# Free RFP Process Template: Steps, Examples, and Tips > Use Asana’s free RFP process template to define scope and criteria, collect vendor proposals, score responses, and select the best partner in one place. Source: https://asana.com/templates/rfp-process.md - [Use template](https://app.asana.com/-/product_templates?preview_template=rfp_process) - [Tasks](/features/project-management/tasks) - [Custom fields](/features/project-management/custom-fields) - [Forms](/features/workflow-automation/forms) - [Project views](/features/project-management/project-views) - [Gmail](/apps/google-gmail) - [Google Workspace](/google-workspace) - [Dropbox](/apps/dropbox) - [Outlook](/apps/outlook) templates Project planning RFP process Use our template to prepare an RFP, then organize and evaluate the responses—all in the same place—so you can pick the best vendor for the job. Project planning Vendor management ## RFP process template Use a ready-made RFP template to define project requirements, compare vendors, and coordinate your teams from planning through final selection. ### From RFP to ROI - [Sign up](/create-account) #### Summary An RFP (request for proposal) template provides your team with a structured way to communicate project needs, compare vendors, and make informed decisions. This guide covers what an RFP is, when to use one, what sections to include, and how to manage the full process, along with practical tips for evaluating vendor responses and keeping your team aligned every step of the way.When your team needs to find the right vendor for a project, a request for proposal (RFP) gives you a structured way to communicate your needs, compare options, and make a confident decision. But creating an RFP from scratch can be time-consuming, especially if you're not sure what to include or how to manage the process from start to finish. That's where a free RFP template comes in. In this guide, you'll learn what an RFP is, when you should use one, what sections to include, and how to manage the full process. You'll also get practical tips for evaluating vendor responses and keeping your team aligned every step of the way. ## What is an RFP? A request for proposal (RFP) is a formal document that outlines the requirements for a project and invites qualified vendors to submit proposals for delivering it. Think of it as your way of saying, "Here's what we need, our budget, and our timeline, show us how you'd get it done." By structuring your needs in a single document, you can compare vendor approaches side by side and choose the best fit. An RFP helps you: - Collect offers from different vendors so you can compare their skills and rates and choose the one that best meets your criteria - Outline your preferred scope and price so potential vendors know how and what to bid to win the work - Quickly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of bidding vendors without spending a lot of time researching each company yourself ## When to use an RFP template Not every project requires an RFP. An RFP is most useful when the project is complex, you need to compare multiple vendors, or your organization requires a transparent selection process. Consider issuing an RFP when: - **The investment is high:** The level of spend demands the best possible solution at the right price. - **The solution isn't clear:** You know the end goal but aren't sure what the best approach looks like. - **You're switching vendors:** You want a more thorough vetting process than the last time around. - **Policy or regulations require it:** Company procurement rules or government guidelines call for a formal solicitation. - **You need to**[clarify your own needs](/resources/needs-assessment)**:** The act of drafting an RFP helps you better understand your project's specific requirements. ## What's the difference between an RFP, RFI, and RFQ? While all three documents help organizations gather information from vendors, each serves a different purpose. **RFI vs. RFQ vs. RFP** - **RFI:** A request for information gathers general details about a supplier’s capabilities and services. Use it when you’re exploring the market and need to understand what’s available. - **RFQ:** A request for quote gathers detailed pricing for a specific good or service. Use it when your requirements are defined, and price is the main comparison factor. - **RFP:** A request for proposal asks vendors for comprehensive proposals that include approach, pricing, and timelines. Use it when you need vendors to propose solutions and want to compare more than cost. A helpful way to remember: RFI explores, RFQ prices, RFP evaluates. - [Free RFP process template](/templates/for/marketing/rfp-process) ## What to include in an RFP template While your RFP will vary depending on the project, most effective documents share a common set of sections. Starting with a template helps ensure you cover all the essentials. ### 1. Company background Start with a brief overview of your organization, including your industry, size, and mission. This gives vendors the context they need to tailor their proposals to your specific situation. Include any relevant details