RFP Season is Here
Don’t Let It Derail Your Tech Decisions
Fall is a funny time in tech. On one hand, the year is winding down. On the other hand, everything feels urgent. Budgets need to be utilized. Roadmaps need to be locked in. And all of a sudden, it’s RFP season.
If you're about to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) or are knee-deep in vendor selection, you’re not alone. But you might be about to repeat some of the most common mistakes we see—even among smart, experienced teams.
And here’s the twist: even though RFPs are still the dominant path, more and more organizations—especially in public sector—are experimenting with alternatives like paid proofs of concept, competitive skills-based procurement, and faster ways to vet and select partners. Because sometimes, skipping the RFP is actually the smarter play.
Most RFPs Don't Set You Up for Success
We don’t say that to be harsh. We say it because we see it all the time: well-meaning organizations pouring time into procurement cycles that attract the wrong partners, confuse internal stakeholders, and slow down momentum right when it matters most.
Here’s what tends to go wrong:
1. You start before you're aligned.
The board wants efficiency. The COO wants integration. The end users want the old system back. If you launch an RFP without internal clarity, you're inviting misalignment into every future step.
2. You recycle the last RFP.
Templates can be helpful, but tech moves fast. What you needed two years ago isn’t what you need today. Context matters.
3. You treat it like a checklist, not a strategy.
Some RFPs read like a scavenger hunt of features. But listing requirements without anchoring them to outcomes invites vendors to play bingo—not partner with you.
4. You over-index on price.
We get it. Budgets are real. But if price is the primary lens, you'll almost always sacrifice fit, flexibility, or future scalability.
What a Better RFP Process Looks Like
At Deliver Digital, we don’t just help clients write better RFPs—we help them think differently about what partner selection actually means.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
We start with discovery. Before any document gets drafted, we run alignment workshops to surface goals, internal friction, and the real criteria that matter. Often, the problem isn’t what teams thought it was.
We co-design the RFP. Instead of defaulting to a template, we build it with your context in mind. That means clearly defined outcomes, realistic timelines, and the ability to assess vendor responses against what will actually move your business forward.
We create a transparent scorecard. No mystery math. Just clear, weighted criteria that reflect both functional needs and strategic fit.
We build in governance. The RFP isn’t the end. It’s the start of a relationship. So we include post-award transition plans, escalation paths, and knowledge transfer structures from day one.
Get to “No” Faster
One of the smartest things you can do in an RFP process? Build a faster path to “no.”
Trying to evaluate 15+ vendors equally is a waste of everyone’s time. Instead, define your non-negotiables early—what we call make-or-break criteria—and use them as filters.
Done right, this turns your longlist into a shortlist without weeks of back-and-forth. It’s better for your team. It’s better for vendors. And it means you get to spend time evaluating the right partners more deeply—instead of sifting through noise.
What Happens When You Get It Right
When Navacord needed to standardize their tech stack across dozens of recently acquired brokerages, they didn’t just need a vendor—they needed a partner who could help them operationalize consistency without killing autonomy.
We helped them run a national vendor selection process grounded in business alignment.
That meant cross-functional scorecards, executive input, and a partner that met both operational and cultural needs. The result? A unified platform strategy that respected local needs and scaled nationally.
As we continued to scale, our IT landscape became more complex and disjointed. What worked at a smaller scale wasn’t sustainable anymore.
Melanie Muise, President of Personal Lines & Travel at Navacord
Don't Just Select a Vendor. Build a Partnership.
An RFP isn’t just a procurement exercise. It’s a reflection of how your organization makes decisions, aligns teams, and sets the tone for transformation.
Get it right, and you’re not just buying software. You’re laying the foundation for scalable systems, energized teams, and tech that actually works.
Get it wrong, and you’ll be right back here next fall—rewriting the same RFP for the same problem.
Ready to do it differently? Let’s talk.
FAQ
-
When you’re clear on the problem you're solving, aligned on success criteria, and ready to evaluate options objectively. If you're still circling internally, it's too early.
-
A clear articulation of business goals, success metrics, context for your organization, evaluation criteria, timelines, and expectations beyond implementation (support, training, governance).
-
Enough to allow comparison, but not so many that you overwhelm your team. We usually recommend 3–5 well-qualified vendors based on pre-screening.
-
Not always. RFPs are valuable for high-stakes, multi-vendor, or consensus-driven projects. But other models—like paid proofs of concept, competitive showcases, or skills-based procurement—can be faster and more revealing. These are especially common in the public sector and innovation-driven orgs.
-
Look beyond the proposal. Do they understand your business? Are they asking the right questions? Do you trust them to challenge you when it matters?
-
Yes. But more importantly, we help you figure out if you need one in the first place—and how to make it actually work for your team.