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Requests for Proposals (RFP) Templates

A free RFP toolkit is available for download to help guide your software selection. Also download free RFP template samples from Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC).

What is an RFP?

A request for proposals (RFP) is a listing of the buyer’s requirements, published in order to elicit responses from suitable vendors.

RFP publication is an efficient way of gathering solution capabilities, as it allows the selection of the solution that best fits organizational requirements.

These capabilities commonly number in the thousands, which makes it all the more important to accelerate software selection to the maximum degree possible.

Why Do I Need an RFP Template?

A new enterprise software solution can make or break a company. Potential benefits include streamlined processes, best-practice methodologies, improved efficiencies and productivity, and elimination of wasteful practices.

But that’s only if it’s the right solution.

Selecting the wrong enterprise application can be ruinous. Not only has the cost of the solution itself gone down the drain, but there is also the cost of trying to resolve the problem (when it’s too late—and when the right solution is most needed), to say nothing of the disastrous effect it may have on relations with your clients, partners, and suppliers.

If you don’t arm yourself with the right software selection tools, the results are inevitably fatal.

There is no such thing as a magic-bullet enterprise solution. And there’s no surefire way to avoid problems once the new application does go live. But if you take the right approach to the software selection methodology, then at least you’ll have the security of knowing that everything that can go right did go right.

Why is this important? Because it means that 100 percent of your efforts can be directed at resolving the problem, not the causes of the problem.

That’s why your software selection process must be

cost-effective
time-effective
risk-effective

Naturally, composing the thousands of criteria required for the success of your business takes time. It also carries its share of risk, since instances of human error rise in direct proportion to the length of any project.

You need to be able to count on accurate communication of requirements, timely reception of proposals, and a relevant pool of responses. And that’s where an RFP template comes in.

How RFP Templates Can Help

It may seem obvious, but to shorten the decision cycle without sacrificing your requirements, it’s a good idea to take advantage of the wealth of information which already exists in the industry.

Not only can you take advantage of proven industry best practices, but you can also avoid the pitfalls that have led other implementations to the kind of unqualified disaster that adds insult to financial injury.

Using an RFP template can save months of work, but it also eliminates the guesswork about the criteria supported by commercially available products.

By using standard terminology, you improve vendor participation and reduce the risk of selecting the wrong enterprise solution. And perhaps most importantly, you achieve better control over those hard-to-quantify solution and customization costs.

Note that RFP templates do not circumvent the need to evaluate the business processes that give your company a differentiating or competitive edge. Indeed, they supplement this step by giving you information about the concrete requirements that have made other companies successful.

Obtain a free RFP toolkit, including templates and samples to help guide you in accelerating the decision-making process. Or download sample RFPs from Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC) for a wealth of technologies, including enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), accounting, human resources (HR), and more.

TEC Certified RFP Templates are created in collaboration with leading software vendors and consultants. The criteria listings in the RFP templates are matched against features and functions submitted by vendors, and are included in TEC’s knowledge bases.