
How much effort to put on a RFQ? - erkken
When receiving RFPs from large companies, how much effort do you put in answering the sometimes endless questions?<p>Is it okay to leave questions empty? There is I guess an optimal score in terms of effort put into the document&#x2F;chance of winning...
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mindcrime
The conventional thinking on this is, if it's an unsolicited RFP (eg, one you
didn't help write) then your odds of winning the deal are nearly 0, so don't
invest much effort in it at all. The "Column A" vendor almost certainly has
already engaged with the company, written the RFP to make their solution the
only possible winner, and then put the RFP process in motion just to "check
the box" on the requirement that multiple vendor bids be solicited.

Of course there will be exceptions, but the problem is knowing which ones are
the exceptions and which ones aren't...

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erkken
Thanks, helps a lot. It is an unsolicited, however we pass all requirements.

Is it generally okay asking the company if there is any vendor behind the RFQ
(will they really reveal this?)

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mindcrime
You can try, but you might not get an honest answer. Depends on who you talk
to. Depending on how much time you have available, I'd suggest reading through
_CustomerCentric Selling_ [1] by Michael Bosworth. It goes really deep into
handling this kind of situation.

[1]: [https://www.amazon.com/CustomerCentric-Selling-Second-
Michae...](https://www.amazon.com/CustomerCentric-Selling-Second-Michael-
Bosworth/dp/0071637087)

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yitchelle
I would suggest talking to them about it rather than just filling the boxes
and sending it back. This way, their expectations and your delivery will be
aligned.

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spsrich2
Toss it in the circular file. The consulting firm who wrote the RFP/RFQ are
the ones who will end up winning it !

