You've submitted your proposal or RFP to PageBid. Now what?

By Tim Myles, PageBid CEO

Since our start last year, many PageBid users, purchasers and providers alike, have asked me a host of questions about what happens after an RFP is posted or a proposal is submitted. How are providers identified? How is the RFP distributed, and what is the submission process for proposals? What does the purchaser see when it's all over? Does the lowest quote always get awarded the project? In this article I'll address these and other questions by explaining the PageBid process, and describing what you can do to get the best return from your time and effort. I'll also provide some important guidelines for submitting a proposal to prospective clients on PageBid or elsewhere.

RFP POSTING
After a purchasing client has run through a requirements analysis, estimated the rough cost of the purchase about to be made, and received preliminary approval to go forward with the process from the attorneys and the ultimate client, all of which PageBid can assist with, the RFP is ready to post. This can be done by logging in and using PageBid's menu-driven RFP form, or by emailing the specs to PageBid where a representative will fill out the form. The RFP form includes helpful definitions for each RFP item so the purchaser can be fully informed of the service options available when building the RFP. Once the specifications are entered into PageBid's RFP format, the RFP is ready to post with a final click. The RFP next will be assigned to a Client Manager who, with help from other PageBid reps, will work with the purchaser to gather additional information or smooth out any rough spots and see the process through to a successful conclusion. Oftentimes the Client Manager will also run through an RFP checklist with the purchaser before the final posting of the RFP to address upfront common questions that providers may have.

RFP DISTRIBUTION
When the RFP is posted the purchaser has several options. First, they can choose to remain anonymous to providers and have all contact come through PageBid. Or they can reveal their identity and allow providers to contact them directly. Next, a purchaser can set the duration of the proposal period and the distribution of the RFP. For distribution, the RFP might be sent only to a select group of trusted providers, all providers who meet the specs of the RFP (typically location and service), or to all providers who meet the specs, minus any providers the purchaser wants to exclude. Once a distribution list is created, notice of the RFP is then sent by email (with a link to the online RFP) to the appropriate sales contacts. In some cases, as in Three-Hour Quotes, the distribution process is supplemented or even replaced by phone calls from PageBid reps directly to providers.

RECEIVING THE RFP AND Q&As
Providers receive notice of the RFP by email and can view it online. They can review the entire RFP along with the lowest current quote, and they can submit questions or proposals by email. Submitted questions are reviewed and, when possible, answered directly by PageBid. Answers to a large majority of the questions posed by providers can be addressed by providers themselves with a closer reading of the RFP description and any existing Q&As. If PageBid cannot answer the question, it is forwarded to the client without revealing the provider's identity. The client can then login to the RFP page and answer the question directly or can send an answer to PageBid by email, which will then be posted online.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
Proposals are submitted directly to Pagebid, whereupon receipt is confirmed and it is reviewed for completeness. Such review ensures that all of the questions and requirements in the RFP have been addressed appropriately. Pricing information is then entered into a spreadsheet to ensure consistent project and unit assumptions, after which the current lowest quote is updated.

Note: This system is in the process of being automated so registered providers who are on the distribution list will be able to log-in and submit their proposals on-line and view their historical RFP activity. This will also allow the purchaser the ability to log in and view the current quotes, provider profiles, and full proposal details and attachments during the proposal period.

THE RFP REPORT
When the proposal submission period ends, and sometimes before, the PageBid Client Manager begins creating the RFP report. This report contains a cover letter with a review of past performance rankings of providers, a copy of the RFP, pricing overviews, breakdowns and explanations, shipping estimates (if applicable), the RFP distribution list, and all of the proposals, unabridged, from providers who participated in the RFP. In rare cases a file with supplemental company information may be omitted if it is too large (typically 2 MBs plus) and determined not to be critical to the decision making process. An electronic copy of a portion of the report is sent to the purchaser the night that the proposal period ends. The complete report is created on-line and printed in facilities in Memphis and sent overnight via FedEx so that the purchaser receives it the morning after the proposal period has ended. Two of these hard copies are sent, one for the purchasing agent, and one for an attorney, the client, or whoever may want a copy. (View an example of this RFP report.)

FOLLOW-UP, AWARD, AND RANKINGS
The Client Manager follows up with the purchaser after the report has been received to see if any further assistance is needed. Sometimes the purchaser will request additional information from a subset of providers or ask for conflict and reference checks. When the purchaser has settled upon a single provider that process can continue with or without PageBid's involvement. Either way, the parties are introduced to one another (if the RFP was anonymous) and the dialogue is started. Neither the purchaser nor the provider is obligated to follow through with a project, and, as with any traditional RFP, the provider is free to adjust the proposal appropriately upon reviewing the actual documents. However, any purchaser or provider who regularly backs out of projects or adjusts pricing inappropriately, will be prohibited from future PageBid use. Fortunately this is a rare occurrence, and when a project is not awarded it is typically because of changing priorities or because the case has settled. In any event, when a final decision is made PageBid will notify all the participants with the name of the winning provider or of the final disposition of the project.

After the project is completed, both the purchaser and provider are invited to rank one another in a variety of categories. This information is compiled into PageBid's ranking system and made available in an aggregate and anonymous form to future users.

A WORD ON PROPOSALS
Our years of experience, as purchasing attorneys, service bureau providers, and with PageBid, have given us the opportunity to see hundreds of proposals - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Good proposals always have several basic things in common. What follows are some very simple guidelines for putting together a winning proposal.