What are the best practices for evaluating and scoring RFP responses?

When defining RFP criteria is it critical to include a metric to measure acceptable delivery of the product or service. Often when issuing an RFP the product or service that will be proposed is one that does not currently exist in the form required. Thus the greatest risk of the RFP being a failure is not a lack of response, or exceeding budgetary expectations. Instead it is the failure to account for a respondents need to acknowledge the inherent risk of the delivery of the product and provide a detailed, robust mechanism for the resolution or disputes and failures in regard to the delivery of the product.

When establishing your evaluation criteria, it is important to identify key criteria for all stakeholders. The relative weight of the criteria should also be predetermined, and especially in public sector, the relative weight of criteria must be included in the invitation. To simplify the evaluation process, important sub criteria should also be established for any criteria with various important factors. The relative importance of these sub criteria should also be set. However, it is usually not advisable to include this level of detail in the invitation documents….it can result in proponents tailoring their response towards the values rather than reflecting the factors of their offer.

This is probably the most important step. Being absolutely transparent about the expectations and scoring method eliminates waste of time and effort. However, some intangible qualitative metrics could be kept in house for final selection.

When it comes soliciting bids/proposals for goods or services, one of Procurement’s roles in the process is to assist in finding the best vendor/provider while remaining fair and compliant. Developing a good set of evaluation criteria is key in the solicitation process and should be an extension of the requestor/end-user’s objectives and align directly with expected results.

Clearly outline the criteria for evaluating the responses. This could include cost, vendor reputation, delivery time, and product/service quality. Make sure that all relevant stakeholders agree on these criteria before proceeding.

In my experience this is one of the most important steps. Bring your business owners and business leaders along for the ride. Don't dictate the process. Allow the team to create the RFP and scoring process together to bring in the sense of ownership. It will go a long way in having a successful RFP and a much less painful process for the business teams. This is the way.

Once your team is determined and established, it is important for the team leader to ensure that all participants are properly oriented and understand their role. They must understand their fiduciary duty. Their role in the process is intended to be organization-wide, and they may need to subordinate their own needs to those of the organization as a whole. Confidentiality is important, and individuals should not be communicating directly with potential bidders. Orientation to a consistent evaluation process is also critical to successful projects. A fair and equitable process will help avoid challenges from unsuccessful bidders.

Assemble a diverse team with representatives from different departments or areas of expertise to review the RFP responses. This ensures a well-rounded evaluation from multiple perspectives. Every team member can provide a valuable input, and factors to consider. You can even apply some weightning to your criteria.

It's a good idea to share the vendors' proposals with the members of your project team, so that they can review each response and gather up their thoughts.

Each team member should independently review and score each response based on the predefined criteria. This mitigates the risk of bias and ensures a fair evaluation process.

If there are any points of confusion or if you need additional information, reach out to the vendor for clarification. Don't hesitate to negotiate on terms if necessary. Open communication, as always is key. Usually there's a need for negotiation after RFP responses, and it's not enough with just one or two rounds.

Based on the scoring and overall evaluation, select the best vendor. Notify all vendors of your decision, regardless of whether they were selected.

While I find your outlined steps for the RFP evaluation process to be comprehensive, they underscore a significant aspect that appears to be overlooked: collaboration. Traditional methods, often anchored to spreadsheets, tend to curtail real-time interaction and open communication among stakeholders. Enter modern solutions like @thegreenrfp. It’s not just a platform, it’s a catalyst for change, promoting a shift from isolated, individual actions to a more unified, collaborative environment. Platform like these allows stakeholders to seamlessly engage, share insights, and collectively evaluate responses.The new tools are designed for the digital age, enhancing transparency and fostering inclusivity in decision-making.

It is key to consider financial stability, quality of the responses, time of the response and evaluate the interest of the other part.