Here are the important things you need to keep in mind when planning your organization’s new website design and development project with a review of how to plan and write your Request for Proposal (RFP).
Although some organizations are required to send out RFPs in order to procure a new website, for other organizations it is optional. We’ll talk about the argument against RFPs a little bit later, but the benefit of an RFP is that it gives you a true “apples to apples” comparison of how different agencies would approach the same requirements and scope of work. This helps you compare creative approaches, budgets, timelines, and technology choices, in addition to many other things.
What a Good Website Design RFP Includes
A website design RFP should outline the following items:
- Background Information
- Who are you, what are you trying to accomplish?
- Requirements
- What are you looking for in a website?
- What are you looking for in an agency or vendor?
- Timeline
- When do you want the project to start
- When do you need the website to launch?
- Response Information
- What is the desired format of proposals?
- When do you require replies? Is there a question and answer period?
For more details on all of this, we wrote a blog post about website design and development RFPs a few years ago that is still relevant today.
We highly recommend circulating your RFP to key people within your organization to make sure that you are addressing all the right points and ensuring that you have clearly articulated your requirements as well as your goals.
The argument against the RFP process
Many agencies stay away from the RFP process because it doesn’t allow for the important process of establishing a good relationship with a client beforehand, and also that the “apples to apples” comparison doesn’t allow for agencies to showcase their creativity.
You may decide to alter the process from a less rigid one (if your organization allows that) to one that involves interviewing several agencies first to get a feeling for a few that you want to pursue the process with. There are benefits with either approach.
Conclusion
A website design and development RFP is an important step in creating your new website. With the proper planning, it will help you find the perfect team to help bring your new site to life.
