Can Automation Help You Ace Your RFP? I Used AI to Find Out
Almost any business, at a certain point, finds itself in need of external expertise. For some industries, the way to find the right partner is obvious — creating and putting a request for proposals (RFP) into the world.
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Almost any business, at a certain point, finds itself in need of external expertise. For some industries, the way to find the right partner is obvious — creating and putting a request for proposals (RFP) into the world. However, these businesses will tell you that it takes them hours upon hours to create each document. Let alone shortlist candidates and select the winning bid. Luckily, as in many other business areas, AI can come to the rescue. In this article, I look at how you can use automation and AI to speed up your work on RFPs. I paid particular attention to the writing stage and checked how helpful ChatGPT can be in creating a template. Let’s dive in. Using AI to Help Create My RFP. Best Practices for RFP Automation. An RFP, short for a request for proposal, is a document businesses and government institutions use to announce a project and find qualified contractors to collaborate with. RPFs include a detailed project description and vendor requirements. Those who publish an RFP verify the quality of the received proposals and the bidders' abilities to successfully deliver the project. One way to make it even simpler? You can use HubSpot’s free, tried-and-tested RFP templates to ensure you’re asking vendors all the right questions. According to Loopio, 44% of organizations already use RFP software to automate repetitive work. With the rise of AI, I believe this number will continue to climb. RFP automation is about more than just template creation. It can also: I will review these and other benefits later in this piece. Let’s move on to test out RFP automation. I hear every day that AI is revolutionary. But, I want to test it out for every use case. In this scenario, I use ChatGPT to create an RFP document. I gave the experiment three attempts. I made each prompt more detailed than the previous version to see how the output would improve with more information. Here are the results. Prompt: “You are a Marketing Manager at a SaaS company, please create an RFP to find a contractor that could redesign the website. The work would include creating a new visual identity, creating a new layout, and revisiting the website architecture and categories. You will accept applications from agencies and freelancers.” Request for Proposal (RFP) for Website Redesign Project Overview We are seeking proposals from qualified contractors to redesign our company's website. As a Software as a Service (SaaS) company, we understand the importance of a visually appealing, user-friendly website that effectively communicates our brand identity and product offerings. The scope of work includes creating a new visual identity, redesigning the layout, and revisiting the website architecture and categories to enhance user experience and engagement. Company Background [Company Name] is a leading SaaS provider in [industry/sector]. Our innovative solutions empower businesses to [brief description of company mission/goals]. Project Objectives Scope of Work Proposal Requirements Submission Details Please submit your proposal by [deadline] to [contact person] at [email address]. If you have any questions or require further clarification, do not hesitate to contact us. Evaluation Criteria Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria: Sincerely, [Your Name] Marketing Manager [Company Name] Overall, I am satisfied with the structure and feel this is a good starting point. However, I’m not entirely happy with the content. But, in ChatGPT’s defense, I didn’t mention a lot of information. For example, I didn’t name a specific company here. I only mentioned that the RFP was published by a “SaaS company.” I think ChatGPT tried doing something with this vague information by adding the sentence: “As a Software as a Service (SaaS) company, we understand the importance of a visually appealing, user-friendly website that effectively communicates our brand identity and product offerings.” It doesn’t really have any informational value, though, so I would omit it. Based on this first try, I decided that the next prompt needed to include a company name, deadline, requirements, and budget. Prompt: “You are a Marketing Manager at Slack, please create an RFP to find a contractor that could redesign the website. The work would include creating a new visual identity, a new layout, and revisiting the website architecture and categories. You will accept applications from both agencies and freelancers. The deadline for submissions is June 25. To apply, vendors need to have at least three years of commercial experience in UI/UX design. They must also have an understanding of website development technologies, as well as good communication and project management skills. The application needs to include links to examples of work. The