Sample Website Design RFP
Business & Internet December 30th, 2007Request for Proposal (RFP): Website Development
Without a thorough Request for Proposal (RFP) for your website design project, it is virtually impossible for a prospective website design company to accurately bid on your project. To ask a web designer for a quote without an RFP is asking for WAGs (wild ass guestimates). As a result, a typical website designer will either low-ball you just to get your business or high-ball you so they don’t lose their shirt on the deal or just throw out a number at you and see if it sticks.
Composing a thorough RFP not only enables a good web design firm to to accurately bid on your website development project, but in addition, it allows you to compare apples with apples. For example, if you list 10 functional requirements in your RFP and those website design companies address each of those 10 items, then you can much more accurately compare their fees and the thoroughness of their explanations or responses to your functional requirements. Only with a well-structured and organized request for proposal can you possibly compare, contrast, and analyze competing website developers.
Sample RFP Structure
Most Request for Proposals follow this general format (please note, this is written from the perspective of the company seeking a website built by a website development firm):
- Organizational information
- Goals or purpose of website
- Comparative website models
- Demographics of target audience
- List all required functions, procedures, and applications
- Table of contents for website links
- Known budget constraints
- Time line to launch (including sales/marketing deadlines)
- List any known preferences for website design
- List factors that you may use to evaluate competing firm’s proposals