KnowledgePrivate tender
RFI, RFP and RFQ: what is the difference, and what do you do with them?
Companies ask suppliers for information and proposals in different ways. The abbreviations are used loosely, but each asks something different of you. Recognise which is which, and you spend your time in the right place.
Written by the Atvalio editorial team: people who spent years bidding on tenders themselves. About us
Three kinds of requests
- RFIRequest for informationThe client is exploring the market: who is out there, what can they do, roughly what does it cost? Not a proposal yet, but a first impression.
- RFPRequest for proposalThe client wants a full proposal: approach, planning, team, price. This is where you win the work.
- RFQRequest for quotationThe client knows exactly what they want and compares mainly on price and terms.
In practice the names get mixed up. A company calls something an RFP and only wants a price, or calls it a request for quotation and wants a full plan. So do not go by the name, but by what is asked and how the client will choose.
Is an RFI worth the effort?
An RFI does not win you a contract. Yet it is often the door to it: the client uses the answers to decide who to invite for the proposal. Whoever disappoints at the RFI often does not take part after that.
How much effort you put in depends on three things. How much work is it? Can you already stand out, or does the client only ask for standard details? And will you have a serious chance at the contract later? If the last is true, always do it, and do it well. Whether you really have that chance, weigh as in bid or no bid.
An RFI is your first chance to stand out, before there is even a proposal.
What the client expects
- For an RFI: short and distinctiveAnswer the questions, and show in a few sentences why you are different. Not a whole proposal.
- For an RFP: the full storyApproach, planning, team and price, tailored to this client. How to win it, read in how to win a private tender.
- For an RFQ: a clear priceA clear price breakdown, clear terms, and where you can a short reason why you are the better choice, not just the cheapest. Expect a negotiation round: read price and negotiation.
HOW ATVALIO HELPS
Atvalio reads the request and shows what is really being asked, whatever its name: information, a full proposal or mainly a price. It helps you judge whether an RFI is worth it, and writes an answer from your company profile that fits what the client asks. You decide and send it yourself.
Atvalio Tenders is coming soon. On the waiting list, you can be the first to start a 14-day trial on a real tender.
Want Atvalio to do this for you?