mighty citizen | home - step 1: gather your troops · web viewget every internal stakeholder in a...

Table of ContentsStep 1: Gather Your Troops 4

Step 2: Define Your Budget 4

Step 3: Be A.S.A.P. (As Specific As Possible) 4

Step 4: Give Everyone Plenty of Time 5

Step 5: Speak Plainly 5

I. Organizational Overview 7

II. Proposal Submission Details 9

III. Contract Terms and Conditions 10

IV. Project Details 11

V. Proposal Components 14

VI. Evaluation Criteria 16

TEMPLATE: RFP Template for Website Projects 2

RFP Template for Website Projects...that will get you great proposals.

The difference between a great RFP and a mediocre RFP is the difference between an exceptional website and a messy, ineffective one.

We’ve read—and submitted responses to—hundreds of Web design RFPs over the last 20 years. Here are our tips for writing an RFP that will encourage more and better proposals.

Step 1: Gather Your Troopso Get every internal stakeholder in a room for a few hours to review your

current website.

o Your goal is to detail every problem with your current website and every “wish list” item for your new site.

o Think in terms of goals and how you’ll measure success.

Step 2: Define Your Budgeto With website projects, you get what you pay for.

o The larger and more technically complex/interactive your website, the more expensive.

o Consider breaking your request into phases, adding more complexity and functionality in later stages. Better to take it slowly than cheaply.


Step 3: Be A.S.A.P. (As Specific As Possible)o The more detail prospective respondents have, the more relevant their

proposals will be.

o Use bulleted lists in your RFP to make each requirement very clear.

o Your proposal need not be long. It just needs to be clear, simple, and direct.

Step 4: Give Everyone Plenty of Timeo Release your RFP at least six (6) weeks before proposals are due.

o Allow prospective respondents to send clarifying questions, which you should answer at least two (2) weeks before proposals are due.

o Clearly define in the RFP the schedule of events.

Step 5: Speak Plainlyo Use plain, direct language in your RFP.

o Too much industry lingo or “marketing-speak” can lead to misunderstandings—and proposals that miss the point.


Your Organization’s Name

Request for Proposalfor

Project Name (ex: Website Redesign)

RFP #:

Proposal Due Date & Time:

Month/Date/Year – Time of Day

Contact Name:

Contact Email:


I. Organizational Overview

About the OrganizationDescribe the nature of your organization. What is your goal/mission? Offer a short history of the organization to provide context.

Project TeamThe following people will play a role in this project.

Name Title

Team Member Name Job Title




Decision-Making ProcessDescribe how decisions will be made on your side of the project. Who will be the main contact throughout the project? Which team members will review and approve deliverables?

Internal StakeholdersThe following groups/people/audiences are the primary internal stakeholders on this project:

● Stakeholder Group #1




Current ChallengesWe hope the successful completion of this project will address the follow challenges:

● Challenge #1

● Challenge #2

● Challenge #3

Goals of this ProjectWe want the successful completion of this project to help us achieve the following goals:

● Goal #1

● Goal #2

● Goal #3

How We’ll Measure SuccessWe will measure the success of this project according to the follow criteria/metrics:

● Success Metric #1




II. Proposal Submission DetailsSchedule of EventsRFP Open: Date

Questions Due: Date

Answers Posted: Date

Proposals Due: Date

Presentations: Date

Award: Date

* This schedule of events is subject to change based on the needs of the organization.

QuestionsDescribe the process respondents should take to submit questions pertaining to this request.

Questions should be submitted to:Contact NameContact Email Address

Submission InstructionsDescribe how proposals should be submitted—e.g., via email or print, number of copies, special labeling or file names, etc.

Proposal FormatList any formatting restrictions—e.g., page limit, margin size, font requirements, line spacing, etc.

Required AttachmentsIf there are any additional attachments that must be included with proposals, list them here.


III. Contract Terms and ConditionsContract Terms & ConditionsDescribe any terms and conditions of the contract.

Maximum Contract AmountEnter the maximum dollar amount of this contract. It's very helpful to provide general budget guidelines so that it is easier to compare responses. Consider providing some here.

