It is standard practice for large corporations to use the Request for Proposal (RFP) process to solicit proposals for goods and services or project work. Companies easily able to become Tier 1 suppliers have a large pool of resources in terms of assets and human capacity, making it easier to meet RFP requirements. For small to mid-sized firms, which typically describes the minority and women owned business enterprises (MWBEs), the RFP process can be intimidating. However, any business can master the RFP process and win contracts by learning how to differentiate their business through clear presentation of a value proposition.

Like any challenging task, the best approach is to breakdown the RFP process into its components. The RFP process should begin with some careful consideration of the overall goal of the RFP. One reason businesses are unable to win contracts is they completed the strict requirements section-by-section, but failed to present a cohesive proposal. The final RFP submission is thorough in that the questions have been answered, but the value proposition is missing. So the first step in mastering the RFP process is to spend quality time reading the entire RFP from first to last page and make sure you understand the real reason the RFP is being published. Assembling a team to read, review and respond to the RFP is an excellent strategy. The team is usually composed of staff with particular expertise in the RFP subject matter, but can also include vendors and industry experts.