As I was leaving the office the other night, I was stopped by one of my executives to alert to me to the fact that an international nonprofit had approached us to provide them a response to their annual premium production contract (a.k.a. a request for proposal – RFP).
Now mind you, we had been doing some of the premium fulfillment for this organization in the past and our relationship with the internal staff and our overall performance has been, to say the least, very satisfying.
At first glance we were all extremely flattered to be invited to participate, especially since this organization is, as far as I’m concerned, a model of mission effectiveness and although in its past has had its share of “scandal” it pales in comparison to the level of some of the ones in the news today.
So to say we weren’t ecstatic that they approached Production Solutions with this opportunity would not be honest.
And so it was intriguing that in a meeting with my “RFP” Team, the one I shall call “Mr. Wet Blanket,” says to the rest of us “…is this RFP wired or is it for real?”
This gave me pause.
To those of you young, “virginal”-types, “wired” is trade lingo implying that the RFP went out to several qualified candidates but that it may be due to protocol, whereas, in fact, there is a favorite candidate already identified.
The end-result being that many professionals will probably end up spending a tremendous amount of time and resources to respond to the RFP which might prove to be an “exercise in futility.”
When Mr. Wet Blanket asked the question as to whether this RFP was wired, my immediate response was, “’wired’ or not, it is incumbent upon us to respond to it.” My philosophy has always been to respond to every RFP (okay… at least the first two invitations).
Furthermore, I believe that when you are the incumbent in the RFP you’d better damn straight submit the most creative, the most strategic and the most comprehensive response to it. Treat it as if it’s the very first time you’ve ever submitted a proposal to the organization. NEVER…EVER assume anything…especially a win.
I’ve experienced too many jaw-dropping surprises. Actually I was so angry at not winning an RFP one time that I tore up the “Dear John” letter in front of my team and tossed it into the trash can. Thank you, Dr. Grant, for your anger management treatments.
“Wired” has a negative connotation when there is bribery or collusion, meaning a contract is earmarked for a specific service provider before the RFP is even sent out. In my experience, cases like that are very rare.
But losers will whine…
What DOES happen is that an RFP is rumored to be wired because candidates DO talk amongst themselves and discover that parameters varied with each RFP. What’s not rare is the frustration many candidates have with spending so much time and money on responding to an RFP that isn’t won.
Responding to an RFP is extremely expensive. The research and the time invested are huge.
On the other hand, “wired” is not necessarily a bad word.
If a good relationship exists between the service provider and client then there may be no need for change.
Responding to an RFP, as far as I’m concerned, is simply ongoing positive exposure and continued “branding” of my company. Looking at it another way, the RFP itself actually serves as a learning tool and wake-up call for staff and marketing to comprehensively inventory our value proposition.
Most importantly we capture a wealth of knowledge about the potential client and that to me, as a salesman, is invaluable information for the future. To make the “cut” and be called in for a presentation is an even better opportunity for immediate or future work!
In fact, it is our duty as principals of service-providing companies to conduct research on the organization requesting the proposal, on the contract and on the competition to see if we are indeed a “fit” with the organization or if it’s just… oh wait, could it be, a learning experience?!
Bottom line…if you are invited to propose on a contract, the only exercise in futility is to whine about it.
– George
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George Lizama, a founder of Production Solutions and its CEO and chief marketing officer, has spent over 30 years in production management. A recognized leader in the fundraising industry, George served as president of the Direct Marketing Association of Washington (DMAW) in 2010 and received its Distinguished Achievement Award in 2006. In 2008, he received a Washington Business Journal Philanthropy Award for CEO Leadership, partly in recognition of his longtime support of Northern Virginia Family Service, of which he is a director.
Production Interrupted 