How to run a technology RFP, from planning to award

A competitive solicitation is the agency's best opportunity to shape a project. Requirements written here become the contract; evaluation criteria written here decide who performs the work. This guide sets out the sequence, with the decisions that matter at each step.

Timelines vary widely by agency and by the size of the purchase. Confirm thresholds, approval requirements, and posting rules with your purchasing office before you begin.

Steps

1. 1Confirm the purchasing route and the funding

   Check the estimated value against your agency's thresholds, confirm the funding source, and find out whether federal grant money adds procurement requirements. This determines whether a formal solicitation is needed at all, and it sets the approval path and the calendar.

2. 2Do market research before writing anything

   Issue a request for information, hold vendor demonstrations, review what similar agencies bought and what they paid, and talk to peers. The goal is to learn what is realistically available so that requirements are achievable and the estimate is sound.

3. 3Assemble the team and define roles

   Name the project sponsor, the evaluation committee, the technical lead, and the purchasing contact. Agree who answers vendor questions, who scores, and who decides. Confirm that no one on the committee has a conflict.

4. 4Write requirements that can be tested

   Describe the problem and the outcome first, then the functional, integration, security, accessibility, and performance requirements. Each one should be something the agency can verify at acceptance. Separate must-have from desirable and say which is which.

5. 5Build the evaluation plan before release

   Publish the criteria and their weights. Decide whether demonstrations, references, or a pilot will be scored, and script the demonstrations with your own scenarios. A scoring guide written in advance is what makes an award defensible.

6. 6Attach the contract and its exhibits

   Include the sample agreement with data ownership and export, security requirements, accessibility conformance, service levels, acceptance criteria, and the change process. Vendors price the terms, so terms discovered later cost more.

7. 7Release, run the question period, and answer in writing

   Post the solicitation with enough response time for a considered proposal. Answer every written question in an addendum so that all proposers see the same information.

8. 8Evaluate on the published criteria and document it

   Score independently first, then meet to reconcile. Record the rationale for each score. Check references and ask about schedule, quality, responsiveness, and what the reference would do differently.

9. 9Negotiate, award, and debrief

   Finalize scope, price, and terms with the selected proposer. Obtain the necessary approvals, issue the award notice, and offer debriefs. A good debrief improves the quality of your next competition.

What you end up with

A contract whose scope is testable, whose terms protect the agency's data and its ability to change vendors, and an evaluation record that can withstand a protest. The effort spent before release is what makes the implementation manageable.