentially be met through several alternate means. An RFI, however, is not an invitation to bid, is not binding on either the buyer or sellers, and may or may not lead to an RFP or RFQ.
A request for quotation (RFQ) is used when discussions with bidders are not required (mainly when the specifications of a product or service are already known) and when price is the main or only factor in selecting the successful bidder. An RFQ may also be used prior to issuing a full-blown RFP to determine general price ranges. In this scenario, products, services or suppliers may be selected from the RFQ results to bring in to further research in order to write a more fully fleshed out RFP. In commercial business practice, the RFQ is the most popularly used form of RFx, with many companies not understanding the distinction between the RFx's, and so defaulting to RFQ.
A request for qualifications (RFQ) also known as pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) is a document often distributed before initiation of the RFP process. It is used to gather vendor information from multiple companies to generate a pool of prospects. This eases the RFP review process by preemptively short-listing candidates which meet the desired qualifications.
A request for solution (RFS) is similar to a RFP, but more open and general. This allows the vendor or supplier the most flexibility of all RFx in expressing their solution, or their product and service combination.^[8]
A request for tender (RFT), also known as invitation to tender (ITT), is more commonly used by governments.

References

^ Blake, Gary; Bly, Robert W. (1993). The Elements of Technical Writing. New York: Macmillan Publishers. p. 100. ISBN 0020130856.
^ "What's the difference between an RFI, an RFP, and an RFQ?". Humboldt State University. Archived from the original on 2015-07-21. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
^ Federal Acquisition Regulation, 15.203 Requests for proposals, accessed 23 February 2023
^ Government Accountability Office, Matter of: All Native, Inc., file: B-411693; B-411693.2; B-411693.3, published 5 October 2015, accessed 9 March 2023
^ Federal Acquisition Regulation, 15.307 Proposal revisions, accessed 9 March 2023
^ Infrastructure and Projects Authority and HM Treasury, Broadband Investment Fund, published 16 June 2016, accessed 23 February 2023
^ James, M., Definition: RFx, TechTarget, updated May 2017, accessed 23 February 2023
^ Tonti, Jon (July 3, 2012). "Out with Request for Proposals and in With Request for Solutions". Nearshore Americas. Retrieved 11 April 2017.

[1] Blake, Gary; Bly, Robert W. (1993). The Elements of Technical Writing. New York: Macmillan Publishers. p. 100. ISBN 0020130856.

[2] "What's the difference between an RFI, an RFP, and an RFQ?". Humboldt State University. Archived from the original on 2015-07-21. Retrieved 2015-07-28.

[3] Federal Acquisition Regulation, 15.203 Requests for proposals, accessed 23 February 2023

[4] Government Accountability Office, Matter of: All Native, Inc., file: B-411693; B-411693.2; B-411693.3, published 5 October 2015, accessed 9 March 2023

[5] Federal Acquisition Regulation, 15.307 Proposal revisions, accessed 9 March 2023

[6] Infrastructure and Projects Authority and HM Treasury, Broadband Investment Fund, published 16 June 2016, accessed 23 February 2023

[7] James, M., Definition: RFx, TechTarget, updated May 2017, accessed 23 February 2023

