7 RFP Planning Tips, Part II<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div>PurchTips edition #254<\/p>\n<\/div>
How Can You Benefit From These RFP Tips?<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div>In\u00a0PurchTips edition #252, I shared three tips for successful request for proposal (RFP) planning. Allow me to present four more RFP tips.<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/02\/rfp-planning-tips.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
RFP Tip #4: Engage suppliers before the RFP.<\/strong>\u00a0If the first time a supplier hears of a sales opportunity is when it receives an RFP, this works to the buyer’s disadvantage according to Bill Dorn, Vice President of Operations for Source One Management Services and the co-author of Managing Indirect Spend: Enhancing Profitability Through Strategic Sourcing. He claims that, without prior contact, suppliers are likely to predict a slim chance of winning and won’t put their best effort into responding to an RFP, if they respond at all. “You really are served just to pick up that telephone and call a supplier, introduce yourself, explain to them what you’re looking for, and start down that path of actually building a long-term relationship,” Dorn says. “And that should certainly happen before RFP issuance.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\nRFP Tip #5: Limit “yes or no” questions in the RFP.<\/b>\u00a0“When you’re sourcing, you want to cast the widest net possible and allow suppliers to offer solutions that you may not have thought of,” Dorn states. “Many of those offers can provide lower pricing and higher quality of service.” He has observed that “yes or no” questions do the opposite and are often used to unnecessarily disqualify bidders and thus leave potential savings and quality-boosting ideas undiscovered. “Yes or no” questions – although they’re easy to read, they’re easy to scorecard, and they’re easy to respond to – really tend to limit the potential supply base,” and a limited supply base can result in higher costs, Dorn warns.<\/p>\n
RFP Tip #6: Give yourself enough time to conduct a good RFP process.\u00a0<\/b>Failing to allocate enough time is “probably the #1 fault we see in strategic sourcing,” Dorn shares and cites collecting data as a time-consuming phase. He advises buyers to be aware of the notice period – often 30 or 60 days – before contracts’ auto-renew clauses kick in, which means that they “need to start looking at a spend category five to six months before the contract expires.”<\/p>\n
Become a member of one of the world\u2019s largest procurement associations today.<\/a><\/p>\nRecommended Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- How To Write an RFP<\/a><\/li>\n
- RFP Tips<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n
- Request for Proposal RFP<\/a><\/li>\n
- 10-Point RFP Proofreading Checklist<\/a><\/li>\n
- RFP Planning<\/a><\/li>\n
- Evaluating Proposals For Compliance Doesn\u2019t Have To Be Such A Pain In The A-Double-Dollar-Signs!<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Visit NLPA Learning<\/strong><\/a>, the new home to all of our certifications and online courses. NLPA Learning also includes learning resources, including live and on-demand webinars, publications and reports, articles, templates, white papers, and much more!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Do You Want a More Rewarding Procurement Career?<\/h5><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/12\/spsm_verify.jpg\" "\\"spsm_verify\\"")
<\/span><\/div>Are you tired of not getting enough opportunities, respect, and money out of your procurement career? Well, guess what? Nothing will change unless you take action towards becoming a world-class procurement professional.<\/p>\n
Earning your SPSM Certification is the action to take if you want to bring the most modern procurement practices into your organization and achieve your career potential. Download the SPSM Certification Guide today to learn how to get started on your journey to a more rewarding procurement career!<\/p>\n<\/div>
Download<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>Need Better Performance From Your Procurement Team?<\/h5><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/12\/services.jpg\" "\\"services\\"")
<\/span><\/div>Are you a procurement leader whose team isn\u2019t achieving the results you know are possible? Maybe it\u2019s not enough cost savings. Or frustrating performance from the supply base. Or dissatisfied internal customers.<\/p>\n
You need a performance improvement plan that\u2019s easy to implement and quick to produce results. The NLPA can help.<\/p>\n
Download our whitepaper \u201cThe Procurement Leader\u2019s Guide To A More Successful Team.\u201d You\u2019ll learn the 7 steps for transforming your staff into a results-producing, world-class procurement team.<\/p>\n<\/div>
PurchTips edition #254<\/p>\n<\/div>
How Can You Benefit From These RFP Tips?<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div>In\u00a0PurchTips edition #252, I shared three tips for successful request for proposal (RFP) planning. Allow me to present four more RFP tips.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
RFP Tip #4: Engage suppliers before the RFP.<\/strong>\u00a0If the first time a supplier hears of a sales opportunity is when it receives an RFP, this works to the buyer’s disadvantage according to Bill Dorn, Vice President of Operations for Source One Management Services and the co-author of Managing Indirect Spend: Enhancing Profitability Through Strategic Sourcing. He claims that, without prior contact, suppliers are likely to predict a slim chance of winning and won’t put their best effort into responding to an RFP, if they respond at all. “You really are served just to pick up that telephone and call a supplier, introduce yourself, explain to them what you’re looking for, and start down that path of actually building a long-term relationship,” Dorn says. “And that should certainly happen before RFP issuance.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\nRFP Tip #5: Limit “yes or no” questions in the RFP.<\/b>\u00a0“When you’re sourcing, you want to cast the widest net possible and allow suppliers to offer solutions that you may not have thought of,” Dorn states. “Many of those offers can provide lower pricing and higher quality of service.” He has observed that “yes or no” questions do the opposite and are often used to unnecessarily disqualify bidders and thus leave potential savings and quality-boosting ideas undiscovered. “Yes or no” questions – although they’re easy to read, they’re easy to scorecard, and they’re easy to respond to – really tend to limit the potential supply base,” and a limited supply base can result in higher costs, Dorn warns.<\/p>\n
