Be concise, accurate when responding to RFPs

By Kristen D’Andrea

January 25, 2012

Long Island Business News

 

EXCERPT:

 

Amy Stein, professor of legal writing at Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law, likened submitting an RFP to being in the honeymoon stage. If the entity that put out the request struggles to understand a response, they’ll likely be concerned about a firm’s ability to follow direction in litigation. “How you put together your proposal is foreshadowing to a company of how you’ll act as a business partner to them,” Stein said.

 

In drafting a response, Stein stressed the importance of simple steps, such as following instructions and doing homework. If an RFP has 10 questions, each with three sub-parts, she advises responders to go through each item step-by-step. The order in which the RFP is organized can likely offer a glimpse into the company’s priorities and needs.

 

Still, she doesn’t recommend relying solely on the contents of an RFP to learn about the company. “Do your research and you might pick up information about their business that’s not in the proposal,” she said. “Maybe a partner at the company went to school where someone from your firm did.” Including any additional information about a company, obtained outside of the RFP, will show that the responder is hungry, she said.

 

Writing clearly and effectively, and proofreading, are all critical to submitting a winning RFP, Stein said. “Handing in a proposal with a typo is like going on a job interview without brushing your hair,” she said.

 

Read the full article at libn.com.