Request for Proposal

The Request for Proposal (RFP) provides an opportunity to ask vendors about the accessibility of their product or service, any known issues and their approach to accessibility.

Benefits of the RFP process

• Clearly identifies the functional requirements of a proposed product or service
• Outlines the regulatory and non-functional requirements of the product or service
• Invites vendors to outline how their product or service meets those requirements
• Solicits further information about a vendor's product and services
• Facilitates comparison of vendor responses
• Allows procurement to be complete quickly and beneficially
• Provides consistency and transparency in procurement
• Creates a basis for a contract

Shortcomings of the RFP process

• Is time-consuming
• Is very text heavy
• Doesn't scale well for small projects
• Places a lot of emphasis on functional requirements
• Is not so good for comparing non-functional requirements such as usability and accessibility
• Doesn't ensure that written responses reflect reality
• Doesn't ensure that the delivered product or service will be adequate

Despite it's shortcomings, the RFP process remains a useful procurement tool.

Next : Requirements and Vendor Responses