A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a formal document asking agencies to submit proposals for your project or retainer. Done well, an RFP helps you compare agencies fairly, get quality proposals, and make an informed decision. Done poorly, it attracts the wrong agencies, yields vague or unhelpful responses, and wastes everyone's time. The quality of your RFP directly affects the quality of the proposals you receive.
Key Takeaways:
- Use an RFP for engagements over $25K or $5K+/month retainers
- Always include clear scope, evaluation criteria, and a budget range
- Limit bidders to 5-7 for quality; shortlist 2-3 for finalist presentations
- Provide a Q&A process so all agencies receive equal information
This guide covers what an RFP is, when to use one, how to structure it, common mistakes to avoid, evaluation criteria, timeline, and distribution strategy. Whether you're hiring a marketing agency or another type of agency, these principles apply.
What is an RFP?
A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a document that:
- Describes your organization, objectives, and needs
- Defines the scope of work you want proposals for
- Specifies what you want agencies to include in their response
- Sets deadlines and evaluation criteria
- Provides a consistent framework for comparing agencies
RFPs are commonly used for larger engagements—retainers, major projects, multi-year contracts—where you want formal, comparable submissions. For smaller projects or when you've already identified a preferred agency, a simpler brief or scope document may suffice.
When to Use an RFP
Use an RFP when:
- Budget is significant: $25K+ project or $5K+/month retainer—enough to justify the process
- Comparing multiple agencies: You want 3–5 agencies to respond so you can evaluate
- Formal procurement: Your organization (or client) requires a structured selection process
- Complex scope: The project has multiple components, stakeholders, or phases—an RFP helps agencies understand and propose holistically
- Long-term relationship: You're hiring for ongoing work; you want to see strategic thinking, not just tactics
Skip or simplify when:
- Small budget: Under $10K; agencies may not invest time in a full RFP response
- Single preferred agency: You've already decided; negotiate directly
- Urgent need: RFP process takes 4–8 weeks; if you need someone in 2 weeks, streamline
- Simple, well-defined project: A scope document and quote request may be enough
RFP Structure and Template
A strong RFP includes these sections:
1. Introduction and Background
- Who you are: Company/organization name, industry, size, mission
- Why you're issuing the RFP: Context—new initiative, rebrand, growth goal, pain point
- What you're looking for: One paragraph summary of the engagement (e.g., "We seek a marketing agency for a 12-month retainer to support content, SEO, and paid social.")
2. Objectives and Goals
- What success looks like: Metrics, outcomes, or qualitative goals
- Timeline: When you need to start, key milestones, contract duration
- Constraints: Budget range, fixed deadlines, must-haves (e.g., industry experience)
3. Scope of Work
- Deliverables: What you expect—channels, outputs, frequency
- Services in scope: e.g., Strategy, content creation, SEO, paid media, reporting
- Services out of scope: What's explicitly not included
- Assumptions: What you'll provide (e.g., brand guidelines, access to tools, point of contact)
4. Submission Requirements
Tell agencies exactly what to include:
- Executive summary
- Understanding of the brief and approach
- Relevant case studies (2–3)
- Team structure and key personnel
- Proposed timeline and milestones
- Pricing (structure and estimate)
- Terms and conditions
- References
Specify format (PDF, page limit) and naming convention.
5. Timeline
- RFP release date
- Questions deadline
- Q&A responses published
- Proposal deadline
- Shortlist notifications
- Finalist presentations
- Decision and contract execution
6. Evaluation Criteria
How will you score proposals? Common criteria:
- Understanding of brief and approach (25–30%)
- Relevant experience and case studies (20–25%)
- Team and fit (15–20%)
- Pricing and value (15–20%)
- Terms and operational fit (10–15%)
Publish the criteria so agencies know what matters. Weight according to your priorities.
7. Contact and Process
- Who to contact with questions
- How to submit (email, portal, etc.)
- Confidentiality expectations
- Whether you'll provide feedback to non-selected agencies
For RFP templates and proposal tools, see our proposal software comparison—many agencies use these to respond; you can reference them when structuring your RFP.
