The Web Developer’s Guide to Drafting a Winning RFP Response

November 10th, 2021

A well-written RFP response for website development is crucial as it will help you stand out from the crowd of competing vendors. A winning response should clarify roles, responsibilities, and timelines to help the client determine that you are the right fit for the project. For this reason, instead of reusing and revising old RFP responses, it’s best to create a new one that is tailored to the agency you want to work with, built from components pulled from an up-to-date centralized repository of RFP response content.

Here are key details that promising RFP responses should contain:

Venture Plan: Create a high-level list of project tasks. This list should include enough details for the issuer to understand the discovery, design, development, and build process.
Project Management Tools: List your agency’s project management tools. This may vary from agency to agency. What’s important is to show your prospective client that there is structure to your project management process and that tasks, owners, and dates are managed efficiently.
Reliable Team: The client needs to know that the designers and developers they’re working with are reliable and qualified for the job. Highlight each team member’s strengths and mention how they can bring value to the project.
CMS and Software Used: If the issuer did not specify a desired CMS (Content Management System) on their RFP, the CMS you use is worth mentioning in your response letter. Additionally, you should include all additional software you use to code and deploy websites. This assures the client that you’re using systems that will help improve their business operations, generate better leads, and allow for a better customer experience.
Project Deliverables: Providing a list of deliverables is crucial to set the client’s expectations at the point of go-live. Indicate essential details like the volume of content migration, number of design templates, and plugins used.
Search Engine Optimization: SEO should be front and center in your response. Indicate what your agency can do to drive more traffic and revenue to the client’s website. This may include keyword research, on-page optimization, link-building efforts, site audits, and 301 redirects.
Set Milestones: Milestones help ensure that your design team is hitting targets before proceeding to the next stage of the design process. Common milestones include discovery, graphic design, information architecture, theme coding, content migration, beta testing, and ultimately, go-live.
Timeline: Your RFP response should indicate how much time you need to complete a milestone. This will help clients determine whether the time spent on each milestone aligns with their own timetable.
Managing Delays: Whether the root cause of a project delay comes from your end or the client’s, it’s crucial to have a solid contingency plan. Briefly mention how you aim to adjust the project’s budget and timeline should a delay occur.
Warranty Claims: Clients want to know that their investment into their site is protected. If you offer a website warranty, discuss its terms and conditions in the proposal. Indicate what it covers and for how long the warranty is valid.
Payment Terms: Smaller websites typically require a 50% down payment at the beginning of the project and 50% at the end. On the other hand, larger projects can be paid for in smaller increments over the course of the partnership. Be sure to state these terms in your RFP response clearly.

Ensure Error-Free RFP Responses Each Time

Researching, drafting, revising, and sending out RFP responses is time-consuming. Additionally, ensuring their accuracy and tailoring them to their recipients takes a lot of effort.

RFP Response Builder provides automated tools that simplify the RFP response process, eliminate errors, and make it easy to manage even large RFP response projects.