Project Management Documentation

List any other information required to provide the project team with the confidence that the supplier can meet the generic procurement requirements stated within the SOW. Examples of other documentation requested may include:

- Product specifications or marketing brochures

- Web site addresses for product listings

- Profiles of staff providing services.

You are now ready to collate all of the materials listed in this section and create your Request for Information document. The next step in the Project Lifecycle is to issue a Request for Proposal.

Issue a Request for Proposal

A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a document which is issued by a project team to a short-listed group of suppliers to enable them to define in detail how they will meet the procurement requirements outlined in the SOW. The RFP requests that the suppliers provide detailed information regarding the:

- Company size and industry

- Solution type and it’s components

- Training offered for solution

- Documentation provided with solution

- Support available for solution

- Implementation schedule and method

- Pricing structure for each product.

The RFP is issued immediately after the RFI process has been undertaken and a short-list of potential suppliers has been selected. The RFP is very similar to the RFI. The key differentiator is that the RFI requires summarized information from each supplier to select a short-list of potential suppliers, whereas the RFP requires a detailed proposal from each supplier to enable the project team to select a preferred supplier.

The RFP is typically written by the Procurement Manager and approved by the Project Manager. It is released to short-listed suppliers along with the SOW, which defines in detail the project’s procurement requirements.

The following sections list the actual components of an RFP and provides real-life examples where appropriate.