Start with the business problem
Explain the current situation, audience, constraints and what success should look like. A useful RFP describes the decision to make, not just a shopping list of channels.
Copy-ready RFP outline
1. Company and decision owners. 2. Business context and objectives. 3. Audience and markets. 4. Scope and deliverables. 5. Technology and dependencies. 6. Internal resources. 7. Budget range. 8. Timeline and milestones. 9. Selection criteria. 10. Contact and response deadline.
Ask for comparable proposals
Request an approach, named roles, relevant examples, milestones, pricing model, exclusions, risks and a practical kickoff plan. Avoid expecting unpaid speculative creative work.
Score consistently
An illustrative scorecard might weight problem understanding 30%, relevant experience 25%, delivery approach 20%, collaboration 15% and price 10%. Adjust weights to your actual risks.
Common RFP mistakes
Over-prescribing the solution can filter out stronger approaches. Hiding all budget context produces mismatched bids. Inviting too many finalists wastes everyone’s time.
Make the decision
Shortlist deliberately, offer the same Q&A to each bidder and document your rationale. Request permission before contacting references.
Set non-negotiable requirements before scoring proposals
Define a few pass/fail conditions that a low price or impressive presentation cannot offset. Examples include clear responsibility for personal data, ownership of accounts and deliverables, a named project lead, and the ability to export documentation and data when the engagement ends.
Ask every finalist how change requests are approved, incidents are escalated and handover is handled. For website and data projects, require a basic acceptance plan with test cases, owners and a clear definition of delivery completion.
Use a two-stage decision: mandatory requirements first, then weighted scoring among compliant proposals. A high overall score should never conceal a critical security, ownership or contractual gap.
Next step
Find an agency that fits your project · Explore the agency directory
Copy and customise this brief
Project: [name]. Business objective: [measurable outcome]. Audience: [roles and markets]. Scope: [deliverables]. Current stack: [site, content, analytics and systems]. Non-negotiables: [mandatory requirements]. Preferences: [priorities]. Budget: [range and currency]. Decision team: [stakeholders]. Dates: [questions, proposals, selection and kickoff].
Make scoring defensible
Agree scoring weights before proposals arrive. Rate each criterion on a 1–5 scale and keep evidence from each bid. Treat critical security or contractual requirements as pass/fail gates rather than allowing an attractive price to offset a deal-breaking risk.
Example: selecting an SEO agency
A business preparing a website migration should ask about redirect mapping, technical dependencies and working with developers. An international content programme requires more attention to linguistic research, editorial workflows and localisation. Tailor the questions to the actual job.
Related resource
See our website agency cost guide to prepare a realistic budget brief.