RFPs: There’s Gotta Be a Better Way

“There’s gotta be a better way.”  That’s what we recently heard from a foundation executive about using Requests-for-Proposals (RFPs).  This approach has long been a part of the philanthropic and social sectors but we’ve found they are often poorly-designed, frustrating, time-consuming exercises for both the organization and the responder.

At first glance, RFPs might appear to be an ideal way to identify the talent and skills for an endeavor best fulfilled with outside expertise.  An organization identifies their need, issues a request about meeting that need, and consultants respond with a description of the professional services and work product they can deliver. Sounds easy, right?  

Unfortunately experience tells us this process doesn’t always go that smoothly.  In the first installment of this two-part blog series we share real-life stories of the RFP process “gone wrong.”  In Part Two, we’ll talk about alternate approaches that can work to everyone’s benefit.  

These are things that have actually happened – you can’t make this stuff up!

Being Ghosted: An RFP is released to various networks and through various channels seeking expertise and proposals for the project-at-hand.  Individuals and firms follow-up with their proposed scopes of service….and they never receive acknowledgement of receipt nor any update on the organization’s decision. Just crickets.

Did We Forget to Mention?  After the release of the RFP, the organization makes changes to the Request-for-Proposals but doesn’t convey those changes to the outside world.  Groups sometimes also fail to note the full range of factors that will be used to evaluate proposals until after the decisions have been made.  Apparently, having a crystal ball or ESP is required!

Misappropriation of Intellectual Property: A thoughtful proposal spells out the steps and activities the consultant is recommending to fulfill the organization’s objectives.  And many times, the act of laying out the path forward also helps clarify the organization’s thinking on those objectives.  But be forewarned – as one foundation executive actually said – “we’ve engaged another party for this assignment but really liked some of your ideas and we’ll be using them for this project.”  

Checking the Policy Requirement Off the List:  This is when the organization already knows who they want to hire.  They have an internal policy, though, that states they must review X- number of proposals before engaging outside expertise.  For the responders to the RFP, it translates to wasted time and effort since there will be no actual consideration of their proposals.

Asking Everyone and Their Brothers and Sisters to Respond:  Some organizations cast their RFP very widely with the belief that more is better – even though that means a bigger stack of proposals to review with no assurance of more quality proposals.  One foundation we know of actually invited over 40+ firms and consultants to respond “because we want to get the best ideas.”  What really happened was that many professionals spent countless hours on a fruitless exercise.

So what are better ways for organization’s to identify the outside talent and expertise they need to advance their work?  In Part Two of this series we’ll be sharing specific ideas and techniques that can create the conditions for success for both organizations and consultants.

If your organization is considering using a RFP process and you’d like to consider a more productive approach, contact us at jeff@strategyplusaction.com, deborah.d.hoover@gmail.com, or at https://strategyplusaction.com/.