How to Write an RFP Response That Wins You More Clients [Proposal Template Included]

To help you get through the RFP response process more smoothly, we’ve put together this post—and a template! We’ll go over the five steps for writing an RFP response and 10 tips to optimize your chances of winning the bid.

So you’ve received a request for proposal (RFP). The company needs a product built or they want to create an outstanding digital experience for their brand. They’ve thought of you for the job, which is great. It definitely beats having to find new clients and projects on your own all the time.

If this is your first time looking through an RFP, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. The alternative, though, could be a prospect or client who doesn’t have any clue what they want—and that comes with its own set of obstacles and frustrations.

So, how do you handle this request?

In this post, we’re going to go through how to write an RFP response as well as some best practices to help you beat the other developers or agencies crafting their own proposals.

What Is a Request for Proposal?

You’re probably used to finding clients on your own—through job boards, social media posts, via networking and so on. A request for proposal reverses that process.

A request for proposal is a document that a brand puts together to describe an upcoming project. They then send it to vendors they’re interested in working with and ask them to submit a bid for the job.

The RFP usually includes the following:

• An executive summary of the project
• What type of partner they’re looking to hire
• Selection process
• Proposed scope of work
• Project’s objectives
• Desired deliverables
• Deadline for the bid
• Details on who to contact
• Guidelines on how to prepare your bid

Some RFPs may include even more details. They might dictate the outline you need to use to prepare the bid. They might also give you a timeline and budget for the project instead of leaving it up to you to propose.

As a digital agency or designer, you might receive different types of RFPs with varying levels of complexity, too. For instance, an enterprise website RFP will look wildly different from one for a digital experience project.

Step-by-Step Process for Responding to an RFP

Whenever you receive a request for proposal, you could handle each on a case-by-case basis. However, there’s typically more to responding to an RFP than just the writing of the proposal.

That’s why it’s a good idea to come up with a repeatable process and a reusable template to help you cover all your bases and provide a top-notch response each time.

Here’s what that process should look like:

Step 1: Review the RFP

Carefully read through the RFP.

You should have a full understanding of the project’s scope and requirements by the time you finish reading it. If anything is unclear or vague, reach out to the requestor to ask for clarification.

It should also be clear what exactly they’re expecting from your proposal. In addition to which details to include, also look for notes related to the due date, proposal formatting as well as submission instructions.

Step 2: Consider if the Job Is Right for You

When you receive a lead, it’s never a given that you’re going to accept their project. There are numerous reasons you might turn down a lead and the same holds true for RFPs.

Because of how time-consuming the RFP response process can be, it’s especially important to qualify every RFP you receive. That way, you only spend your time writing responses when they’re worth it.

How do you decide which ones are worth it? Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• What is the general online sentiment about this company?
• What do previous employees or contractors have to say? Have you found any concerning complaints in their online reviews?
• Does this project fall within your niche and areas of expertise?
• Does it seem like the company is 100% set on doing the project or does it feel like they’re just playing around with an idea?
• Has the company made it seem as though they’re looking for the cheapest rate instead of the best agency?
• Are their requirements over the top or do they seem fair compared to what you’d be working on?
• Is there a stated budget and does it seem reasonable for the scope?
• Is there a desired timeline and does it seem fair?
• Do you have a realistic chance at winning this bid based on the requirements and your agency’s capabilities and track record?

Winning an RFP bid can be a great opportunity, but only if it’s right for you. Before you spend time writing your proposal, decide if it’s a good fit first.

Step 3: Draft an Outline

Website RFPs can get complex. While it’s tempting to shoot off a reply using a pre-written template, it’s better to take your time in crafting a thorough response. It might mean the difference between the company choosing you over a competitor who makes a similar pitch.

In this step, you’re going to get clear on what they want from your proposal and then address all of it. To do this, you’re going to take the RFP and break it down.

What I’d recommend doing is to set up a spreadsheet.

On the left side, unpack the request for proposal. Divide the column into sections that line up with the sections of the RFP. Then add each requirement and relevant note as a point beneath the corresponding section.