about your team structure or current tools that would help a vendor understand your working environment. ### 2. Project scope and goals Clearly outline the project name and [project scope](/resources/project-scope), and identify specific goals and technical requirements. Be as specific as possible about what you need the vendor to deliver and what success looks like. The clearer you are here, the better the proposals you'll receive. ### 3. Budget Include a realistic budget range for the project. Sharing your budget helps vendors propose solutions that are within your means and reduces back-and-forth later. You don't need to share an exact number, but providing a range helps vendors tailor their approach. ### 4. Timeline and milestones Include a timeline that covers the proposal deadline, evaluation window, selection date, vendor notification date, and project completion date. Aim for concrete deadlines for each of these items. Be sure to outline any contingencies or obstacles that could affect the timeline. ### 5. Evaluation criteria Evaluation criteria are the standards you'll use to score vendor proposals. Defining them upfront removes subjectivity and keeps your review process consistent. Spell out the factors that matter most, such as relevant experience, technical approach, cost, and references. ### 6. Submission guidelines Define submission guidelines upfront, so your team can review and compare responses fairly. Specify proposal formats, deadlines, and delivery methods to maintain consistency throughout the process. Include details such as the maximum page length, required sections, and a point of contact for vendor questions. ## Steps in the RFP process Once your organization has decided to issue an RFP, it's time to work through each phase. Although every organization has its own method, you can typically expect the process to follow these steps. ### 1. Discovery and planning The first step in the RFP process is to conduct a discovery phase with key stakeholders. You're trying to discover three key things: - **What would go into creating the RFP?** Establish project boundaries and develop a realistic scope. - **Who will manage the RFP process?** These individuals should have both organizational and project-specific knowledge to draft a detailed RFP. - **What could be affected by the purchasing decision?** Consider how the decision might affect ongoing projects, your organizational budget, and your relationships with internal teams and other third-party vendors. This is arguably the most important step in the RFP process. Alignment around your organization's needs and project goals is essential for [requirements gathering](/resources/requirements-gathering) and drafting complete and effective RFP requirements. ### 2. Draft and issue the RFP Your RFP should be clear, compelling, and easy to respond to. Use the components outlined above to structure your document. Once your team has reviewed and approved the draft, distribute it to qualified vendors. Choosing who receives your RFP is just as important as writing it. The more qualified vendors you invite, the more competitive your proposals are likely to be. Set realistic deadlines, as most vendors can respond within two weeks if they already know your business. ### 3. Score and shortlist proposals The next step is to review the vendor proposals, compare them, and create a shortlist. It's crucial to engage stakeholders in this process to provide their perspective and expertise. Before you begin scoring, gather your vendor proposals to review them for compliance to the submission and minimum requirements. Using the guidelines provided in your RFP, verify that vendors followed the submission instructions and responded to all required questions. ### 4. Select the vendor and finalize the contract Once you've scored and shortlisted your top candidates, conduct follow-up conversations or presentations to clarify any remaining questions. From there: - Finalize your [vendor selection](/resources/procurement-management) based on proposal strength and project alignment. - Begin negotiations and contract proceedings with the chosen vendor. - Inform both successful and non-selected vendors of the outcome. Don't forget the vendor debrief. Providing unsuccessful vendors with a summary of their scores (without revealing competitor data) helps maintain professional relationships and improves the quality of future bids. ## How to evaluate RFP responses Evaluating vendor proposals is one of the most important parts of the RFP process. A robust evaluation process ensures vendor selection is fair, transparent, and aligned with your goals. Here are some best practices: - **Create a**[scoring matrix](/resources/decision-matrix-examples)**.** List criteria on one axis and vendors on the other, allowing scorers to evaluate and compare options at a glance. A simple spreadsheet-based matrix can be tailored to be as simple or complex as needed. - **Weigh your criteria.** Not all criteria carry the same weight. Decide which areas matter most; often functionality, security, and vendor expertise outweigh cost, and assign values accordingly. - **Share criteria with vendors.