RFP Template
Before you begin looking for a web design firm you should
write down your needs and goals. Writing an effective Request
For Proposal (RFP) is an important first step to ensure you
hire the best firm for the job. Of course Cactus Juice would
like to be your web and database agency of choice but no matter
who you chose we hope you find this template helpful.
(insert name of company
here)
Request For Proposal
(today's date)
Overview
Give your reader a short background on your organization and
why it needs a new web site. What is wrong with the existing
site? What is the current and/or proposed URL? What business
and marketing goals need to be met in the new site? Who is
the target audience(s) for the new site? How many agencies
are you sending you RFP to?
Timeframe
State the planned hire date for your web/database developer.
When would you like the project to start and end?
Target Audience
Make an ordered list (1 being most important, then descending
in order) of the types of visitors that you anticipate for
this site. Provide any details or statistics that you know
of for the most important user group.
Objectives
Include a numbered list of your top 5 business and marketing
goals that the new site should accomplish.
Hardware, Software and Hosting Considerations
Where will the new site be hosted? What kind of server will
the site reside on? Are there any existing databases that
will remain in the new site? What kind of databases are these
and how are they hosted currently? What kind of software and
third-party technology will the new site use (for searching,
for connecting to databases, for ecommerce, for backend site
management, etc.). ? Are there any other hardware and software
issues which may affect this project?
Content
Create a wish list of content and features that the new site
should accommodate. This wish list will make up basis of the
site’s architecture and help determine the flow and
arrangement of content in your web site. There are no “bad”
ideas so list them all.
Look and Feel
Include a short paragraph that describes the look and feel
you have in mind. Use a lot of adjectives that describe the
feel of the site.
Special Requirements
Phased approach? If the project is large, you may consider
a multi-step rollout. If so, which parts should go live first.
Which can be added in the second or subsequent phases?
Maintenance? Who will maintain the site? How do you, the
client, intend to handle site updates on your own?
Content creation? Where is the content coming from? Does
the content already exist or will you, the client, prepare
it in a timely manner. Is there any content that the agency
needs to create like banner ads, Flash intros, diagrams, or
other media?
Example Sites
It is often helpful to provide a list of URLs of example sites
that demonstrate one thing or another. For example, a list
of competitor or industry related web sites. Also, it is good
to include a list of web sites that you like either for their
look and feel or for some feature or function you would like
to have.
References
Find out what team the agency will assign to this project
and ask for examples of their work. Unlike Cactus Juice, many
web design companies assign junior people to your project
and charge you senior rates. Also, many other agencies subcontract
the design and development of your project without your knowledge.
If the subcontractor goes out-of-business, the agency could
loose the assets developed to date.
Budget
We recommend you give some sort of top end as to what you
are willing to spend on the project. This allows an agency
to adjust its team, timeline, and resources accordingly. Also,
it will allow us to tell you if what you are proposing is
feasible for the budget you are on.
Proposal Deadline
Tell the reader when their proposal is due back to you and
in what form. Should they email it or mail it? To whom? To
where?
Questions
Each project is different. Include a list of any special questions
that you would like to see addressed by an agency’s
proposal. For example: “can you make the site work with
our bank for secure credit card processing?” “How
will you help us load our existing product information into
a database?” |
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