[consulting] "How to write a RFP"

[Sami Khan]

Gerhard Killesreiter wrote:
> Boris Mann wrote:
>   
>> On 1/17/07, Gerhard Killesreiter <gerhard at killesreiter.de> wrote:
>>
>>     
>>> I was wondering if anybody has, or knows of, a good document that lists
>>> what points a RFP should contain in order to be useful. Does not need to
>>> be Drupal specific.
>>>       
>> Antinomia has a nice contact form  / RFP that asks a lot of questions:
>> http://www.antinomia.com/rfp
>>     
>
> A start, yes.
>
>   
>>> It would be nice if we could have such a document on drupal.org.
>>>       
>> Don't think it's appropriate. If there is one somewhere that is
>>     
>
> We can discuss that once a document exists. :p
>
>   
>> CC-licensed, putting it on your own website is probably a good idea.
>>     
>
> You know I don't have one. :p
>
>   
>>> Reason: I often get RFPs that aren't remotely useful.
>>>       
>> Here's a secret: most RFPs aren't useful.
>>     
>
> Yeah, that's the problem-
>
>   
>> Often times, a client will
>> actually hire a consultant to help write an RFP.
>>     
>
> Unfortunately, I've found it difficult to explain to people that they 
> should pay for this. They tend to think that I should be willing to 
> discuss their needs with them before getting a contract.
>
>   
>> But generally, this
>> consultant isn't an implementor, so can't actually ask all the right
>> questions.
>>
>> So, when answering an RFP, you do what you can, but I usually point
>> out flaws in the RFP or ask further questions that haven't been
>> considered. This usually leads to the first part of an engagement
>> being a requirements gathering excercise, where the *real* goals/needs
>> get fleshed out.
>>     
>
> Yeah, but how do you explain to people that they should pay your time 
> for doing this?
>
> People who want a website often are not familiar with how consulting works.
>
> Cheers,
> 	Gerhard
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>   
A quote from an American movie, Goodfellas comes to mind, but I digress. 
I think just coming out and telling them that there is a premium on the 
amount of time you invest with them is a good start.

Regards,
Sami