What you want from a RFP is to have the vendor prove succinctly and clearly that their technology can do what you need it to do. Benchmarks are often used in RFPs to address this question, but instead of getting at whether or not the technology will meet your needs, the benchmarks are designed to test the technology on a million specific functions functions not necessarily important to the mission at hand. For example, when benchmarks focus only on the timeliness of the system, the evaluation of the technology becomes purely a speed issue while the functionality of the system is not addressed. The best way to avoid this pitfall is to ask for solutions, not just specific functions. Price-Based Selection Selecting the lowest bidder or favoring proposals based on price is not a good way to select a vendor.
Vendors look at business in lots of different ways and have a lot of leeway with their pricing.
They will go so far as to give their product away if they see it as beneficial to get a particular client. Price does not indicate whether a vendor will be able to meet your needs. The Client s Situation To get the best responses to your RFP, it is important to describe your situation in clear detail. Succinctly state your goals. Put your needs into context describe not just the functionality you want but the reasons why you need this functionality.