team should have high communication skills. The budget for the project cannot exceed $12,000. The project must be completed by October 31. Submissions can be sent via email or through a form available at [URL].” Request for Proposal (RFP) for Website Redesign Project Overview Slack, a leading provider of communication and collaboration software, is seeking proposals from qualified contractors to redesign our company website. The objective is to create a fresh visual identity, design a new layout, and optimize website architecture and categories to better serve our users. We welcome applications from both agencies and freelancers who have a minimum of three years of commercial experience in UI/UX design, possess an understanding of website development technologies, and demonstrate excellent communication and project management skills. Company Background Slack is a globally recognized platform that enables teams to communicate, collaborate, and work more effectively. Our mission is to make work simpler, more pleasant, and more productive for millions of people around the world. Project Objectives Scope of Work Proposal Requirements Submission Details Please submit your proposal by June 25 via email to [contact person] at [email address], or through the form available at [URL]. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered. If you have any questions or require further clarification, please reach out to [contact person]. Evaluation Criteria Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria: Sincerely, [Your Name] Marketing Manager Slack The result I got is much better than the initial attempt. I like that ChatGPT followed all the instructions and added a few contextual details. I didn’t include what tone of voice I’d like the RFP to feature, so ChatGPT chose to play it safe. There were a few terms or sentences that I thought were a bit awkward or vague. For example, it described Slack as “a leading provider of communication and collaboration software,” which sounds pretty official. Instead, it could have gone with a simpler “a leading communication platform.” I liked that the requirements paragraph mentioned detailed criteria as to who should apply. My favorite part, though, is the mission statement: “To make work simpler, more pleasant, and more productive for millions of people around the world.” It does sound inspiring, and I think it has that Slack feel. Bonus points for a very actionable vendor requirement: “Describe your team's communication skills and project management capabilities.” I like how it encourages applicants to give an outside-the-box response and to pitch what type of team they are. Such RFP submissions could make it much easier for evaluators to choose the right culture fit. In my third attempt, I asked ChatGPT to match Slack’s tone of voice better. This was the only change I made to the prompt. Prompt: “You are a Marketing Manager at Slack, please create an RFP to find a contractor that could redesign the website. The work would include creating a new visual identity, creating a new layout, and revisiting the website architecture and categories. You will accept applications from both agencies and freelancers. The deadline for submissions is June 25. To apply, vendors need to have at least three years of commercial experience in UI/UX design. They must also have an understanding of website development technologies, as well as good communication and project management skills. The application needs to include links to examples of work. The team needs to have high communication skills. The budget for the project cannot exceed $12,000. The project must be completed by October 31. Submissions can be sent via email or through a form available at [URL]. Please use a more friendly tone of voice that resembles how Slack communicates.” Request for Proposal (RFP) for Website Redesign Project Overview Greetings! Slack, the powerhouse behind communication and collaboration, is on the hunt for skilled contractors to give our website a stunning facelift. We‘re looking for experts who can breathe new life into our visual identity, craft a fresh layout, and refine our website’s architecture and categories to elevate user experience. We welcome applications from agencies and freelancers with a minimum of three years of commercial experience in UI/UX design, a solid grasp of website development technologies, and excellent communication and project management skills. Company Background At Slack, our mission is simple yet profound: to simplify work and make it more enjoyable and productive for teams worldwide. We‘ve built a platform that’s transforming the way people collaborate and communicate, and now it's time to ensure our website reflects the same level of excellence. Project Objectives Scope of Work Proposal Requirements Submission Details Kindly submit your proposal by June 25 via email to [contact person] at [email address] or through the form available at [URL]. For any inquiries or clarifications, please don't hesitate to reach out to [contact person]. Evaluation Criteria Proposals will be