The Request for Proposal (RFP) document is a selection artefact aimed at reducing your vendor shortlist to 2-3 vendors who will receive your demo scenarios. So if there are 5-6 vendors in your shortlist, the RFP should reduce that list to 2-3 vendors.

The RFP document builds on the RFI and focuses on the differentiating functionality or business processes that define your To-Be solution expectations.

The RFP process actually has two parts:

1. The RFP document
2. A means to respond to a set of RFP questions (e.g. an online form)

You expect the vendor to:

• read the RFP document
• decline or respond to the RFP questions
• call you to ask clarification questions about the RFP

After you evaluate the RFP responses, you make a 'cut' of the vendors to get you to your 2-3 potential demo vendors.

The PM should inform the steering team of the RFP result and provide a rationale for why specific vendor were cut or not cut from the shortlist.

Selection 2