How to Write and RFP

Details, Details: Writing an RFP

BY KATIE MULDOON

BEFORE YOU HAVE YOUR FIRST INTERVIEW with a prospective outside resource, get organized. Know exactly what you want and make clear what you'll be willing to do. In other words, prepare a detailed request for proposal.

I'll discuss how to write up an RFP for a creative resource (such as a DM agency) but the basic outline will be easily adaptable for situations where, say, a service bureau is needed.

Lead your document with a bold statement of when the RFP is due. Later you will grade the participants by a variety of factors, including their ability to meet the deadlines you have established. Note that information contained in the document is confidential. This should be repeated on the bottom of each page.

When selecting an agency there are usually two deadlines: The first is for information only and includes all participants; the second includes creative concepts and is applicable only for those that have been chosen to move forward in the competition.

After the deadline dates, write an overview that explains the process you are asking the agencies to assist in. Next lay out what the chosen agency will win — how many catalogs to be created per year, how many ads, fliers, and so on. Provide the prospective agencies with a plan that shows what will be mailed when. Indicate the mailing dates that will apply to the projects you want the winning agency involved in.

Be specific with your information about each creative piece the agency is working on. Do you want it to:

1.Prepare concepts, layout and copy?
2. Handle photography? (Including estimating the quantity of photos needed; determining the location or studio where a shoot will take place; whether models will have to be hired.)
3.Supervise other areas?
4.Handle production needs? (Who will pay for the printing and paper? Who will coordinate personalization? Will direct-to-press methods be used?) Offer the agency candidates information regarding quantities, drop dates and anything else your company may require.

Don't accept a lump-sum estimate. Each item should be specifically broken out so that you can compare costs. Consider potential cost areas that all participants must complete for a much clearer comparison of all the quotes.

Don't forget, too, that you may not work with the agency you select forever. Find out who “owns” the art files and what, if any, costs you will incur should you wish to take your advertising materials to another firm.

We suggest that our clients not pay commissions on any services purchased for the client by the agency (such as printing). In lieu of a commission, we ask the agency to state a precise cost for this service.

In addition to the nitty-gritty involved in the creative process itself, ask for information about the agency in its screening quote (the first phase). The agency should indicate how it works and its particular communications abilities.

Biographies of all those on the account should be included as well as a summary of how the agency will manage if the client determines that those assigned to the account are not acceptable. Biographies should make it clear whether an individual is a full-timer or a freelancer. Request an organization chart that shows each person's relationship to the others in detail.

The potential agency should state what it thinks are the most critical points for success or failure of a project and how it will assure that success happens. Billing policy and terms should be outlined, including any discounts. Every expense the agency thinks may be incurred, including travel costs, should be estimated. Get details such as who will pay the printer (you or the agency), who will be responsible for postage, and so on.

References and examples of work are needed, of course, but they must be recent and relevant to the account the agency is pitching. Further, the agency should state the ranking this newly won account would have in its billings. In other words, know how important, dollar-wise, you are going to be to this agency.

Get a standard contract from the agency and have your company lawyer review it. Also, ask the agency to set up a schedule using the mailing dates you have provided.

You've asked a lot of the agency. Now find out what it will need from you. Make up a list that shows how you'll assist with the agency's strategic thinking. This could include research findings, a positioning statement and product information. Indicate who the agency will be working with, what your usual turnaround times are and who will be involved in the review process.

If you're especially organized, provide materials that show this — it can make a difference in the quote you get from the agency. For instance, you could give participants a preliminary plan that indicates what you'll be providing at the handoff meeting. (Keep the really confidential stuff for round two, when you're working with two or three agencies — not the four to six you'll probably have to deal with initially.)

As you move toward the end of your document, restate or more fully describe the future scope of the work that the selected agency will receive. The final section of the RFP should confirm the process, including deadlines, and conclude with the name or names of those who need to receive the proposal.

Obviously, the more your business is worth to the participants the more you can expect from their response to the RFP. But don't assume that RFPs are used only by large companies. Many small businesses find that a well-written proposal is welcomed by potential suppliers because it makes the needs of all parties clear from the outset.