RFP Tip #6: Give yourself enough time to conduct a good RFP process.\u00a0<\/b>Failing to allocate enough time is “probably the #1 fault we see in strategic sourcing,” Dorn shares and cites collecting data as a time-consuming phase. He advises buyers to be aware of the notice period – often 30 or 60 days – before contracts’ auto-renew clauses kick in, which means that they “need to start looking at a spend category five to six months before the contract expires.”<\/p>\n
Become a member of one of the world\u2019s largest procurement associations today.<\/a><\/p>\nRecommended Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- How To Write an RFP<\/a><\/li>\n
- RFP Tips<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n
- Request for Proposal RFP<\/a><\/li>\n
- 10-Point RFP Proofreading Checklist<\/a><\/li>\n
- RFP Planning<\/a><\/li>\n
- Evaluating Proposals For Compliance Doesn\u2019t Have To Be Such A Pain In The A-Double-Dollar-Signs!<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Visit NLPA Learning<\/strong><\/a>, the new home to all of our certifications and online courses. NLPA Learning also includes learning resources, including live and on-demand webinars, publications and reports, articles, templates, white papers, and much more!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Do You Want a More Rewarding Procurement Career?<\/h5><\/div><\/span><\/div>Are you tired of not getting enough opportunities, respect, and money out of your procurement career? Well, guess what? Nothing will change unless you take action towards becoming a world-class procurement professional.<\/p>\n
Earning your SPSM Certification is the action to take if you want to bring the most modern procurement practices into your organization and achieve your career potential. Download the SPSM Certification Guide today to learn how to get started on your journey to a more rewarding procurement career!<\/p>\n<\/div>
Download<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>Need Better Performance From Your Procurement Team?<\/h5><\/div><\/span><\/div>Are you a procurement leader whose team isn\u2019t achieving the results you know are possible? Maybe it\u2019s not enough cost savings. Or frustrating performance from the supply base. Or dissatisfied internal customers.<\/p>\n
You need a performance improvement plan that\u2019s easy to implement and quick to produce results. The NLPA can help.<\/p>\n
Download our whitepaper \u201cThe Procurement Leader\u2019s Guide To A More Successful Team.\u201d You\u2019ll learn the 7 steps for transforming your staff into a results-producing, world-class procurement team.<\/p>\n<\/div>
In\u00a0PurchTips edition #252, I shared three tips for successful request for proposal (RFP) planning. Allow me to present four more RFP tips.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
RFP Tip #4: Engage suppliers before the RFP.<\/strong>\u00a0If the first time a supplier hears of a sales opportunity is when it receives an RFP, this works to the buyer’s disadvantage according to Bill Dorn, Vice President of Operations for Source One Management Services and the co-author of Managing Indirect Spend: Enhancing Profitability Through Strategic Sourcing. He claims that, without prior contact, suppliers are likely to predict a slim chance of winning and won’t put their best effort into responding to an RFP, if they respond at all. “You really are served just to pick up that telephone and call a supplier, introduce yourself, explain to them what you’re looking for, and start down that path of actually building a long-term relationship,” Dorn says. “And that should certainly happen before RFP issuance.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n RFP Tip #5: Limit “yes or no” questions in the RFP.<\/b>\u00a0“When you’re sourcing, you want to cast the widest net possible and allow suppliers to offer solutions that you may not have thought of,” Dorn states. “Many of those offers can provide lower pricing and higher quality of service.” He has observed that “yes or no” questions do the opposite and are often used to unnecessarily disqualify bidders and thus leave potential savings and quality-boosting ideas undiscovered. “Yes or no” questions – although they’re easy to read, they’re easy to scorecard, and they’re easy to respond to – really tend to limit the potential supply base,” and a limited supply base can result in higher costs, Dorn warns.<\/p>\n RFP Tip #6: Give yourself enough time to conduct a good RFP process.\u00a0<\/b>Failing to allocate enough time is “probably the #1 fault we see in strategic sourcing,” Dorn shares and cites collecting data as a time-consuming phase. He advises buyers to be aware of the notice period – often 30 or 60 days – before contracts’ auto-renew clauses kick in, which means that they “need to start looking at a spend category five to six months before the contract expires.”<\/p>\n Become a member of one of the world\u2019s largest procurement associations today.<\/a><\/p>\n Recommended Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n Visit NLPA Learning<\/strong><\/a>, the new home to all of our certifications and online courses. NLPA Learning also includes learning resources, including live and on-demand webinars, publications and reports, articles, templates, white papers, and much more!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> Are you tired of not getting enough opportunities, respect, and money out of your procurement career? Well, guess what? Nothing will change unless you take action towards becoming a world-class procurement professional.<\/p>\n Earning your SPSM Certification is the action to take if you want to bring the most modern procurement practices into your organization and achieve your career potential. Download the SPSM Certification Guide today to learn how to get started on your journey to a more rewarding procurement career!<\/p>\n<\/div> Are you a procurement leader whose team isn\u2019t achieving the results you know are possible? Maybe it\u2019s not enough cost savings. Or frustrating performance from the supply base. Or dissatisfied internal customers.<\/p>\n You need a performance improvement plan that\u2019s easy to implement and quick to produce results. The NLPA can help.<\/p>\n Download our whitepaper \u201cThe Procurement Leader\u2019s Guide To A More Successful Team.\u201d You\u2019ll learn the 7 steps for transforming your staff into a results-producing, world-class procurement team.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Do You Want a More Rewarding Procurement Career?<\/h5><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>Need Better Performance From Your Procurement Team?<\/h5><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>
![](\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/12\/services-contracting.jpg\" "\\"services-contracting\\"")
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