Mastering Communications RFPs with a Free Template

Effective communication is pivotal for the success of any entity, from individuals and teams to entire organizations. It underpins trust, collaboration, and advancing your mission by ensuring all stakeholders—from departments and customers to donors and board members—are in sync.

Selecting the right communication tools and services is critical. A communications request for proposal (RFP) serves as a structured method to solicit offers from vendors and agencies that meet your communication needs. While drafting and executing an RFP can be intricate and demanding, it is indispensable for securing the most suitable communication solutions for your organization.

How do Communications RFPs work?

Start by defining the communication needs of your organization. This includes who you want to reach, what message or call to action you want them to see, and what success looks like. Examples of tactics and metrics include earned media placements, content creation like blogs or press releases, and media events. Some of this information might not be immediately accessible, so you might conduct an assessment or look at similar projects to find this information or make a note in your RFP that this will be part of the scope of work for any agency that is hired.

Once you’ve identified your needs and how you would like to address them, it’s time to start putting together your RFP. For that reason, our team has created a comprehensive communications RFP template to help organizations quickly and easily create a complete RFP that outlines communication requirements and encourages agencies to submit proposals. Our template was made by experts who spend their days reading RFPs and was reviewed by communications experts across sectors.

Our RFP is broken down into a few different components:

1. Summary

Start with an introduction that outlines your needs and the resources available. If this project is specific to a program or initiative at your organization, you will want to include details about that in this section.

2. Problem

Clearly articulate the issues prompting the search for external expertise and what you aim to resolve through their services.

3. Project Overview

Provide a high-level description of the services sought and the qualities of the ideal candidate or firm.

4. Budget Considerations

Including a budget or range is crucial. Expectations without a budget may lead to numerous inquiries about financial allocations. Typically, communications projects begin at $2,500 per month but can vary significantly based on scope.

5. Project Goal(s)

Outline what success looks like for this project, either through a narrative or bullet points, to clarify the desired outcomes.

6. Scope of Work

Detail the specific tasks and deliverables you expect from the partnership, such as documents, content creation, lists, reports, surveys, and media outreach.

7. Stakeholders & Audience

Identify all relevant stakeholders and target audiences for this project, including staff, board members, donors, advocates, policymakers, or any specific demographic aligned with your goals.

8. Timeline

Provide a timeline with key dates, including the submission deadline and other significant milestones. A minimum of two weeks for proposal submissions is recommended, ideally extending up to one month.

9. Questions for Vendors (Optional)

Share any questions for firms, agencies, and consultants. This also allows potential partners to demonstrate their expertise so you can get a feel for how they think.

10., Submission Requirements (Optional)

Although it’s optional, it can be helpful to outline what you are looking for in a proposal. Provide information on what should be included in the bid, such as a cover letter, executive summary, approach and methodology, case studies, and budget.

11. Contact & Submission Instructions

Close out the RFP with contact information and instructions on contacting you and your organizations with questions and the final proposal.

Maximizing Your RFP's Potential

Once your RFP is finalized, the next step is to find the ideal partners to execute your vision. You can publish your RFP on the Prosal marketplace, which has a growing network of communications experts. Alternatively, you can research and select a shortlist of agencies that could meet your requirements. You can also use our evaluation matrix to decide your most important criteria.

Utilize our evaluation matrix to weigh your criteria and identify the most crucial aspects of the proposals you receive. After a thorough evaluation, select the agency that best matches your requirements. This stage might involve negotiations over proposal specifics such as pricing, timelines, and performance assurances.

Employing our innovative RFP template simplifies the process and ensures you effectively choose the most suitable communication solutions and partners for your organization’s unique challenges.