Axia Consultants: Request for Proposal / Request for Information

Sample for selecting Accounting, CRM, HR or Payroll software

Creating a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Information (RFI) is an effective way for an organisation to determine its needs. And to quickly obtain answers about software systems and vendors. For medium or larger size organisations, it helps with both short listing potentially suitable systems and the detailed selection process.

The main components of a Request for Proposal or Request for Information are listed below.

However, if you are looking for a quick and easy-to-use template see our universal RFI Template, RFP Template, or RFP (Response) Evaluation Template.

Or, if you are looking to also gather system requirements and then prepare an RFI or RFP - see the RFI/RFP Templates for Accounting, Business Intelligence, CRM and HR Payroll.

1. Covering letter

·         Introducing your RFI or RFP and requesting a response

2. Executive summary

·         Summary of your RFI or RFP

·         Overview of your business needs

·         Your objectives

·         Key selection steps and dates

·         Confidentiality statement

3. Instructions for replying to the RFP / RFI

·         Guidelines for your RFI / RFP process

·         How you would like a response - written, the format, number of pages, where it should be sent

·         Contact person at your organisation, to handle any queries

·         RFP / RFI response time scales and deadlines

·         Outline of how you will evaluate RFP / RFI responses

4. Organisation background

·         Outline details about your organisation

·         Present software and systems

·         Key staff involved

5. Overview requirements for your new systems

·         Mandatory software requirements to be included within your RFI

·         Any restrictions or constraints you may have

·         Outline implementation dates

6. Detailed specification of your new system requirements

·         A schedule of your essential and desirable detailed system / software requirements within your RFP

·         Essential / desirable hardware, operating system, database and network requirements

·         Estimated quantity, or number of system users or records

7. Commercial information

·         Service levels

·         Outline costs

·         Acceptable payment terms

·         Financing arrangements

8. Additional vendor information required

·         Multiple software product and supplier details

·         Maintenance and support details

·         Implementation and system training details

·         Customer references

·         Supplier experience details

9. Disclaimer

·         Your RFI/RFP is not a contract or offer - with no obligation to contract for the software or services

·         You reserve the right to accept or reject any response, and modify or cancel your RFI/RFP

·         No reimbursement for any costs incurred in preparing a response

When creating a Request for Proposal or RFI, only use the components that are relevant to your needs. Keep the document format simple ie a standard template format. The RFI is typically a shorter document that is sent to a wider number of software vendors, to assist with short listing vendors. Whereas the RFP is typically a larger document issued only to a select few short listed vendors.

For RFI / RFP Template information visit: RFI Template / RFP Template / RFP Evaluation Template