Best practices for ensuring RFP responses are complete and well-written.
Submitting a response to a Request for Proposal (RFP) is an opportunity to showcase your organization’s capabilities and secure new business. However, the process can be complex and competitive, requiring careful planning and attention to detail.
This guide provides actionable RFP submission tips to help you craft a winning proposal, avoid common pitfalls, and stand out from the competition.
RFP submission is the process of formally responding to an organization's request for proposals. The goal is to demonstrate that your business is the ideal partner to fulfill the project requirements outlined in the RFP.
An RFP submission typically includes a proposal document detailing your approach, qualifications, pricing, and a proposal cover letter that introduces your organization and sets the tone for the response.
The stakes are high when responding to an RFP. Following best practices ensures your submission:
With competition fierce in most industries, small details can make a big difference in how evaluators perceive your proposal.
To maximize your chances of success, implement these tried-and-true tips:
Before you start writing, read the RFP document in detail. Note submission deadlines, formatting requirements, evaluation criteria, and any mandatory sections. Missing even one requirement can disqualify your proposal.
Avoid using generic proposals. Customize your response to address the specific needs, goals, and pain points outlined in the RFP. Highlight how your solution is uniquely suited to their requirements.
Write in a clear, professional tone, and avoid overly technical jargon unless necessary. Use headings, bullet points, and visuals to make your proposal easy to navigate. Evaluators often review multiple submissions, so readability is key.
Include case studies, testimonials, or metrics that demonstrate your ability to deliver results. This builds credibility and reassures evaluators of your expertise.
Ensure every aspect of your proposal complies with the RFP’s instructions. Verify that you’ve addressed all questions, included all required documents, and adhered to formatting rules.
Even with careful preparation, some mistakes can derail your chances of success. Here are pitfalls to watch out for:
Submitting an RFP response doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Tools like Arphie streamline the process, helping you organize, draft, and polish your proposals efficiently.
With Arphie, you can focus on crafting personalized, high-quality responses while staying compliant with RFP requirements. This reduces the risk of errors and increases your chances of success.
Submitting a winning RFP response requires strategy, precision, and a client-focused approach. By understanding the RFP, tailoring your proposal, and avoiding common mistakes, you can improve your chances of standing out.
For an extra edge, leverage tools like Arphie to create polished, professional submissions that capture attention and win contracts. With the right preparation and tools, you’ll be well on your way to RFP success.
Switching to Arphie usually takes less than a week — and your team won't lose any of your hard work from curating and maintaining your content library on your previous platform. The Arphie team will provide white-glove onboarding throughout the process of migration.
Arphie takes security extremely seriously. Arphie is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant, and employs a transparent and robust data protection program. Arphie also conducts third party penetration testing annually, which simulates a real-world cyberattack to ensure our systems and your data remain secure. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest. For enterprise customers, we also support single sign-on (SSO) through SAML 2.0. Within the platform, customers can also define different user roles with different permissions (e.g., read-only, or read-and-write). For more information, visit our Security page.
Customers switching from legacy RFP software typically see speed and workflow improvements of 60% or more, while customers with no prior RFP software typically see improvements of 80% or more.
Arphie enables customers achieve these efficiency gains by developing patent-pending, advanced AI agents to ensure that answers are as high-quality and transparent as possible. This means that Arphie's customers are getting best-in-class answer quality that can continually learn their preferences and writing style, while only drawing from company-approved information sources. Arphie's AI is also applied to content management streamlining as well, minimizing the time spent on manual Q&A updating and cleaning.
