4 Honest Lessons I Learned from the Other Side of the RFP Process
A year ago, I began a quest to completely reimagine our website for Horst Construction. Knowing this would be a costly endeavor in terms of both time and dollars, I diligently researched partnership options and referrals. I worked to clarify our goals and gather input from the team. After a few weeks, I was ready with a list of qualified local creative agencies and web designers that I was interested in meeting.
The day I began scheduling introductory calls with potential partners, I was also coordinating a sizable RFP response. My marketing career at Horst Construction involves a fair bit of responding to these Requests for Proposals (RFPs). The process can be intense and time consuming, as our team comes together to weave critical details, logistics, budgets and qualifications into a concise and meaningful package addressing the potential client’s goals and vision for their project.
As I bounced back and forth between the two priorities that day, taking turns wearing my marketer hat and my client hat, I realized I was experiencing a uniquely parallel situation. In acknowledging this as a rare opportunity to see things from the ‘other side’ of the relationship, I vowed to pay close attention and take notes along the way. Why not view this role reversal process as an opportunity to better understand our potential clients’ journey and see what stands out for me on this side of the path?
Though I realize the cost -and scope- of pursuing a commercial construction contract is much higher than what we were facing for a new website, I was surprised by how many things I learned that can be applied across all project types and sizes. Here are the 4 most impactful lessons I learned.
1. Embrace the big picture of a project’s impact.
When moving through your day-to-day tasks, most of us don’t think too deeply about why we are doing each task. It’s easy to lose focus on the big picture or “why” of things, getting caught up in deadlines and specifics. A helpful mindset for me has been maintaining a focus on the project’s overall vision and how it will impact your organization when complete.
Sometimes, and especially acknowledging that for most of us one project isn’t our entire focus, we can get swept up in the details. Don’t get me wrong, these details are crucial – but the big picture is like the map to your destination. Taking a step back every so often to make sure you’re still aligned with what’s most important about your project can be a refreshing and intentional way to regroup and re-engage with your project’s vision.
In my job at Horst, this is something purposefully built into our client’s project journey. Maintaining the vision throughout is ingrained in our approach. We see ourselves as advocates for the client, emphasizing clarity of the end goal.
Similarly, as we worked through the website process, our selected partner was always bringing it back to center for us – ensuring we were staying on track and not deviating or getting carried away in the details. Keeping it simple is truly best when it comes to your vision and mindset for a project.
Takeaway Tip: Clearly define your vision and goals for your project. Print the document out and keep it visible in your workspace. Come back to this often and ensure you are aligned. Use this information to keep the entire team focused on what matters most.
2. If you’re overwhelmed, tune into your gut for guidance.
Parts of this process felt very overwhelming. There are so many reputable companies out there that seem to be capable of providing the services we needed. Initially, it can be easy to try and eliminate all ‘feeling’ based evidence and focus on tangible items like pricing, specific experience, or company stats. However, after I took a deep breath and re-centered my focus on the key priorities for the project, I tapped into how I wanted to feel throughout the process. Suddenly, the answer became clear.
What it boiled down to was not just how the company could meet my needs based on facts and figures, but also how they’d made me feel based on first impressions, as well as their approach to my request.
One company was mostly unresponsive, taking weeks between when I reached out and when I heard a response from them. Another skipped the discovery process of asking about what we wanted and needed in the project and instead launched right into telling me all the ways the website was outdated and how they would fix it. They didn’t even acknowledge what I’d asked for in the initial contact – they just came to the meeting with all their solutions. While I appreciated the solution-driven response, they hadn’t taken any time to engage my perspective or hear what my goals were in the first place.
Once I tapped into the way these interactions made me feel, it became much simpler to see the forest through the trees. I leaned toward the creative partner who listened first and made me feel at ease with their expertise.
Takeaway Tip: Don’t neglect the way you feel interacting with a potential partner. Tap into your gut and compare notes with those who are with you in this process to bounce these impressions around – they may be very telling!
3. When all the prospects seem to have equal qualifications, you will likely feel inclined to choose based on the lowest price. Don’t fall into this trap!
In the construction industry, owners often default to selecting based on the initial pricing because all candidates seemed to boast similar skill sets. Construction is a huge investment of resources and it’s only natural to want to get the best deal on services.
Likewise, in my journey to selecting a new website partner I connected with many great companies who shared similar qualifications. They all had solid experience, good testimonials or reviews, and similar portfolio strength. I found myself pondering whether the financial investment is the obvious factor in decision-making.
Thankfully, when my decision paralysis released its grip and I dug deeper, I realized that many of the proposed pricing structures were vague or misleading. I was clear in my communication of what we needed, and potential providers enthusiastically answered my questions
affirmatively, saying “that’s something we would include, of course.”
Yet when I asked for written confirmation, the fine print outlined just how many of these items were actually written in as extras that would result in a change order of sorts. Being the excel queen I am (LOL), I decided to plot everything in a spreadsheet to figure out what was what. It quickly became apparent that by taking the proposals at face value, I had not been comparing apples to apples. Once again, the lightbulb went off in my head, reminding me of how much this process was mirroring the challenges faced by Horst’s potential clients when reviewing RFPs for their own projects.
In the end, I asked a lot of questions and made sure to truly understand the costs I was looking at. It felt uncomfortable at times, and I had to get good at listening to what was left unsaid. Luckily, the partner we selected was patient and thorough in walking me through the services and expectations for the project.
Takeaway Tip: Ask more questions than feels comfortable. Do your homework and make sure you truly understand and can compare the numbers you are asking for apples to apples.
4. Accept that you may need to be flexible in your expectations at times.
I often hear about surprise obstacles or challenges from colleagues and clients. The truth is, there will always be surprises. Especially with a complex project, we do ourselves a disservice by not building flexibility into our expectations for one another. Does this mean that we should allow a partner to disregard priorities and timelines? Absolutely not. Particularly when you are in the client seat, you should be kept in the loop of any adjustments to timeline, schedule, or long-lead items that impact your project. Early, honest communication generally leads to positive results in these scenarios, allowing all parties to evaluate the circumstances and adjust accordingly.
In construction projects, we often work out detailed schedules that have lagging and leading indicators, long-lead items that need prompt attention, and owner-driven expectations and needs. But when mother nature has other plans, or a permit is stalling the process, having a flexible mindset can be crucial.
Likewise in the journey of overhauling our website, there were a few hiccups. Many were related to scheduling conflicts and needing to get all stakeholders into a room together to make important decisions. A few days or weeks can quickly expound, requiring flexibility and understanding that we are all doing the best we can to cross the finish line. People get sick, cars break down, and sometimes you have to reschedule. For your own sanity, give some grace in these instances. Everyone on the project team has shared goals – getting it done right and with great attention to detail. It’s a balancing act, but having faith in the team and flexibility in my expectations allowed for a smoother, less stressful process and continual drive toward the goal.
Takeaway Tip: Ensure you are realistic in your expectations for how quickly something can be done, and then build in some padding to your timeline. Things will come up – the key is to be on the same page and continue to communicate well and push forward as a team. Build trust.
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In conclusion, the RFP process is nuanced and sometimes more difficult to navigate than it may seem. Even as a marketing professional accustomed to preparing RFP’s, I found myself needing to take a moment to step back and evaluate with care. I was surprised by what lessons I learned about the process from the other side of the table, and am hopeful that my insights are useful to you next time you have RFP’s to consider.
Posted January 16, 2025