[Nearshore-8] Tonti, Jon (July 3, 2012). "Out with Request for Proposals and in With Request for Solutions". Nearshore Americas. Retrieved 11 April 2017.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{short description|Document that solicits proposal}}
+{{Short description|Document that solicits a proposal}}
 {{Redirect|RFP}}
-{{Selfref|For information about Wikipedia proposals, see [[Wikipedia:Village pump (proposals)]]. In Wikipedia, "RFP" may refer to [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection]] or [[Wikipedia:Requests for permissions]].}}
+{{Self reference|For information about Wikipedia proposals, see [[Wikipedia:Village pump (proposals)]]. In Wikipedia, "RFP" may refer to [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection]] or [[Wikipedia:Requests for permissions]].}}
-A '''request for proposal''' ('''RFP''') is a document that solicits proposal, often made through a [[bidding]] process, by an agency or company interested in [[procurement]] of a [[commodity]], [[Service (economics)|service]], or valuable asset, to potential suppliers to submit [[Proposal (business)|business proposal]]s.<ref>{{cite book|authors=[[Gary Blake|Blake, Gary]] & [[Robert W. Bly|Bly, Robert W.]]|title=The Elements of Technical Writing|page= 100|location=[[New York City|New York]]|publisher= [[Macmillan Publishers (United States)|Macmillan Publishers]]|date= 1993|isbn= 0020130856}}</ref> It is submitted early in the procurement cycle, either at the preliminary study, or procurement stage.
+A '''request for proposal''' ('''RFP''') is a form of [[reverse auction]] that solicits a [[Proposal (business)|business proposal]] by an organisation interested in the [[procurement]] of a service or product from potential suppliers.<ref>{{cite book|author1=[[Gary Blake|Blake, Gary]] |author2=[[Robert W. Bly|Bly, Robert W.]] |title=The Elements of Technical Writing|page= 100|location=[[New York City|New York]]|publisher= [[Macmillan Publishers (United States)|Macmillan Publishers]]|date= 1993|isbn= 0020130856}}</ref> It is usually part of a [[complex sales]] process, and made through a [[bidding]] process.{{Cn|date=July 2024}}
+Unlike [[Invitation to tender|invitations to tender]], which award contracts based upon the price and quality of the tender, RFPs allow suppliers more flexibility in proposing an original service or product in alignment with a company's needs.{{Cn|date=July 2024}}
-==Overview==
-An RFP is used where the request requires technical expertise, specialized capability, or where the product or service being requested does not yet exist, and the proposal may require research and development to create whatever is being requested.
+Similar requests include a [[request for quotation]] (RFQ) and a [[request for information]] (RFI), where a customer needs more information from vendors before submitting an RFP. An RFI is typically followed by an RFP or RFQ.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.humboldt.edu/its/node/1633|title=What's the difference between an RFI, an RFP, and an RFQ?|publisher=Humboldt State University|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721145920/http://www2.humboldt.edu/its/node/1633|archive-date=2015-07-21|access-date=2015-07-28}}</ref> When an RFP is made after negotiations with prospective contractors, the submitted tender is known as a BAFO (best and final offer).{{Cn|date=July 2024}}
-The RFP presents preliminary requirements for the commodity or service, and may dictate to varying degrees the exact structure and format of the supplier's response. Effective RFPs typically reflect the strategy and short/long-term business objectives, providing detailed insight upon which suppliers will be able to offer a matching perspective.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.negotiations.com/articles/procurement-terms/ |title=How Request for Proposal should be used in business &#124|website= Negotiation Experts |publisher=Negotiations.com |date= |accessdate=2013-05-16}}</ref>
+==Components==
-Similar requests include a [[request for quotation]] (RFQ), whereby the customer may simply be looking for a [[Sales quote|price quote]], and a [[request for information]] (RFI), where the customer needs more information from vendors before submitting an RFP.  An RFI is typically followed by an RFP or RFQ.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721145920/http://www2.humboldt.edu/its/node/1633|title=What's the difference between an RFI, an RFP, and an RFQ?|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=Humboldt State University|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721145920/http://www2.humboldt.edu/its/node/1633|archivedate=2015-07-21|accessdate=2015-07-28}}</ref>
+A request for proposal requires the bidder to produce an original business proposal based on the buyer's needs. Depending on the RFP document's specification, a bidder may be required to decide upon project expectations, timetable, product design, and vendors. Other requested information may include basic corporate information and history, technical capability, product information.{{Cn|date=July 2024}}
+==Role in government procurement==
-In principle, an RFP:
+{{main|Government procurement}}
-*Informs suppliers that an organization is looking to [[procurement|procure]] and encourages them to make their best effort.
