How To Write A Qualitative RFP [4.14.10]

In the decade since I started Square One, I have received 1,000s of RFPs. Some have been in the form of simple emails, phone conversations, and even text messages. Others have been much more formal requiring pre-requisite electronic NDAs, notarized documents, and FedEx’d submissions in triplicate.

To all my current and prospective clients, I’ll let you in on a little secret.  I do not like responding to poorly conceived RFPs.  If you do not know all the details of a project, it sends a signal that 1.) the project will not happen or 2.) the project could happen and it will be chaos from the start.   I love you but please do not make me jump through hoops.

So, what makes a good RFP?  Well here goes.  This is my gift to the qualitative research world although I am sure there are elements in here that all companies can appreciate.  And since we can always get better at things, if you think something should be in here that is not, let me know.   If you disagree, let me know as well.  That’s what the comment button is for…

Relevance – Make sure absolutely everything in the RFP document is relevant to the project at hand.   Nothing pains me more than having to respond to questions that have absolutely nothing to do with qualitative research.  For example, our “Corporate Responsibility Policy” really is irrelevant when you are considering doing groups in Indianapolis, Chicago, and LA next week.

Description – Why are you doing the research?  What do you want to learn?  What will the research be used for?  Who is going to look at it?  What do you know already?   We do not want to “confirm” a bunch of information you already know…help us help you break new ground.

Desired Approach – Have you given any thought to the methodology you would like to use?  If not, that is fine – just tell us.  Does what we are discussing demand a certain approach (ex: a complex topic that must be explained before discussion).  If yes, tell us your thinking and we can respond to it and / or suggest other methods that might be more appropriate.

Sample – Who are the participants for the research?  Tell us as many details as you can about them.  Is there an incidence?  If there is an incidence, is it just your guess or does some reputable data source confirm it?  Do you have a list – if so, what fields does it include (phone, email, address, contact name) and how old is it?  Can we use your company’s name when we recruit?   Are there rules about offering incentives?

Budget – If you do not have a budget, even a range, it makes me think you’re not serious.  Including a budget is essential to letting us know what is realistic.  We do not want to waste a lot of time coming up with a “platinum” research package if all you can afford is the “silver.”

Cost Breakdowns – I might get a lot of flack for this, but I do not like breaking out the costs of a project’s components.   Unless you want to go into business for yourself, you do not need to know what the individual components cost.  And if you really need to know, it suggests that you are going to “nickel and dime” me.    We do not do this to our clients and expect the same in return.  Still, if you must know each line item cost, know this.  I am probably going to bump up all of them a bit to cover myself.  You are not going to get a better deal no matter what you do.  See – with one flat fee there is less padding and less peddling.  We all agree on price upfront and get it out of the way so we can focus on the research, not managing individual cost components as we move forward.

Schedule – For qualitative projects, there are three distinct phases – planning, fielding, and reporting.  We do not need a day-by-day schedule for this.  However, an idea of when you would expect things to occur would be helpful.   Let us know about any milestones (internal or external) that must be hit.  A good example might be ad concept availability.   Are we going to have the comps before we begin or will the ink still be drying on them as they are rushed in mid-way during the first group?  Just give us an idea so we can be prepared.

And one more hint…if we have never done business with you and you lob over an RFP on Friday afternoon at 4:30pm with a deadline of 5:30pm for groups that need to occur next Wednesday in Singapore, we’re not feeling the love.

Reporting – We like to know the desired deliverable before we start.  Do you want a top-line report?  Do you need quotes in it? What about video?  Who is going to read it?  Is there a special format you want to use?

Options – We are more than happy to provide several options for all of the above (ex: timing if we did in-person groups, costs if we did online, etc.).  However, please do not go crazy.  It simply suggests you are unsure of the project overall.  It also makes for a confusing bid process and there is likely to be a “PIA” bump-up in the cost simply to cover the time.

Selection Criteria – How are you going to make your decision on awarding the project?  Is it going to the cheapest bidder?  If so, we may not even want to respond.  You know the rest here…

Honesty – Finally, the most important rule of all…be honest.  Tell us if you are not sure the project will be funded.  Tell us if you need to get six approvals before we can begin.  Tell us if you have a favorite vendor already.  We can empathize.  We just want to do so with our eyes wide open.

Did I miss anything?