Your object in preparing a value-driven request for proposal (RFP) is to find the smartest, most-experienced company that can solve your problem. For such a company at the top of its field, the biggest risk is not actually figuring out how to do the work well. They have done it many times before and have solved real problems that crop up in doing so.

For a smart, experienced company, the biggest variable risk is YOU, the owner. The company may skip responding to your RFP and stick with customers who are less risk if they detect any of the following:

• You appear not to know what you really want: murky requirements and disjointed statement of work.
• You seem poorly organized: badly written RFP.
• You provide no idea of how well they will score or if you imply that the fix is in for some preferred supplier: ambiguous selection criteria.

If the best companies decline to participate in the RFP process, you end up selecting from the field of second- and third-stringers. Yes, you may pay a lower cost up front (contractor inexperience or attempt to ramp up the change orders later) or even higher cost (to cover uncertainty) but you will live with the result long term. After all, you're doing a value-driven RFP because you care about cost AND quality.

So you need the best RFP and process possible to maximize the chances of landing the best contractor. TimmiT can help you with

• deciding if you're even on the right track (an RFP might not be the best approach)
• evaluating your standard RFP template to see what needs to change for your specific requirement (e.g., demonstrations and confirmatory visits as part of the evaluation)
• writing your statement of work to be clear, effective, and useful both for respondent and for you
• designing your evaluation process to be fair... more on evaluation/selection
• acting as fairness monitor
• assisting in negotiation of your contract
• training your staff to do any of the above

TimmiT editing, writing, procurement