RFP for Software Development Services: Your Ultimate Project Booster
Some companies, when looking for a software development outsourcing vendor, often skip a request for proposal (RFP) stage because they think this document is unnecessary. But as a vendor, we want to dispel the myth and give you an insider’s point of view about RFP creation, drawing from our experience in writing proposals as a software outsourcing partner.
Why do I need an RFP?
RFP is a document with all detailed information on your project that your potential vendors need to know to get their proposal and a bid for participation in your project.
- With RFP, you’ll get different points of view on your project from different vendors. By providing them the precise details of what you expect, the scope of work, benchmark, etc your potential vendors will offer a different approach to the development of your project. You’ll be able to evaluate different strategies in detail before sticking to just one.
- You can understand your vendor’s real capabilities because they need to give you tailored offers in response to your RFP. They will send out a suitable skillful team whose expertise aligns with your project.
- Because RFP requires a standardized format of proposals, you’ll be able to compare vendors easily.
- RFP forms a bidding process. And because one of the main reasons why you go with outsourcing or offshoring is to save human resources and costs. RFP will keep vendors’ pricing down. But keep in mind that we don’t recommend you base solely on price to make the decision, the right skill set is not cheap.
- An RFP will also assist you not only in the process of choosing software vendors but also in the developing process later on since you don’t have to repeat the same information again and again. You can gather questions from all vendors and give answers to those; at the same time, an RFP gives you numerous opportunities to ask questions yourself and to yourself questions you expect.
Furthermore, development companies create bid processes in response to your RFP for software development services based on the specifications given, which compromise high-quality proposals. The better quality bids are, the better quality development services are.
So, the point we want to mention is: provide as many details as possible so that you can get the best quality of responses. 
What should I include in my RFP?
We hope we have convinced you that an RFP is an indispensable component when looking for a software development vendor. Here are what you should include in your RFP:
Project Overview
As a software development provider, we need this section, but we strongly recommend you writing this last. Because it provides a summary of RFP like a brief background on the company, challenges that you need to face, and why it leads you to the decision of outsourcing a software development team. When reading this section, software development providers will have a good sense of what they need to do and whether they can offer you the requested services.
Company Background
In this section, you should indicate a summary of your company’s history, products, services, vision and mission, and position within the market. The development project should align with the company’s values; plus, we need it to provide you a solution helping you gain competitive advantages.
Project Parameters
This is the primary and essential section. You will need to layout your vision for this project, what problem your vendor needs to tackle, who will be in charge, who will use the software, what they will be able to do, and how this project will boost the company’s evolvement.
For example, if your project is about application development, remember to include preliminary design ideas, and if it’s a website, mention what functionality you want to have in the menu bar.
Budget
Mentioning the number of funds available, you can specify as a range that you need to stay within. By doing this, your potential vendors will propose and evaluate the cost quickly.
Scope Of Work
Listing out the specific services you want your software developers to perform, for instance, requirement analysis, project management, software development, testing, deploying, and so on. You should provide as many details as possible, so your vendors know the issue and offer you a suitable solution. Remember to leave room for them to recommend the solution.
Timeline
A timeline with milestones and the date your project should be completed. You can consider listing a completion date one or two days before the actual time to avoid unexpected delays.
Technical Specifications
By identifying requirements for technologies, methodologies, and tools, your vendors will be able to give the proposal that aligns with your company’s operating workflow.
For example, you can list the operating systems or technologies, and tools that your company’s running, some technical roadblocks, or known issues that might interfere and disrupt the project completion.
Be upfront about the obstacles and possibilities, and provide as much information as possible to give vendors an explicit landscape of what they can expect.
Resources
Mention a list of resources that your company owns and those third-party software applications that might need integration.
Submission Requirements
This section will aid you since it provides a consistent format across all RFP responses. Ensure they all respond in the same style and structure that you prefer. This can be a number of pages, a number of samples or references, or even a deadline. You can create a form to be filled out by each vendor to make the process more streamlined.
Vendor Information
In this part, you’ll know about the vendor, how long they have been in the industry, how many clients they have worked with, what their potential is, have they served clients who are in the same business as you, how many people they have available to work at the moment, and so on.
Selection Criteria
By providing them the criteria, the bidders will be less likely to offer you an off-course solution. Tell them how their proposals will be reviewed and explain how much weight each standard carries. This will depend on your company’s needs, for example, technical expertise may be more important than cost. You can have a set of criteria that includes past projects, case studies, technical expertise, speed, cost, thoroughness, domain knowledge, etc.
Terms and Conditions
Last but not least, you’ll define any formal requirements needed to do business with you; namely, the vendor should be in a specific type of entity or have any particular insurance coverage. You can require a vendor to have some particular certifications and to be willing to sign an NDA. On the other hand, you can also indicate the specific language your future partner have to speak or even geographical requirements.
The final tip
For the best result, narrow down whom you’ll send your RFP for custom software development services. Three to five is a good number to target. You can use a request for information (RFI) to get details you need if you’re not sure about a particular provider.
Having someone from your company be the point of contact will be a good idea since they can help you answer questions bidders have while putting together their proposals.
In the long run, take your time to review proposals and keep in might that the one you choose will stick with you for a duration of time. Ensure your vendor is a good fit not only for your project but also for your company’s culture.
Side-note
At TP&P Technology, we provide robust and skillful expertise with extensive technical knowledge that can help you to transform your business digitally. Talk to one of our experts today to know what we can offer you at a reasonable price!
