Request for Proposal (RFP)

A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a call for bids to supply goods or services. It sets out the required specifications and the evaluation criteria the buyer will use to choose the winning bid. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) lists the RFP as one of the most common federal tender-notice types, as described on the Government of Canada bidding page.

The RFP is a competitive solicitation method. Buyers use it when they want suppliers to respond with a proposed solution and supporting commercial information, not only a price. A successful RFP bid results in a contract to deliver the goods or services described in that bid.

What a Canadian federal RFP contains

In Canadian federal procurement, an RFP does several jobs at once. According to PSPC guidance on bidding, it can be used to:

• solicit bids for goods or services;
• state the technical or performance specifications;
• establish the evaluation criteria for selecting a supplier;
• invite suppliers, particularly for complex requirements, to propose how they will satisfy a problem, requirement, or objective; and
• lead to a contract for delivery of the goods or services described in the successful bid.

The last two points separate an RFP from a simple price request. For complex requirements, the buyer describes the problem, requirement, or objective and asks suppliers to propose the solution.

How NATO distinguishes an RFP from an Invitation for Bids

NATO offers a useful comparison. Its competitive procurement procedure identifies the RFP as a solicitation method distinct from an Invitation for Bids (IFB). The same document defines a proposal as a detailed document explaining how a vendor will meet specified requirements. It covers matters such as technical solutions, pricing, and implementation approaches.

NATO procurement opportunities are issued by different NATO bodies. Eligibility and evaluation requirements are specified in each procurement notice, so a bidder reads the notice itself and does not assume the rules from one issuer apply to another. The NATO procurement opportunities page is the starting point for these notices.

What RFP documents look like in practice

NATO publishes RFPs across a wide range of purchases, including services, studies, software, training, furniture, and framework agreements. Published examples include a firm-fixed-price services contract for event-management software, a training procurement, a furniture procurement, and a multi-contractor advisory-services framework.

The instructions in these documents show the typical structure. Bidders may be required to submit separate technical and price proposals. The instructions also specify a firm closing deadline after which bids are not accepted, as in this NATO RFP amendment. Amendments, such as the ones attached to several of these RFPs, form part of the solicitation and change what bidders must address.

What an RFP means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

An RFP asks you to do more than quote a price. You must review the complete solicitation, prepare a proposal that addresses each stated requirement and evaluation criterion, and submit it by the specified deadline and in the required form.

• Read the specifications and the evaluation criteria first, because they define how your proposal will be judged.
• Where the requirement is complex, describe how your solution answers the stated problem, requirement, or objective.
• Check whether technical and price proposals must be submitted separately.
• Treat the closing deadline as final.
• Track amendments, since they are part of the solicitation.

Winning an RFP leads to a contract for the goods or services you proposed, so the proposal you submit is the basis for what you will be expected to deliver.