EP043: How to get started with RFPs – with Lisa Rehurek

Are you new to the idea of responding to RFPs? If so, you’re probably curious about where to go to find RFP opportunities. And you may also be wondering what the process of responding to a request for proposal looks like. What’s the difference between corporate and government RFPs? What’s the best way to approach the procurement departments of your target customers? Once you’ve identified an opportunity, what steps can you take to prepare a winning response?

Today on the podcast, I’m explaining how to get started with RFPs, discussing how to find opportunities and prepare corporate, state or local government responses. I share the importance of building relationships with people in the organizations and agencies you want to work with and getting notifications when they release an RFP.

I go on to walk you through the process of responding to an RFP, describing how to create a response template, craft a strategy, write and revise the content, and complete the peer review process—in a timely manner! Listen in for insight on learning from the bids you don’t win and get a list of the top resources for identifying opportunities to bid on RFPs.

Connect with Lisa

The RFP Success Community on LinkedIn

Lisa’s Website

Lisa on Twitter

Lisa on Facebook

Lisa on LinkedIn

Subscribe on iTunes

Email lisa@lisarehurek.com

Resources

Contracting with the Federal Government on RFP SS EP011

Build Relationships & Win Federal Business on RFP SS EP030

Diversity Certification with Heather Cox on RFP SS EP003

BidSync

FindRFP

Freedom of Information Act

The RFP Success Book by Lisa Rehurek

Key Takeaways

  • The challenge of finding corporate RFP opportunities

  • How to identify corporate targets and get on their vendor lists

  • How to approach corporate supplier diversity departments

  • How to get in front of government procurement departments

  • The best resources for finding local + state government RFPs

  • A simple, step-by-step overview of the RFP response process

    1.      Read RFP and identify questions

    2.      Create response template

    3.      Reverse engineer calendar

    4.      Think through strategy (theme)

    5.      Get writing done

    6.      Edit for cohesive voice

    7.      Objective peer review

    8.      Editorial peer review

  • How to get information and learn from the bids you don’t win

 

BINGE ON ALL THINGS RFP

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EP044: Content Strategy & Editing – with Samantha Enslen

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EP042: Guiding Technical Experts to Provide Specs for an RFP – with Lisa Rehurek