Responding to a Time-Sensitive RFP

Here at Diace Designs, responding to formal RFPs, RFQs, and RFIs is our specialty! We live for the thrill of designing these massive documents to win our clients hundreds of millions in longterm contracts. If you’re considering responding to an RFP with an impossibly short turnaround time, we have a few tips to share

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First Things First

The key to submitting a winning proposal on a tight deadline is knowing where to start. Kingdoms have been won and lost on the most important documents in any proposal: forms, LOIs, bank guarantees, licensing agreements, and anything that needs to be notarized. Since these items are mission-critical, prioritize them before everything else. The best way to do this is to know exactly what needs to be included in your proposal and make yourself a checklist. Arrange the items in order of importance. Then check off everything on the list, twice.

UYOP (Use Your Own Printer – in a PINCH!)

As design experts, we will always advocate for a professionally designed and printed proposal. However, when it comes down to the wire, you may not have time to get your entire proposal professionally printed. Trust us—if you’re in a time crunch, print your proposal at home. There are too many pieces and parts in a proposal to risk someone forgetting to collate the pages correctly. (We’ve been there…) Print at home, and then grab your colleagues or friends to help you build your binders. Ideally, you’ll have one person building each binder page by page. Then, review each binder page by page again to be sure nothing is missing or out of place.

Prepare to Lose Sleep

Responding to a formal RFP without much lead time is an exhilarating and exhausting process. Prepare for late nights and invest in a high-quality coffee machine. If you decide the task is just too daunting, give us a call. Making the impossible possible is what we do best!

About Kara Franco
Kara writes copy that speaks. She has a knack for creating clear, compelling messages without wasting words. She is passionate about digital marketing and believes that copy is the cornerstone of user experience.

Copywriter + Content Strategist
Kara@diacedesigns.com