+In [[Government procurement in the United States|United States government procurement]], [[Federal Acquisition Regulation]] 15.203 covers requests for proposals, stating{{quote|Requests for proposals (RFPs) are used in negotiated acquisitions to communicate Government requirements to prospective contractors and to solicit proposals.<ref>Federal Acquisition Regulation, [https://www.acquisition.gov/far/15.203 15.203 Requests for proposals], accessed 23 February 2023</ref>}} The FAR allows for evaluation of proposals, further discussions with bidders and invitation for submission of written '''final proposal revisions''' (FPRs), upon which a final selection decision is based.<ref>[[Government Accountability Office]], [https://www.gao.gov/assets/b-411693.pdf Matter of: All Native, Inc., file: B-411693; B-411693.2; B-411693.3], published 5 October 2015, accessed 9 March 2023</ref> Federal government requests for final proposal revisions must{{quote|advise offerors that the final proposal revisions shall be in writing and that the Government intends to make award without obtaining further revisions.<ref>Federal Acquisition Regulation, [https://www.acquisition.gov/far/15.307 15.307 Proposal revisions], accessed 9 March 2023</ref>}}
-*Requires the company to specify what it proposes to purchase. If the [[requirements analysis]] has been prepared properly, it can be incorporated quite easily into the Request document.
-*Alerts suppliers that the selection process is competitive.
-*Allows for wide distribution and response.
-*Ensures that suppliers respond factually to the identified requirements.
-*Is generally expected to follow a structured evaluation and selection procedure, so that an organization can demonstrate impartiality - a crucial factor in public sector procurements.
+The term "request for proposals" is sometimes used in relation to [[government procurement in the United Kingdom]], for example a request for proposals to raise and manage the [[UK Government]]'s proposed [[Broadband]] Investment Fund was issued in June 2016.<ref>[[Infrastructure and Projects Authority]] and [[HM Treasury]], [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/broadband-investment-fund Broadband Investment Fund], published 16 June 2016, accessed 23 February 2023</ref>
-==Specifications==
-An RFP typically involves more than a request for the price.  Other requested information may include basic corporate information and history, financial information (can the company deliver without risk of [[bankruptcy]]), technical capability (used on major procurements of services, where the item has not previously been made or where the requirement could be met by varying technical means), product information such as stock availability and estimated completion period, and customer references that can be checked to determine a company's suitability (including educational and military background of its employees on the project --- college graduates and those with advanced college degrees may add "value" from the bidder).
-The ubiquitous availability of the Internet has made many government agencies turn either to state-run or vendor operated websites which provide listings of RFPs as well as RFIs and RFQs. Many allow vendors to sign up at no charge to receive e-mails of requests either generally or for specific categories of product or service for which there is an interest. In some cases, the entire process is done on-line with responses as scanned documents or [[Portable Document Format|PDF]] files uploaded to the server; in other cases, or for legal reasons, a response must be sent in hard copy form and/or on CD/DVD disc or [[USB flash drive|flash drive]] by mail or delivery service.
-In the [[militaries]] of many countries, an RFP is often raised to fulfill an [[Operational Requirement]] (OR), after which the military procurement authority will normally issue a detailed [[Specification (technical standard)|technical specification]] against which tenders (i.e., bids) will be made by potential contractors. In the civilian use, an RFP is usually part of a [[complex sales]] process, also known as [[enterprise sales]].
-RFPs often include specifications of the item, project or service for which a proposal is requested. The more detailed the specifications, the better the chances that the proposal provided will be accurate.  Generally RFPs are sent to an approved supplier or vendor list.
-The bidders return a proposal by a set date and time.  Late proposals may or may not be considered, depending on the terms of the initial RFP.  The proposals are used to evaluate the suitability as a supplier, vendor, or institutional partner. Typically organizations follow a detailed vendor screening process to short list the vendors who should be invited for further rounds of negotiation. This screening process could either be vendor scoring models or internal discussions within the buyer organization. Discussions may be held on the proposals (often to clarify technical capabilities or to note errors in a proposal or in many cases to negotiate on the price).  In most  instances, only selected bidders may be invited to participate in subsequent bids, or may be asked to submit their best technical and financial proposal, commonly referred to as a '''Best and Final Offer (BAFO)'''. Subsequent changes can be referred to as the '''Best and''' '''''Revised''''' '''Final Offer (BARFO)'''.
-Once both the parties i.e. a buyer organization and seller organization agree on the technical and commercial terms and conditions of the proposal, they could move on to next steps like contract signing, statement of work which would formalize the purchase transactions.