Common Mistakes
1. Vague or Missing Scope
"If you don't know what you want, you'll get proposals for everything." Vague RFPs yield vague proposals. Define scope as clearly as you can. If you're uncertain, consider a discovery phase or consultancy first. Agencies that use structured scoping tools (like AgencyPro's scope and proposal features) tend to respond with more precise, comparable proposals.
2. Unrealistic Timeline
RFPs take time. PMI best practices confirm that agencies need 2–4 weeks to respond thoughtfully. Rushing the process favors agencies with templated responses over those doing real work. Build in buffer.
3. No Q&A Process
Agencies will have questions. Host a call or allow written questions. Publish answers to all bidders so everyone has the same information. Skipping Q&A leads to inconsistent proposals and frustrated agencies.
4. Hiding Budget
Forbes recommends budget transparency in procurement. Some organizations fear that revealing budget will cause agencies to quote to the number. In practice, hiding budget often wastes everyone's time—agencies propose at wrong scales, and you get fewer relevant responses. Providing a range (e.g., "$50K–$75K") helps agencies tailor their proposals. If you must keep it confidential, at least indicate scale (e.g., "six figures").
5. Too Many Bidders
Inviting 10+ agencies creates noise. You can't evaluate 10 proposals well. Shortlist to 5–7 for the RFP, then 2–3 for finalist presentations. Quality over quantity.
6. Unclear Evaluation Process
Agencies invest significant time. If your evaluation is opaque or changes mid-stream, you lose trust. Define criteria upfront, score systematically, and communicate the process.
7. No Feedback to Non-Selected Agencies
You're not obligated, but offering brief feedback to runners-up is professional and builds goodwill. Many will appreciate it and remember you for future opportunities.
Evaluation Criteria
Create a scorecard before you receive proposals. Typical dimensions:
- Understanding: Did they demonstrate they get your business and challenges?
- Approach: Is their strategy thoughtful, differentiated, and feasible?
- Experience: Relevant case studies and outcomes?
- Team: Right people, available, and will you meet them?
- Pricing: Within budget? Clear structure? Good value?
- Terms: Reasonable contract, IP, exit provisions?
- Fit: Culture, communication, and operational compatibility?
Weights will vary. For strategic work, weight approach and experience higher. For execution-heavy work, team and pricing may matter more. Document your weights and stick to them during evaluation.
Timeline
A typical RFP process:
- Week 1: Finalize and release RFP
- Week 2: Q&A period; publish answers by end of week
- Weeks 3–4: Agency response period
- Week 5: Evaluate proposals; shortlist 2–3
- Week 6: Finalist presentations; reference checks
- Week 7: Negotiate with preferred agency; draft contract
- Week 8: Sign and kickoff
Adjust for your context. Smaller engagements can compress to 4–6 weeks. Enterprise or complex engagements may extend to 10–12 weeks.
Distribution Strategy
Who to invite:
- Agencies with relevant experience (industry, channel, scale)—directories like Clutch can help identify qualified candidates
- Mix of known and new—don't only invite incumbents
- Pre-qualify: Can they meet timeline? Budget? Capacity?
How to distribute:
- Email directly to identified agencies
- Post on relevant job boards or RFP portals if your process allows
- Use your network: Ask for recommendations, then invite those agencies
- Avoid casting too wide: Spray-and-pray RFPs get low-quality responses
How many:
- 5–7 for the RFP is a good range
- 2–3 for finalist presentations
- More than that dilutes your attention and their incentive to invest
Conclusion
A well-written RFP attracts better proposals and leads to better agency selection. Invest time in clarity: define your objectives, scope, and evaluation criteria. Provide a realistic timeline and a meaningful Q&A process. Evaluate systematically. And treat agencies respectfully—they're investing significant effort to work with you.
Use this guide as a checklist. Adapt the template to your needs. And remember: the RFP is the start of the relationship. The way you run the process signals how you'll work together. A professional, clear, and fair RFP sets the tone for a partnership that delivers results. For more on hiring agencies, see our guide on how to hire a marketing agency.