On the right side, enter your notes and draft responses to each point. If there’s overlap between the points, that’s okay. The purpose of this exercise is to ensure that your proposal covers all of their questions and requests.

It’s also OK to use prior RFP responses or any templates you have to fill in some of these answers. You’ll get a chance to rewrite and personalize them before responding.

Step 4: Loop in Your Team

Come up with a list of your project stakeholders as well as their roles and responsibilities. You’re going to need their feedback and buy-in before responding to the RFP.

Start with the team that will be involved with the development of this product. This includes internal coworkers as well as external contractors.

Have them review the relevant parts of your outline. Make sure they pay close attention to the timeline, due dates and budget. They should also weigh in on how feasible this job is based on your proposal of the problem to be solved.

Update the outline’s details accordingly.

Next, meet with any stakeholders who are responsible for signing off on the work you do. You’ll need to get their buy-in with what you’re proposing. If they suggest anything that contradicts recommendations from your team, you’ll need to go back to them to hash out something that works for all parties involved.

Step 5: Write the RFP Response

With the input from your team and approval from your manager, it’s time to write the response. There are two pieces to prepare: The cover letter and proposal.

Here are some tips on what to include in the cover letter as well as each section of your proposal:

Writing the Cover Letter

The cover letter doesn’t need to be long. Just a few paragraphs that show that you understand the scope of the project, demonstrate your excitement to take it on and briefly summarize your plan for it.

This is not the space to brag about your agency’s accolades. You’ll have a chance to explain why they should hire you in the proposal.

Instead, use this letter to impress the prospective client off the bat. That means making it all about them and how eager you are to develop a top-notch product for their business needs and goals.

Writing the Proposal

There are six sections typically included in the proposal. What you name these sections is up to you. What matters most is that the proposal includes critical details in a well-organized manner.

I’ve included notes below on what typically appears within each section. However, you might need to add more based on the requestor’s specifications.

Executive Summary
This is a short section up top that explains the problem, solution and basic strategy you propose.

You should also use this space to discuss any unique research you conducted or prior experiences you’ve had that helped you come to these conclusions.

In addition, if there’s anything about your proposal that differs from what the competition will likely offer, mention it here.

Strategy
This section is where you describe your plan to produce the product or achieve the desired outcomes for the client.

The plan should include information related to:

• Team members
• Key steps and milestones
• Timeline and delivery date

You don’t need to explain to them how you’re going to do everything nor do you need to give them a list of every tool you’ll use. But the clearer you are about the plan, the easier it’ll be for them to distinguish between your plan and the lookalike plans that other proposals might contain.

Deliverables
Here you’ll list out each deliverable that the client can expect throughout the process. You can present these deliverables as a bulleted list or in a table to make it easier for them to review.

Beside each deliverable, briefly explain what the deliverable is and the anticipated delivery date.

It might also be a good idea to describe what is not included in this project. If you want, you might even explain the process for change requests. This way, the client doesn’t feel as though they’re trapped with the given proposal and can’t make changes down the line (when reasonable and needed, that is). It’ll also show them that you’re flexible and might be willing to change the terms of the proposal before they hire you.

Cost & Contract Details
Now that you’ve explained what you’ll do and what the client gets in the end, it’s time to pitch them the cost.

If you’re offering different services in a single project, there should be a cost associated with each.

For example, let’s say you’re tasked with building an omnichannel experience for a new social media company. In that case, your proposal might include individual costs for the following:

• Website
• Mobile app
• Copywriting
• SEO
• Social media marketing
• Blogging
• Support forum

You don’t want your price list to feel like the client can just mix-and-match whatever they want. It should be presented as a transparent breakdown of the total cost of the job.

You should also include important terms regarding the contract in this section. To start, it should define the relationship between you as a work-for-hire and not as employment. Also, it should include a termination clause and how payment gets handled in that case (i.e., a kill fee).

Social Proof
Chances are good that if a company reaches out to you with an RFP they’ve heard good things about your work. However, it’s a good idea to remind them of why you’re the right design firm for the job. They’re going to be looking through numerous proposals, so this will help yours stand out.

