Pre-RFP/ Proposal Marketing

Pre-RFP/ proposal marketing

 

These pre-RFP or pre-proposal efforts by a contractor are considered marketing or business development and are performed without any cost to the customer. The payoff to the contractor for these efforts is expected to come later when the contractor is selected as the winning contractor in response to the customer's RFP.

 

Contractors should do it for the following reasons:

 

 Working closely with a potential customer puts a contractor in a better position to be select eventually as the winning contactor when the customer does issue an RFP.

 

 During this pre-RFPN/proposal activity, the contractor should learn as much as possible about the customer’s needs, problems, and decision-making process.

 

 The contractor should ask the customer for information, data, and documentation about the identified need or problem. Also he can get the customers reactions.

 

 By getting customers reactions the contractor can begin to understand what the customer expects, as well as develop a responsive and favorable image in the eyes of the customer.