Payment TermsDescribe payment terms that respondents will need to adhere to.

Contract TermDescribe the term of the contract. For example, is this a two-year contract with a renewal option?

Critical Timeline/Launch DateIs there a critical launch date for the project? If so, describe what is driving your deadline.


IV. Project DetailsProject OverviewProvide an overview of the project requirements. The more detail you provide, the more accurate a solution respondents can propose.

External AudiencesThe following are the primary external audiences for this website/project:

● AUDIENCE #1Description



Technical RequirementsDescribe any technologies (hardware or software) that are required. Do you have to integrate the new website with a third-party platform? Do you have website hosting requirements? etc.

Integrations with Other SystemsShould the website integrate with any third-party or legacy systems? If so, which ones and how extensive should the integration be?

Visual Design RequirementsDescribe any visual design requirements—e.g., branding guidelines, style guides, upcoming changes to visual brand, etc.


Content Management System (CMS) RequirementsDescribe any requirements for your content management system (CMS). Do you require your site be built on a particular CMS? If not, indicate you are open to recommendations.

Hosting RequirementsDescribe where the new site will be hosted. Would you like the respondent to provide hosting or do you have a previous hosting arrangement? If you have a previous hosting arrangement, describe the technical details including server type, etc.

Security RequirementsDescribe any specific security requirements that the new site must adhere to.

Accessibility RequirementsDescribe any accessibility requirements that must be met. For example "Website should meet all federal accessibility requirements described in Section 508 of the American Rehabilitation Act."

Language RequirementsShould the website be made available in multiple languages? Which languages? Would an automatic translator suffice or do you need human translation conducted?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) RequirementsDo you want the respondent to conduct search engine optimization (SEO) on your website? What are your search engine ranking goals, if any?

User Research Requirements What user research should the respondent conduct—e.g., usability testing, stakeholder interviews, card sorting exercises, persona development, etc.? Do you already have robust user research available?


Content RequirementsDescribe your requirements for content creation. Will you expect the respondent to provide copywriting or copy editing services? Who will be in charge of migrating content from the existing website to the new website?

Support and Maintenance RequirementsWhat level of support and maintenance are you expecting after the new site is live? Describe your support requirements here.

Required Features, Functions, and DeliverablesThe following features, functions, tools, and integrations are required for this website/project:

● REQUIREMENT #1Description








V. Proposal Components

The following should be included in your proposal:

● Table of Contents

● Company Overview — including history, location, year of founding, awards, etc.

● Staff Size — including number of full-time, part-time, and local v. remote

● Short Bios of Leadership/Executive Team

● Your Core Competencies

● Executive Summary of this Project

o Clearly illustrate that you understand our organization and the goals of this project

● Relevant Experience Case Studies (3-5)

o Describe 3-5 projects you have completed that demonstrate your ability to effectively execute the project described in this RFP

o Include a listing of the services provided to each project

o Include screenshots, images, or links when appropriate

● References (3)


o Include the contact information (name, title, phone, email) for contacts at three (3) of your previous projects

● Features & Functions

o Explain how you would execute all of the features/functions/etc. of this project (as described in Section IV)

● Process Methodology

o Describe your process for this project in great detail

o List each phase of your process, including the relevant deliverables that will be produced at each phase

o Which tools and resources will you employ to ensure this project remains on time, on budget, transparent, and collaborative

● Future Recommendations

o Include any recommendations you have for our organization that fall outside the scope described in this RFP

● Timeline

o Include the time spent on each phase of the process

o Provide a fair estimate of when this project will

● Budget

o Include a total project cost/range

o Include a line-item budget for each major deliverable

o Include hourly rate and hour estimate for each major deliverable

o Respondent must honor pricing for 60 days from date of proposal


● REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS

● Additional Proposal Component


VI. Evaluation Criteria

Below are the criteria the proposal evaluation team will use to select a partner:

Evaluation Criterion Percentage

Criteria #1 (e.g., Cost, Quality, Relevant Experience) Percentage%




TOTAL 100%


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