I recently completed an RFP process for a mobile app related to the insurance industry. I know, not a super existing industry, although our market is cycling, so that's the exciting part and we're looking to shake things up a bit :)

We had a number of different types of companies respond including -

-large US-based development companies

-freelancers from Elance/Upwork and

-a couple of overseas, smaller development houses

So you'll see that we kind of covered the entire spectrum here.

I've participated in a good number of RFP processes, from both sides of the table, and tried to put what I learned into practice with this RFP process.

Here are a few key points that I found helpful in this specific RFP and that I find to be helpful generally when soliciting RFP responses -

1 - Show examples, if possible.

In our case, there were a couple of well-reviewed insurance apps out there, that we felt we could use to model our more niche-specific app. We provided these examples in the RFP. If full-blown app examples aren't available, give examples of designs you like, specific functions or other components that may be available.

2 - Communicate goals, not methods.

Communicate what you'd like to accomplish. Let the person/company responding tell you how they'll get you there. This gives you great insight into how the person/company responding thinks and solves problems.

3 - Ask for previous work samples

This probably doesn't require much of an explanation. If the person/company responding has done relatable work, they'll be able to show you. If they haven't, they won't.

If the person/company responding "has worked on" a project or product, ask them what their specific role was and request examples of the specific work they contributed to the project.

4 - Don't ask for questions that are easy to answer "Yes" to ;)

These are questions like -

"Can you do X..."

"Do you have Y capability?"

"Can you meet Z deadline?

Anyone who is going to respond to your RFP will answer "Yes" to all of these questions. As a result, they don't help you differentiate among your options.

Again, for these types of questions, asking "how" rather than "if", should give you more insightful feedback into whether or not the person/company responding will deliver what you need and deliver it well.

Best of luck and always happy to discuss further on a call!