RFP Basics
RFP vs RFQ vs RFI: What’s the Difference?
RFP, RFQ, and RFI are three distinct procurement documents with different purposes, evaluation criteria, and response strategies. Here’s how to tell them apart and respond to each.
Summary
An RFI (Request for Information) gathers market intelligence with no commitment. An RFQ (Request for Quotation) focuses on price for defined goods or services. An RFP (Request for Proposal) evaluates both technical merit and price, and is where proposal strategy matters most.
Procurement teams issue different types of solicitation documents depending on where they are in their purchasing process. Knowing which document you're looking at—and what it's designed to accomplish—determines your response strategy.
RFI: Request for Information
An RFI is the earliest stage of procurement. The buyer is exploring the market: what solutions exist, what they cost, and who the credible vendors are. There is no commitment to purchase, and you won't win a contract from an RFI alone.
When to respond: If you plan to bid on the eventual contract. A strong RFI response helps you understand the buyer's thinking and can influence how they write the subsequent RFP—sometimes in ways that favor your approach.
How to respond: Be informative, not promotional. Educate the buyer about the solution space. Establish your credibility without making it a sales pitch—evaluators writing an RFP based on your RFI are more likely to use criteria that map to your strengths.
RFQ: Request for Quotation
An RFQ is used when the buyer knows exactly what they want and is primarily comparing prices. The scope, specifications, and delivery requirements are fully defined. The evaluation is largely or entirely price-based.
When to respond: When you can meet the full specification and compete on price. Unlike an RFP, there's limited room to differentiate on approach or team—if you can't win on price, you likely can't win at all.
How to respond: Complete the pricing schedule exactly as specified. Ensure all required certifications and forms are included. Keep qualitative sections brief and focused on compliance, not differentiation.
RFP: Request for Proposal
An RFP is a competitive solicitation that evaluates both technical merit and price. The buyer wants a proposed solution, not just a price—and they're comparing your approach, your team, and your relevant experience alongside cost.
When to respond: When you have a clear fit with the scope, can demonstrate relevant past performance, and have a genuine differentiator. Apply bid/no-bid discipline rigorously here—responding to poor-fit RFPs wastes resources and dilutes quality on winnable bids.
How to respond: Structure your entire response around the evaluation criteria. Every claim should be supported by a specific project example or quantified result. The executive summary should communicate your differentiator in three sentences or fewer.
RFPQ: Request for Proposal and Quotation
An RFPQ combines both technical and price evaluation in a single document—common in Canadian federal and provincial procurement. Treat the technical sections like an RFP and the pricing sections like an RFQ: maximum quality on both, with a compliance-first review before submission.
Which document should get the most attention?
RFPs deserve the most investment per opportunity because they offer the most room for differentiation. A well-written RFP response from a strong team can win against a lower-priced competitor. That's rarely true in an RFQ, where price usually decides the outcome.
Stepscale is designed specifically for RFP teams—helping you surface relevant past work, score reference fit, and review responses for completeness across every stage of the proposal process.