** The more vendors know about your priorities, the stronger their proposals will be. Share your evaluation criteria and weightings upfront to build trust and get more relevant responses. - **Hold a consensus session.** After independent scoring, bring the evaluation team together to discuss scores, clarify reasoning, and resolve discrepancies. This collaborative step ensures the final decision reflects a well-rounded team judgment. ## Tips for managing an RFP process with our template - **Get feedback before sending.** Get feedback from teammates to ensure your RFP is thorough, clear, and asks the right questions. - **Make it simple for responders.** Create a response form so responders provide you with all the information you need up front, in the right format, without the back-and-forth. - **Save time with templates.** Instead of reinventing the wheel, save time by using templates across the organization tailored to the types of RFPs you're sending out. - **Manage actionable emails.** Turn actionable emails with responders into Asana tasks with deadlines and context so you don't forget or lose track of important information in your inbox. ## Streamline your RFP process with Asana Managing an RFP process involves many moving parts, from gathering internal requirements to tracking vendor submissions and coordinating evaluations across your team. Asana helps you bring all of that into one place so nothing falls through the cracks. With Asana, you can create a shared project for your RFP, assign tasks to stakeholders, set deadlines for each phase, and track progress in real time. Use custom fields to score vendor proposals, automations to notify your team when deadlines are approaching, and forms to standardize vendor submissions. Ready to make your next RFP process easier? [Get started](/create-account) with the free RFP template today. ## FAQs about RFP templates #### What are the key steps in an RFP process? The RFP process typically follows four steps: discovery and planning, drafting and issuing the RFP, scoring and shortlisting proposals, and selecting the vendor. Investing extra time in the planning phase pays off throughout the rest of the process. #### How long does the RFP process typically take? Most RFP processes take four to eight weeks from planning to signed contract, though larger or more complex projects can stretch to three to six months. Setting clear deadlines for each phase helps you avoid unnecessary delays. #### Can you use AI tools to help create or respond to an RFP? Yes, AI tools can help you draft sections, organize requirements, and score vendor responses. However, you'll still want your team to review the output to make sure it reflects your project's specific needs and evaluation priorities. #### What makes a successful RFP? A successful RFP is clear, specific, and easy for vendors to respond to. Define expectations in every section, involve key stakeholders early, and provide enough context so vendors can submit thoughtful, tailored proposals. ### Daily planner Keeping your day organized is more than just writing down a list of daily to-dos. Learn how to create a daily planner template in Asana. - [Create your template](/templates/daily-planner) ### Milestone chart template Milestone charts highlight significant moments in your workflow. Learn why this matters and how to create one for yourself. - [Create your template](/templates/milestone-chart) ### IT project plan Organize your IT work in one place. Manage deployments, order equipment, and connect teams—without compromising security. - [Create your template](/templates/it-project-plan) ### Schedule Organize your work with Asana’s free schedule templates. Customize for daily, weekly, or monthly planning, and never lose track of tasks again. - [Create your template](/templates/schedule) ### Daily checklist Build better routines with a daily checklist template designed to help you manage tasks, deadlines, and recurring work. - [Create your template](/templates/daily-checklist) ### Action items template No matter your best intentions, you need more than motivation to knock out your to-dos. An action item template—where you decide the who, what, and when of every task—can help you organize your workflows and get more done. - [Create your template](/templates/action-items) ### Public relations plan Create focused, targeted, and organized PR campaigns—no matter who’s planning them—with a public relations plan template. - [Create your template](/templates/public-relations-pr-plan) ### Project premortem A premortem is a brainstorming tactic your team uses to anticipate different ways a project can fail. Learn how to use a premortem template to minimize project risk. - [Create your template](/templates/premortem) ### Scope management plan A project’s scope is just as important as its budget or timeline. Prioritize this crucial part of project management by creating a project scope management plan template. - [Create your template](/templates/scope-management-plan) ### Operations project plan Operations teams strive to optimize and gain efficiency across the business, and can do the same