-Today, many organizations are becoming more collaborative in the development of RFPs; this is especially true for universities and other major public entities making major technology purchases. RFP-issuing groups ask for specific use cases, rather than providing a list of features, and ensure they have the opportunity to include demonstrations, webinars and meetings as part of the RFP process to ensure they have a strong understanding of all competing products before making a purchase.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://evolllution.com/opinions/entering-tech-procurement-process-5-rfps/|title=Entering a Tech Procurement Process? Here Are 5 Things You Need to Know About RFPs|author=|first=|date=12 September 2014|website=evolllution.com|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|accessdate=18 March 2018}}</ref>
 ==Other requests==
+The collective term RFX is often used to embrace a request for proposal (RFP), or any of the terms listed below.<ref>James, M., [https://www.techtarget.com/searchcustomerexperience/definition/RFx Definition: RFx], ''TechTarget'', updated May 2017, accessed 23 February 2023</ref>
 *A [[request for association]] (RFA), also known as request for partnership or request for alliance, is a proposal from one party to another for acting together (usually in business) and sharing the benefits of this joint action.
+*A request for expression(s) of interest (RFEI), is part of the EOI (expression of interest) discovery process in order to gather information regarding the potential procurement of the services sought, similar to the RFQ, sometimes done prior to publishing an RFP.
+*A [[request for information]] (RFI) is a proposal requested from a potential seller or a service provider to determine what products and services are potentially available in the marketplace to meet a buyer's needs and to know the capability of a seller in terms of offerings and strengths of the seller.  RFIs are commonly used on major procurements, where a requirement could potentially be met through several alternate means. An RFI, however, is not an invitation to bid, is not binding on either the buyer or sellers, and may or may not lead to an RFP or RFQ.
-*A request for expression of interest (RFEI), is part of the EOI (expression of interest) discovery process in order to gather information regarding the potential procurement of the services sought, similar to the RFQ, sometimes done prior to publishing an RFP.
+*A [[request for quotation]] (RFQ) is used when discussions with bidders are not required (mainly when the specifications of a product or service are already known) and when price is the main or only factor in selecting the successful bidder. An RFQ may also be used prior to issuing a full-blown RFP to determine general price ranges. In this scenario, products, services or suppliers may be selected from the RFQ results to bring in to further research in order to write a more fully fleshed out RFP. In commercial business practice, the RFQ is the most popularly used form of RFx, with many companies not understanding the distinction between the RFx's, and so defaulting to RFQ.
-*A [[request for information]] (RFI) is a proposal requested from a potential seller or a service provider to determine what products and services are potentially available in the marketplace to meet a buyer's needs and to know the capability of a seller in terms of offerings and strengths of the seller.  RFIs are commonly used on major procurements, where a requirement could potentially be met through several alternate means.  An RFI, however, is not an invitation to bid, is not binding on either the buyer or sellers, and may or may not lead to an RFP or RFQ.
-*A [[request for quotation]] (RFQ) is used when discussions with bidders are not required (mainly when the specifications of a product or service are already known) and when price is the main or only factor in selecting the successful bidder. An RFQ may also be used prior to issuing a full-blown RFP to determine general price ranges.  In this scenario, products, services or suppliers may be selected from the RFQ results to bring in to further research in order to write a more fully fleshed out RFP. In commercial business practice, the RFQ is the most popularly used form of RFx, with many companies not understanding the distinction between the RFx's, and so defaulting to RFQ.
 *A [[request for qualifications]] (RFQ) also known as [[Pre-Qualification Questionnaire|pre-qualification questionnaire]] (PQQ) is a document often distributed before initiation of the RFP process. It is used to gather vendor information from multiple companies to generate a pool of prospects. This eases the RFP review process by preemptively short-listing candidates which meet the desired qualifications.
+*A [[request for solution]] (RFS) is similar to a RFP, but more open and general. This allows the vendor or supplier the most flexibility of all RFx in expressing their solution, or their product and service combination.<ref name="Nearshore">{{cite web|last1=Tonti|first1=Jon|title=Out with Request for Proposals and in With Request for Solutions|url=http://www.nearshoreamericas.com/outsourcing-request-for-proposals/|website=Nearshore Americas|access-date=11 April 2017|date=July 3, 2012}}</ref>
-*A [[request for solution]] (RFS) is similar to a RFP, but more open and general. This allows the vendor or supplier the most flexibility of all RFx in expressing their solution, or their product and service combination.<ref name="Nearshore">{{cite web|last1=Tonti|first1=Jon|title=Out with Request for Proposals and in With Request for Solutions|url=http://www.nearshoreamericas.com/outsourcing-request-for-proposals/|website=Nearshore Americas|accessdate=11 April 2017|date=July 3, 2012}}</ref>
 *A request for tender (RFT), also known as [[invitation to tender]] (ITT), is more commonly used by governments.
@@ Line 69: / Line 47: @@
 {{Reflist}}
 {{Procurement requests}}
+{{Authority control}}
-{{DEFAULTSORT:Request For Proposal}}
-[[Category:Auctions]]
+[[Category:Contexts for auctions]]
 [[Category:Outsourcing]]
 [[Category:Procurement]]