Request for proposal template

The one page brief from the how to run a request for proposals guide, as a Word file you can edit. Every square bracket is a placeholder to replace. They cover the business, the work you want, the accounting period, your expected claim figure and half of it, the information pack, the dates, and who to send questions to. The file carries the publisher disclosure and the scripts and templates disclaimer at the top.

Fill in every placeholder and attach the questions checklist as the questionnaire. Send the same brief, the same questions and the same deadline to every candidate. Do not put a target fee or a preferred fee model in the brief. Let each candidate propose the model they think suits the work. Put the proposals on the same basis afterwards with the fee comparison calculator and the proposal scorecard.

The brief asks each candidate for four things:

• written answers to the twenty questions
• a worked example of the fee on both claim figures
• the proposed engagement letter with its standard terms
• the names and roles of the people who would do the work

A proposal without the letter is half a proposal.

Seven short sections with placeholders: about us; what we want; our figures; what we will provide; what we ask you to send; timetable; how we will decide. A closing line that the twenty questions are attached, and the copyright line that lets you use the template for your own business.

• How to run a request for proposals
• How to compare proposals and the reference check guide
• Case study: two proposals, one claim