evaluated based on: Warm regards, [Your Name] Marketing Manager Slack Overall, ChatGPT did a very good job and created a good first draft. There are a few things I would have made differently — as you’ll see next — but I really liked the output. I noticed the difference in the tone of voice. There is a high level of detail, and the structure is clear, making the RFP very actionable. I felt that ChatGPT took it a bit over the edge with the requirement for a friendly tone of voice. It added too many idioms or unnecessary words to prove the friendliness, but that’s an easy fix. Request for Proposal (RFP) for Website Redesign Project Overview Slack, the world’s leading communication platform, is looking for skilled contractors to give our website a gentle facelift. We‘re looking for experts who can breathe new life into our visual identity, craft a fresh layout, and refine our website’s architecture and categories to improve user experience. We welcome applications from agencies and freelancers with a minimum of three years of commercial experience in UI/UX design, a solid grasp of website development technologies, and excellent communication and project management skills. Company Background At Slack, our mission is simple yet profound: to simplify work and make it more enjoyable and productive for teams worldwide. We‘ve built a platform that’s transforming the way people collaborate and communicate, and now it's time to ensure our website reflects the same spirit. Project Objectives Scope of Work Proposal Requirements Submission Details Submit your proposal by June 25 via email to [contact person] at [email address] or through the form available at [URL]. For any questions or clarifications, please don't hesitate to reach out to [contact person]. Evaluation Criteria Proposals will be evaluated based on: We’re looking forward to receiving your proposal and potentially working together on this new milestone in Slack history. [Your Name] Marketing Manager Slack Responsive is a strategic response management platform that uses AI to assist proposal teams in creating RFPs that are both compliant and of high quality. It makes content recommendations and automates tedious tasks, which would normally require a lot of manual work. It offers numerous integrations and APIs, making it easy to integrate with your current tool stack. Among others, it offers features like: What I like: It’s easy to navigate and allows multiple people to work together on a single project. The fact that all projects are within a single space is also very helpful, and you can track the progress as the writer inputs their answers. Loopio makes answering RFPs and security questionnaires easy. The main goal of the platform is to simplify and streamline the RFP process. On top of requests for proposals, you can use Loopio for: It offers the following features: What I like: I can use the library to find answers to the previously asked questions, which is a real time saver. Being able to conduct reviews throughout the year helps with keeping answers up-to-date. Also, the fact that duplicate content is removed automatically lets you keep the database well-organized. Deep Stream is more than just an RFP automation tool. It acts as a centralized vendor platform. Teams use it to create, update, and share RFPs and to collect proposals from interested vendors. To create a new RFP, you can repurpose your existing content. Your template will be pre-filled with copy from your previous documents, saving you the hurdle of manual copy-pasting. Once you’ve published the RFP and collected responses, you can also keep bidders up-to-date by sending out status updates from the system. What I like: Deep Stream lets your vendors handle their profiles and update information. This will come in handy, especially for recurring bidders. When you need to get in touch regarding an RFP application, you’ll have all the current contact information. When I see PandaDoc, I immediately think e-signature software. Not everyone knows this, but this handy tool also includes advanced RFP automation features. PandaDoc offers a library of free, customizable templates. While most of these are tailored towards vendors who are looking for ready-to-use response frameworks, you can still benefit a lot from PandaDoc as an RFP publisher. You can upload your own RFP templates and give access to everyone involved in writing these requests on your organization’s behalf. Plus, you can create automated workflows, deciding on what happens once your RFP is ready. As PandaDoc says, you can create “endless automations so you can put reminder emails, document updates, payment collection, and signing orders on autopilot.” What I like: As a PandaDoc fan myself, I like how RFP automation features are blended in with the core, electronic signature capabilities. These let you accelerate your request for proposal formalities even further. You can use RFP software to improve legal compliance and secure better proposals. Jonathan Feniak, general counsel at LLC Attorney, says, “With software, you can assign user permissions