There are different ways to handle this section.

If you can, provide a summary of similar projects you’ve completed and the results you’ve gotten for those clients. Real numbers will be a powerful testament to what you do.

Providing the requestor with links to full case studies that show off your process will also go a long way in convincing them to hire you as well.

One other thing you can do is to add testimonials from trusted references (i.e., ones that work in their industry or that they’d otherwise know of). The testimonials shouldn’t be generic though. They need to highlight how effective your strategy was, show off your successes and be relevant to this bid.

About Us
This is the last section of your RFP response. It’s a paragraph or two that contains your company description. Think of it like an extended signature.

If you have any accolades or awards to mention—like “Jacksonville’s Top-rated Digital Agency in 2022, 2023 and 2024”—add them. Otherwise, just make it a straightforward description of how long you’ve been in business, your areas of expertise and your unique value proposition.

RFP Responses Best Practices

When writing your RFP response, keep the following tips in mind:

Be timely: Respond by the due date, but don’t wait until the very last day if you can have it done sooner.

Answer ‘what’s in it for me?’: The prospective client already thinks you’re a good choice. So your proposal doesn’t need to focus as much on you and your experience as it does on how you’re going to help the client achieve their goals.

Templatize it: Once you’ve written a few RFP responses, create a template that encompasses shared elements from them. The template should help you piece together your outline, not be used to copy and paste a complete response for every RFP.

Improve readability: Keep your proposal well-organized and easy to read with headings, key points in bold, short paragraphs, bulleted lists and tables.

Choose your words wisely: Don’t use jargon or colloquialisms in your cover letter or proposal.

Add buffers: When estimating your budget and timeline, give both some breathing room. Underquoting or shortening the timeline might appear more attractive compared to the competition, but you’ll be the one who loses out in the end.

Incorporate visuals: If it’s valuable to demonstrate a point or example visually, include some images within your proposal. But don’t overdo it as you want to keep the document relatively short (no more than a few pages).

Check all the boxes: Refer to your outline after you’ve finished writing the proposal. Use it as a checklist to ensure you covered all the RFP’s requirements.

Edit: Proofread your cover letter and proposal before you deliver them.

Check in: If you don’t hear from the prospective client within a week, follow up.

Bonus Tip

This last point isn’t a best practice, but it is a suggestion that might help you increase the odds of winning your bid.

If the requestor hasn’t specified what format they want the proposal in, consider digitizing it. You can still create the usual PDF if that’s what the client prefers. However, it might be worth creating a digital version, too.

You can do this one of two ways.

You could use proposal software to create a branded proposal and send it to the prospect for review and acceptance. The only problem with this method is it sort of assumes that they’re going to accept your proposal. It also might not be ideal if they have their own proposal and contract they want your agency to sign.

A better option is to create a password-protected landing page. While the details of the proposal should be enough to impress the prospect, a beautifully designed landing page would go a long way in wowing them. And because it’s private, you can reuse the same design and layout from RFP to RFP, so it shouldn’t take too long to create.

Wrapping Up

One of the stressful things about receiving a request for proposal is that it isn’t just some lead interested in your services. It’s a company who’s actively considering numerous agencies to work on their digital project.

But they picked you for their list for a reason. Now your RFP just needs to show them why their instincts were right and you’re the best designer for the job.

Creating an RFP template will help you save time in writing a response to an RFP. However, it shouldn’t replace the entire process.

First you need to review the RFP to ensure you understand what the prospect is looking for. Then you need to determine if the RFP is even right for you. The rest of the process will enable you to take a measured approach. This helps you build a proposal that checks off all the boxes from the prospect’s end and has complete stakeholder buy-in from your own.

It might seem like extra work. But, in the end, it will only help improve your chances of winning the bid.

Want to see an example of how to write the cover letter and proposal in response to an RFP? Download this proposal template.

Do you use Progress Sitefinity in your digital experience development? Consider becoming a Progress Partner to enjoy extra tools for your growth.