for their own projects with our template. - [Create your template](/templates/operations-project-plan) ### Risk management plan Starting a project without considering risks is, well, a big risk to take. Prevent major issues from occurring in your project with a risk management plan template. - [Create your template](/templates/risk-management-plan) ### Web production process Let our template help you coordinate a web production schedule—even if producers and web developers work out of different tools. - [Create your template](/templates/web-production-process) ### Business process management Learn how a business process management template can help improve your business processes. - [Create your template](/templates/business-process-management) ### Implementation plan Create an implementation plan template to break down your business goals into manageable, achievable steps. - [Create your template](/templates/implementation-plan) ### Change management plan template Is your organization starting to make some big changes? Create a change management plan template to make the process easier. - [Create your template](/templates/change-management-plan) ### Short-term goals Learn how reusable short-term goals templates can take your goals from vision to reality. - [Create your template](/templates/short-term-goals) ### HR project plan No matter the project, human resources teams can use our template to set priorities, track progress, and streamline recurring work. - [Create your template](/templates/hr-project-plan) ### Waterfall project management Standardize your project process with a waterfall project management template. Break your project into sequential phases that map to your end goal. - [Create your template](/templates/waterfall-project-management) ### Marketing project plan Our template guides you through project management best practices for marketing teams so you can get from strategy to tactics to results. - [Create your template](/templates/marketing-project-plan) ### Status report Keep track of project status and provide key stakeholders with at-a-glance progress updates with a project status report template. - [Create your template](/templates/status-report) ### Sales plan A sales plan template can help provide your team with the organized framework they need to establish their sales goals. Learn how you can do that with Asana. - [Create your template](/templates/sales-plan) ### Event marketing plan Use Asana’s event marketing plan template to increase event awareness, build excitement, and drive audience attendance. - [Create your template](/templates/event-marketing-plan) ### Project initiation document A project initiation document template is a helpful way to standardize the information you share with your team before a project begins. - [Create your template](/templates/project-initiation-document) ### Project timeline template Learn how to keep a project on track—and ensure success—by creating a project timeline template. - [Create your template](/templates/project-timeline) ### Communication plan Keep everyone on the same page and clearly communicate important information to stakeholders by creating a communication plan template in Asana. - [Create your template](/templates/communication-plan) ### Weekly to-do list template Clarity doesn’t have to be complicated. With a weekly to-do list template, you can create a new task list in seconds every Monday. - [Create your template](/templates/weekly-to-do-list) ### Project documentation Looking for documents is a giant time waster for most people—which is where a project documentation process comes in. Learn how to create a project documentation template so that you always know where documents live—for every project, company-wide. - [Create your template](/templates/project-documentation) ### Prioritization matrix Take the guesswork out of task prioritization by creating a prioritization matrix template. Prioritize your work by business impact and needed effort. - [Create your template](/templates/prioritization-matrix) ### Eisenhower Matrix Overwhelmed by your to-do list? Learn how to create an Eisenhower Matrix template in Asana so you can prioritize and sort your tasks based on their urgency and importance. - [Create your template](/templates/eisenhower-matrix) ### Project estimation Create a project estimation template to accurately scope project resources and align on project expectations. - [Create your template](/templates/project-estimation) ### Critical path method Project delays holding you back? Create a critical path method template to visualize everything that needs to be done in order to reach your end goal. - [Create your template](/templates/critical-path-method) ### To-do list Organize your tasks in one place with a free to-do list template. Track what’s done, what’s next, and what matters most. - [Create your template](/templates/to-do-list) ### Risk register Create a risk register template to proactively identify and solve potential roadblocks before they become a bigger problem. - [Create your template](/templates/risk-register) ### Project schedule Complex work, simplified. Organize project