What Is a Request for Proposal (RFP)?

A request for proposal is a document organizations use to invite vendors to bid on a project or service. It outlines the scope, timeline, evaluation criteria, and how to submit a proposal. RFPs work best for major purchases or service contracts where more than price matters — they create a clear, fair way to compare vendors and protect both sides from scope creep.

In River, an RFP isn't a static Word doc. The Operating Manual built into this template teaches the AI everything it needs to know about your project — your goals, your budget, your team, your evaluation rubric — and then helps you draft, refine, and version every section as you collaborate with it.

When To Use It

• Service contracts above ~$25k where comparing vendors matters
• Anything involving a custom solution: software builds, brand work, AV install, marketing engagements
• Public-sector and grant-funded purchases that require sealed bids
• Internal initiatives where stakeholders want to formalize requirements before committing

What's Inside

This template seeds your Space with three things:

1. The RFP document — a structured starter with the ten canonical sections (company info, project summary, scope, timeline, deliverables, references, point of contact, submission instructions, key dates, terms).
2. An Operating Manual rule — your AI's playbook. As soon as you tell it the project, the AI knows what to ask, what to flag, and what to draft.
3. A Setup Guide — a one-screen primer for the AI-guided editing workflow.

How To Write a Great RFP

A few rules of thumb the AI will hold you to:

• Be specific about the outcome, not the implementation. Vendors win by proposing how — not by re-explaining what.
• Set firm dates. When the RFP goes out, when questions close, when proposals are due, when you'll select. Nearly 40% of RFPs are completed in under 48 hours — give vendors clarity instead of speed.
• Define how you'll evaluate. Price, experience, references, fit — share the rubric and the weights.
• Name the point of contact. One inbox, one phone number, one decision-maker.

Benefits

• You get more bids, and they're stronger
• The process is more organized — for everyone
• Scope creep gets caught at the front door (only 51% of projects finish on time; clear scopes are the cheapest fix)
• Everyone knows what's expected before a contract is signed