Consulting firm · Business development
RFP response
Answer a request for proposal on time and to every requirement, with the bid decision made before anyone writes. An AI agent summarizes the RFP and checks the response for unanswered requirements, references are confirmed in week 2, and nothing is submitted until the partner approves it.
- Duration: 2 to 4 weeks
- How often: For every request for proposal
- Steps: 10 steps
- AI agents: 2 AI agents
- Approvals: 2 approvals
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What changes with this template
Without it
The firm answers every RFP that arrives and wins few of them.
A mandatory requirement is missed and the response is ruled out.
References are asked for the day before the deadline.
The response is finished at midnight with no partner review.
With it
The partner decides whether to bid, with a summary of fit and risks in front of them.
Every mandatory requirement is mapped to a section and checked before approval.
The bid manager confirms each reference in week 2, with the contact the buyer may call.
Submission stays locked until the partner approves the final version.
The template, step by step
Each step says who does it: someone on your team, an AI agent, or the client through a shared link. An approval keeps every later step locked until it is given.
- Done by your team
- Done by an AI agent
Starts when
A request for proposal arrives that the firm may answer. The bid manager starts a run with the buyer's name.
- 1
Log the RFP and its deadlines
Day 1Bid manager · Team
Record the deadline for questions and the submission deadline, and copy the mandatory requirements and scoring criteria from the RFP into the run.
Checklist
- Both deadlines recorded
- Mandatory requirements listed
- Submission format noted
Fields to fill in
- Link to the RFP documents (required)
- Deadline for questions (required)
- Submission deadline (required)
- Mandatory requirements and scoring criteria (required)
- 2
Summarize the RFP for the bid decision
Day 2Bid assessor · AI agent
The bid assessor summarizes the requirements, scoring criteria and deadlines for the bid decision: fit with the firm's services, gaps, risks and questions to ask the buyer.
Fields to fill in
- Bid decision summary (required)
- Draft clarification questions
Checked by: The partner checks the summary against the RFP and decides whether to bid in step 3.
- 3
Decide whether to bid
Days 2 to 3Partner · Team
Check the summary against the RFP, then decide on fit, capacity, fee range and the firm's chance of winning.
Checklist
- Summary checked against the RFP
- Team available for the start date
- Fee range viable
Fields to fill in
- Bid decision (required)
- Reason (required)
Approval: Response work stays locked until the partner decides the firm will bid.
- 4
Send the clarification questions
Week 1Bid manager · Team
Finalize the questions for the buyer, send them through the buyer's channel before the question deadline, and record the answers when they arrive.
Checklist
- Questions sent before the deadline
- Answers shared with the bid team
Fields to fill in
- Answers from the buyer
- 5
Write the response sections
Weeks 1 to 2Subject matter expert · Team
Write the approach, methodology and team sections against the scoring criteria, and note where each mandatory requirement is answered.
Checklist
- Approach answers the scoring criteria
- Team CVs fit the requirements
- Case examples chosen
Fields to fill in
- Link to the response draft (required)
- Where each requirement is answered (required)
- 6
Confirm the client references
Week 2Bid manager · Team
Send each reference client the short description of the work you plan to use, ask whether they agree to be named, and record their answer, their corrections and the contact the buyer may call.
Checklist
- Reference client agreed to be named
- Description of the work checked by the client
Fields to fill in
- Reference client agrees to be named (required)
- Reference contact name and role (required)
- Reference contact phone
- Corrections to the description
- 7
Price the response
Week 2Engagement manager · Team
Estimate the days per role and set the fee in the pricing format the RFP asks for, with the assumptions behind it.
Checklist
- Days per role estimated
- Price follows the RFP format
Fields to fill in
- Total fee (required)
- Pricing assumptions (required)
- 8
Check that every requirement is answered
Week 3Compliance checker · AI agent
The compliance checker compares the mandatory requirements from step 1 with where each one is answered in step 5, and lists any requirement without an answer.
Fields to fill in
- Requirements without an answer (required)
Checked by: The partner checks the list against the final response in step 9, before approving the submission.
- 9
Approve the submission
Week 3Partner · Team
Check the compliance list against the final response, review the price and the references, and approve the final version.
Checklist
- Every mandatory requirement answered
- Price and terms approved
- Format and page limits met
Fields to fill in
- Link to the final response (required)
Approval: The response cannot be submitted until the partner approves the final version.
- 10
Submit the response
By the deadlineBid manager · Team
Submit the approved response through the buyer's portal or channel before the deadline, and record the confirmation.
Checklist
- Submitted before the deadline
- Confirmation received
Fields to fill in
- Submission confirmation reference (required)
- Submitted on (required)
Done when
The response is submitted before the deadline with every mandatory requirement answered, or the firm has declined to bid with the reason recorded.
Make it yours. Rename steps, change owners and add checklist items, fields or approvals. The template is a starting point for the way your team works.
The AI agents in this template
An agent only works on its own steps, and a person on your team checks what it did. Anything an agent writes to a connected app waits for approval unless you allow it.
Bid assessor
Turns the RFP requirements into a short summary for the bid decision.
What it does
- Reads the requirements, scoring criteria and deadlines from step 1
- Compares them with the firm's services described in its step instructions
- Writes a bid decision summary and draft clarification questions
- Completes its step, so the partner can decide
Checked by: The partner checks the summary against the RFP and decides whether to bid in step 3.
Compliance checker
Checks that every mandatory requirement in the RFP has an answer in the response.
What it does
- Reads the mandatory requirements recorded in step 1
- Reads where each requirement is answered, from step 5
- Lists any requirement without an answer
- Writes the list into its step and completes it
Checked by: The partner checks the list against the final response in step 9, before approving the submission.
Questions this template answers
Decide on fit, capacity, fee range and your chance of winning before anyone starts writing. Step 3 is an approval gate: response work stays locked until the partner records the bid decision and the reason.
List the mandatory requirements on day 1 and note where each one is answered as the response is written. Step 5 records where each requirement is answered, and in step 8 the compliance checker lists any requirement still without an answer.
Use AI for the reading and the checking, and keep the bid decision and the final approval with partners. In step 2 the bid assessor summarizes the RFP for the bid decision, and in step 8 the compliance checker looks for unanswered requirements before the partner approves in step 9.
Ask the reference client early, with the exact description of the work you plan to use. In step 6 the bid manager records each reference client's agreement to be named, their corrections to the description and the contact the buyer may call.
Record the question deadline next to the submission deadline the day the RFP arrives, and give the questions their own step. Step 1 records both deadlines, and in step 4 the bid manager sends the questions and records the buyer's answers.
A partner should approve the full response, the price and the references, not just the executive summary. Step 9 is an approval gate: the submission step stays locked until the partner approves the final version.
Run this workflow in OKiDO
Set up the steps, owners and approvals once, then start a run for every new case.