to control who accesses data and keep version histories to track changes made to the RFP document for audit trails.” It’s also possible to use integrated e-signature features for secure and legally binding agreements, all while prequalifying or disqualifying vendors using project-specific criteria. Feniak adds that “it’s much easier to manage legal compliance and pull higher-quality proposals with the help of the right automation software.” To maximize the efficiency of RFP automation software, it’s best to come up with clear, standardized templates. These should include predefined sections, questions, and criteria that match the company's needs and values. Michael Campbell, owner of SAT Stained Concrete, says, “By standardizing the format, you streamline the creation process, ensuring consistency and saving time for both your team and potential vendors.” Additionally, Campbell suggests including clear instructions and guidelines for vendors to follow when submitting proposals. This clarity reduces the likelihood of misunderstandings and ensures that you receive relevant and comparable responses. That makes the short listing process smoother and more objective, adds Campbell. It’s also worth creating a content library with pre-approved questions, response frameworks, and pricing tools. This is an approach that John Pennypacker, vice president of sales and marketing at Deep Cognition, follows at this company. “This allows us to quickly spin up new RFPs by mixing and matching pre-built modules rather than starting from scratch each time,” he says. “Having these proven templates on hand drastically cuts down time-to-publish while ensuring a consistent structure and language across RFPs. It also makes it easy to enforce our brand voice and messaging guardrails.” If you receive a lot of bids, it’s worth turning to automated reminders and notifications to let vendors know about the deadlines. This will help you keep the entire process under control. Peter H Hoopis, president of Peter Hoopis Ventures, LLC, says that “you can customize notifications based on urgency and vendor response status. For example, send reminders a week before the deadline for vendors who haven't submitted, and closer reminders as the deadline approaches.” Hoopis also adds that it’s beneficial to include clear instructions along with a confirmation that you’ve received each vendor’s application. He says, “When you send notifications, personalize them by using the vendor's name to create a more engaging experience. This speeds up the RFP process and ensures vendors are well-informed and engaged, leading to smoother short listing and selection.” The more specific you are about the project requirements, the higher the chance of receiving high-quality bids. They should be clear and detailed to reduce any misunderstandings. Andrew Cussens, owner of film and photography studio FilmFolk, says that the more details his team provides, the better the quality of proposals. “As for distributors’ requirements, such as capacity, we could leave open but specify the expected minimum output, such as the production capacity. We could also require a response to questions asked by both clients and distribution vehicles,” he adds. This one is probably a no-brainer. Pick a tool that is in line with your business needs and your budget. You might look for a specific feature such as automated scoring or the number of integrations it offers to make sure it seamlessly integrates with your tools. The latter was one of the main selection criteria for Richard Morgan, founder of Catalyst Fund. He says, “A key practice I've found in using RFP automation software effectively is leveraging its integration capabilities to synchronize with our existing CRM and ERP systems. This integration allows for seamless data flow, which is crucial for creating RFPs quickly.” He adds that by automatically pulling data, he can ensure accuracy and consistency in the RFP documents, all while significantly reducing time spent on manual data entry. Meanwhile, Michael Sawyer, operations director at Ultimate Kilimanjaro, underlines the importance of industry specificity. “Finding a platform specific to your industry is important. Since I run a travel excursions and tourism-focused business, Navan has worked the best for us. It has helped me keep track of vendors and acceptance of the ones that are a good match for us,” Sawyer says. After seeing how well ChatGPT had done with our demo RFP, this piece of advice surely isn’t surprising. One of the professionals who spoke highly of AI-powered content in the RFP process is Lily Bradic, marketing lead at Outverse. She says that RFP content creation is at the top of her list, right next to the more popular AI support assistants and intelligent documentation features. This way, “organizations can expedite the generation of RFP content, streamline the process, and allow teams to focus on strategic aspects of vendor selection rather than getting bogged down in repetitive tasks.” All this lets teams become faster and more accurate in their work. “They’re also more adaptable to evolving requirements, ultimately facilitating smoother procurement processes for modern startups and CX teams,” Bradic concludes. Everyone who publishes an RFP knows the goal of the call for proposals. After all, they’re looking for a web design agency because they know they need a website change in the first place, right? This clarity should extend to all other steps of the RFP journey — from writing the document to selecting the winning bid. Let’s take RFP scoring as an example. How will an automation tool help you score vendor applications? What criteria will you use, and how many team members do you want to involve in the evaluation process? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you improve the quality of vendor selections and use fair, standardized scoring factors. Lisa Rehurek, founder and CEO at The RFP Success Company, calls this her number one piece of advice. “Allowing team members to score vendor responses is a crucial best practice for RFP automation,” she says. “You can leverage everyone’s diverse expertise and views. They can be subject matter experts or come from procurement, IT, or legal.” That said, Rehurek also mentions that they should be using predefined criteria. Users can rate factors like technical capabilities, pricing, implementation plans, and vendor qualifications. “The fact that it doesn’t rely on one decision-maker ensures a full and fair evaluation,” Rehurek says. Based on aggregated results, you can identify the top-ranking candidates and short list them for further consideration. Perhaps most importantly, Rehurek says, “The software can also show scoring discrepancies, prompting more discussion and alignment among the review team.” Collaborative scoring promotes transparency, accountability, and buy-in throughout the evaluation process, Rehurek says. You can then make better vendor choices. “Many types of stakeholders back the results with their input. This teamwork is particularly vital for complex, high-stakes RFPs,” Rehurek says. Break down your RFP process into smaller steps. Which stages require the most back-and-forth communication or manual work? These should be your first candidates for automation. Think of things like distributing the RFP, replying to vendor queries, or keeping all applicants updated on the selection process. For Ryan Carrigan, CEO and co-founder of Move Buddha, one such process was requisition. “Automating it has freed up time that I can use to focus on growing my business,” he says. By streamlining the RFP creation process, Carrigan can better handle intake workflows and supplier requisitions. “It even automates the management of our purchase orders,” he says. “Investing in a good RFP can help you run and grow your business more effectively.” Using an automation platform for all vendor and internal communication helps keep everyone posted on the latest events and prevents any miscommunication. “One best practice for utilizing RFP automation software effectively is to leverage its centralized communication hub feature,” says Cache Merrill, CEO at Zibtek. “This ensures that all queries and communications between your organization and potential vendors are stored in one accessible location.” One source of truth allows teams to maintain clarity, reduce the risk of missed communication, and ensure that all parties are equally informed, Merrill says. Merrill notes that effective communication is also crucial for fairness and transparency in the selection process. “Moreover, this practice not only optimizes the RFP process but also enhances collaboration among team members, leading to more informed and cohesive decision-making,” she adds. There are many tools that can make the RFP process easier and quicker. On top of specialized automation software, you can also turn to ChatGPT for help in the conceptual and requirement creation stages. Based on my experiment, I think it’s a real time saver. Feed it with the right information and a good prompt, and it will come up with a satisfactory proposal that might need just a bit of editing. Good luck with finding the absolute best fit for each project!
What is an RFP?
Using Automation When Writing RPFs
Using AI to Help Create My RFP.
Take One
ChatGPT’s Output
What I Think
Take Two
ChatGPT’s Output
What I Think
Take Three
ChatGPT’s Output
What I Liked
Take Four — My Version
RFP Automation Tools
Responsive
Loopio
Deep Stream
PandaDoc
Best Practices for RFP Automation
1. Manage your legal compliance and secure better proposals.
2. Establish clear, standardized templates for RFPs.
3. Use automated reminders and notifications in RFP automation.
4. Provide clear, detailed, and specific requirements for project vendors.
5. Select the right software.
6. Incorporate AI-powered features to make things easier.
7. Define clear objectives for the entire RFP process.
8. Enable collaborative scoring.
9. Create automated workflows for most time-consuming processes.
10. Centralize all vendor communication.
Automating Your RFP Process to Save Time.
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