tasks, deliverables, and milestones into one cohesive schedule. Learn how to create a customized project schedule template in Asana. - [Create your template](/templates/project-schedule) ### RAID log Learn how creating a RAID log template in Asana can help you proactively identify and mitigate project risks. - [Create your template](/templates/raid-log) ### Budget template Plan budgets, track expenses, and avoid surprises. Asana’s free budget templates make it easy to manage costs for teams, projects, or households. - [Create your template](/templates/budget) ### Progress report template Try this free progress report template to track milestones, communicate project status, and coordinate goals during each reporting period. - [Create your template](/templates/progress-report) ### Needs assessment template Use this customizable needs assessment template to gather data, guide decisions, and develop action plans based on real needs. - [Create your template](/templates/needs-assessment) ### Action log template Use Asana’s free action log template to capture decisions, assign tasks, and track deadlines. Organize action items and drive projects to completion. - [Create your template](/templates/action-log) ### RACI matrix Team decision-making can be hard—a RACI matrix template makes it easier. Define each project task role to instantly boost clarity for all your stakeholders. - [Create your template](/templates/raci-matrix) ### Work breakdown structure Get started fast with a ready-to-use work breakdown structure template that helps you stay on track and avoid scope creep. - [Create your template](/templates/work-breakdown-structure) ### Lessons learned Learn from every project with a free lessons learned template that’s easy to use, share, and customize. Don't just collect insights. Act on them. - [Create your template](/templates/lessons-learned) ### Lesson plan Use this lesson plan templates to plan faster and keep your goals, tasks, and materials in one place. So you're always ready to teach. - [Create your template](/templates/lesson-plan) ### Project charter Want to nail your next project pitch? Create a project charter template and outline everything you need to get your next initiative approved. - [Create your template](/templates/project-charter) ### Event calendar template Plan and manage events of any size with an event calendar template that keeps dates, tasks, and deadlines in one place. - [Create your template](/templates/event-calendar) ### Keyword research template Use a keyword research template to manage SEO data, optimize content strategy, and identify target keywords that deliver results. - [Create your template](/templates/keyword-research) ### Comparison chart template Simplify your next big decision. Use this comparison chart template to organize data, compare features, and make data-driven decisions faster. - [Create your template](/templates/comparison-chart) ### Brand strategy template Use a brand strategy template to define your mission, align your team, and create consistent, on-brand marketing campaigns. - [Create your template](/templates/brand-strategy) ### Team charter template Use this free team charter template to define your team's mission, values, roles, and decision-making process. Coordinate shared goals before work begins. - [Create your template](/templates/team-charter) ### Work log See where you're losing time and kickstart your productivity by creating a work log template in Asana. - [Create your template](/templates/work-log) ### Assignment tracker template Use this assignment tracker template to log tasks, set due dates, and keep assignments organized for students, educators, and teams. - [Create your template](/templates/assignment-tracker) ### Rank tracker template Use a rank tracker template to monitor keyword rankings, integrate data, automate reporting, and share SEO performance with stakeholders and clients. - [Create your template](/templates/rank-tracker) ### Content strategy Build your next campaign with a content strategy template to map ideas, assign tasks and deadlines, and track performance all in one place. - [Create your template](/templates/content-strategy) ### Travel planner template Keep itineraries, budgets, and documents in sync with a travel planner template that makes trip planning faster and more reliable. - [Create your template](/templates/travel-planner) ### Research plan Plan, organize, and track your entire project with this research plan template built in Asana for better collaboration. - [Create your template](/templates/research-plan) ### 5 Whys template Find the real issue with this 5 Whys template. It's free, easy to use, and built for fast, structured root cause analysis. - [Create your template](/templates/5-whys) ### Design project plan What’s the secret to more productive design and creative projects? A smooth creative process. - [Create your template](/templates/design-project-plan) ### Bill of materials Learn how a bill of materials template helps keep you organized by housing all the information needed for the successful completion of your project. - [Create your template](/templates/bill-of-materials-bom)