It’s not hard to draft an unbiased RFP, even though you might think otherwise when you consider the truly large numbers of RFPs that hit the wire every day. Many of them are biased toward a specific provider. The fact of the matter is that it doesn’t take much to bias an RFP, and it often happens without the intent of the author. But it doesn’t have to happen to you. Here are some tips to keep your RFPs unbiased.

• Don’t use a (free) RFP template
  I’ve told you again and again. These are created by vendors to achieve one goal, and one goal only: to make their product, and only their product, look good.
• Ignore the feature lists
  This is a free RFP template favorite; namely, features selected for their “differentiating” capability, that you’ll never use. It’s not the features that matter, it’s the functions. Specifically, the functions you need the product to perform for you.
• Don’t use an interested party.
  That means no vendors, no solution providers who’ll be bidding on the business, no consultancies with partnerships or known relationships with vendors or solution providers who’ll be bidding on the business, and no one with an obvious agenda that’s not yours.
• Describe the process you need to automate or support in your own words.
  The minute you use a vendor’s terminology is the minute you give them the edge to exploit the RFP and, in the public sector, ramrod the solution down your throat, whether or not it’s right for you.
• Describe the goal state, not the current state
  You get what you ask for, and if you ask for a solution that supports the current state, which you presumably want to improve, you’re not going to end up with much of an improvement.
• You’re probably not a technology expert, so don’t put technology in the RFP.
  Don’t make the error of assuming that you know what technology would be best.
  If it’s software you’re buying, be wary of opinions from your IT department.
  IT people are most likely not
  software developers, so they have at best a limited understanding
  of the technologies that software developers use. Even software developers tend
  to know only the technologies with which they are currently working, and they are
  often deeply biased toward a particular technology, for no rational reason. You are looking for a solution, not
  a technology. So spend your time focusing on the solution and what it does for you.
• Make sure you control your data.
  If it’s software you’re buying, then no matter what solution you choose,
  make sure part of your RFP includes a requirement to get
  the data that you pumped
  into the product, back out of the product, easily and quickly, in a format that’s understandable to you (not
  XML or a proprietary database file, or some other idiosyncratic format that will cause pain — rather, an ordinary flat file,
  or set of related flat files). Your relationship with the vendor is not likely to be “until death do us part.” The
  software world moves extremely quickly, and a much better solution could present
  itself down the road. You want the ability to jump on it without a backwards glance.
• Unbundle all the extras.
  Vendors will almost always muddy the water by “including” A with B, proposing some special deal that’s available
  for a limited time only, and so on. Make sure that your RFP unbundles maintenance from license fees or purchase price; clearly spells out the cost to upgrade; and clearly disambiguates services from product.
• Demand multiple sources for services.
  Just because you’ve committed to Oracle ERP, for example, doesn’t mean that you have to use Oracle resources to
  implement the system. The same is true for other software products, and for many other commodities as well.
  The cost of services can dwarf the cost of the product; and the best deal for services is achievable
  when there are multiple services providers. When vendors are bundling services, and no matter who you choose it’s a one-stop shop,
  you will be helpless the moment you sign the deal. Would you buy a car that could only be serviced at one
  dealership?

The SSON (Shared Services and Outsourcing Network) recently published an article by Kit Burden of DLA Piper, a legal services and business insights firm that represents emerging growth and high tech companies, on his Top Ten Tips for Drafting an RFP that are worth sharing, especially since some of them echo the tips this blog has given you in the past. The tips are:

• Don’t Issue The RFP To Too Many Suppliers
  Otherwise, it will become unmanageable and drain your internal resources. Do your homework before issuing the RFP and only issue it to suppliers who are likely to be able to meet your requirements at an acceptable price level. If too many providers fall into this category, shortlist the providers with the most experience in your vertical and the most stability. Generally, the RFP should only be issued to three to six providers, unless you are in the public sector and are required to open it up to anyone who wants to submit a proposal.
• Ask Questions That Allow for Genuine Differentiation
  As I’ve said again and again, don’t use a vendor “check-the-box” RFP template. Not only are they designed to make the vendor look good, but they don’t ask open-ended questions that will allow the respondents to genuinely differentiate themselves from their competition. Don’t ask “do you have invoice management”, instead ask “how does your application support our invoice processing function, which works as follows”.
• Ensure the References and Case Studies are From Directly Comparable Projects or Customers
  If you’re in high-tech and the vendor only provides you with CPG client references, you’re not going to know the breadth of the provider’s capabilities and expertise in your vertical. You should do your homework and also contact the clients in your vertical that they don’t give as references. (A Google search on a few news sites and a quick review of their press releases should provide you with some good candidates quickly.)
• Be Crystal Clear on Your Objectives
  Is your primary goal cost reduction, service improvement, support flexibility, etc? And are you looking for a product or a service? Everyone wants to save money, but the vendors need to know how you expect to achieve that goal, and what the provider’s role is to be.
• Ensure the RFP Specifies the Ground Rules for the Entire Procurement Process
  Submission requirements, use of information, timeframes, points of contact, rules of engagement, etc. Although important in the private sector where a provider can call “foul” and file complaints, this is crucial in the public sector where government bodies are legally required to play “fair”.
• Include a Draft Agreement or Contract
    (or the standard terms and conditions and key provisions at the very least)
  Understandings as to what has been agreed to at a commercial and business level can quickly unravel when you get to the contract drafting stage, especially if the provider thinks your “standard” terms and conditions are onerous.
• Identify the Core Team and the Core Legal Team
  This is important for a number of reasons. If you leave out someone important in the initial stages, the whole project can grind to a halt if an executive later decides “it’s not right for our business”. And if it’s a large IT project or outsourcing project, the amount of work will be significant and not something that the project leads can do as part of their current “day job”. Big projects require serious up-front commitments to get right.
• Be Clear on the Scoring
  Not only will secrecy on scoring lead to trouble if you’re in the public sector, but it will prevent the service providers from putting their best proposal forward as the scoring system serves to identify which functions are the most important, and what information you want first and foremost from the vendor.
• Involve all Key Internal Stakeholders
  They need to be kept abreast of how the negotiations are going and given the opportunity to provide their input, otherwise you’ll run into resistance during project implementation every time they don’t like something because “they weren’t consulted on that and it’s wrong”.
• Anticipate Questions and Gather the Information in Advance
  Due diligence is an essential process, and any supplier worth their salt will want to have a clear understanding of what they are being asked to take on. Furthermore, if the information provided is deficient, one can expect suppliers to argue for the inclusion of contractual assumptions/dependencies regarding the areas of uncertainty. The last thing you want to do before a negotiation is reduce your credibility and your leverage with a potential supplier.

As Kit says, the RFP process is a crucial part of the sourcing process and it is necessary to invest the utmost care and attention to it. Every hour and dollar spent during development will be reclaimed many times over during the project implementation as the project will flow smoothly and generate returns quickly. For more information on constructing a great spend management RFP, see the X-emplification and X-asperation series. Although the vendors won’t, you will thank me for it.

And just remember, you can always find RFP Help Here.