In the past few weeks, we’ve responded to two Requests for Proposal
for event production. One was perfectly reasonable, and the other was ... not. And
by “not,” I mean that the venue hadn’t been named, the scope of work included
the nebulous phrase, “All Deliverables,” and the capped budget had to include—among
other things—travel costs for an undetermined number of videos in undetermined
(possibly overseas) locations with an undetermined schedule.
So, in an effort to spread the word about how to get the
best RFP response from a production company, I would like to present my Easy
2-Step Process:
1. Share as much
information as you can.
2. Consider a
qualification-based selection process.
Following these two steps will help you get qualified
responses that can be easily compared, so you can make the best decision
possible for your project.
Let me expand. By “information,” I mean everything from
budgets to venues to company personality to past show flows to what the
determining factor(s) in your decision will be.
Why? Well, for example, budgets. Many clients choose not to
reveal the budget range for projects. But providing a budget doesn’t mean that
companies will go hog-wild spending every last dime. It means simply this: your
RFP participants will design an affordable event that works for you, and
you’ll be able to compare apples to apples when the responses come in. Not
providing a budget range means that the responses will be all over the map, and
some qualified respondents will be tossed out because they missed the target, when
in reality, they had no idea what they were aiming for.
Another example: venue. Many times, RFPs are sent out before
venues are selected, and that’s perfectly fine and reasonable. But in those
cases, there are unknowns that need to be bracketed from the final budget
total. Things like union regulations, rigging costs and carpet protection are
huge variables that can really impact the bottom line. We can warn you that
they’re coming, but providing an accurate cost is impossible without thorough
venue research.
Also,
allow respondents to ask questions. We’ve actually gotten RFPs that state,
right on the front cover, that NO QUESTIONS WILL BE ALLOWED. So right there
your chances of getting any sort of qualified response drop by a huge
percentage.
And
what’s “Qualification-Based Selection?” Simple: Allow a company to prove
they’ve got what it takes to produce your event through case studies, references
and probing questions like (yes, these are real), “Describe the clients with whom you’ve
had the greatest mutual success,” and “Define what you expect from your clients
to ensure you can be as effective as possible,” and “We are interested in
hearing how you do your work. What are the specific actions,
practices, and methods that define how you do what you do?”
Let’s face
it. The chances that anyone will read through your RFP and provide exactly the
creative you’re looking for on the first try are pretty slim. The best creative
comes from a thorough understanding of your goals, objectives and company
personality, plus a good working relationship. That takes time. For now, let a
company prove to you that they’re the best partner, and then work together to
make your event an unqualified success.
We want to
give you what you want. We really do. We want you to be able to choose the
company that will be the best partner for you. And by providing a budget range,
good information and allowing for a little conversation, you’ll get RFP
responses that give you a good sense of who the companies are, what they can do
for you, and how you’ll be able to work together.
See?
Simple!
For more
from Amy and others on RFPs, see “The Art of the RFP” in our summer 2009 issue.
-- Amy Oriani
Martin Bastian
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