01 · Capacity
Annual hours returned
Proposals per month × hours per proposal × 12 months × the share of time reduced.
RFP ROI calculator for AEC firms
What could a more efficient proposal process return to your firm?
Estimate the proposal hours and labour capacity your architecture, engineering, or construction firm could recover. Every assumption is visible, editable, and calculated instantly.
Your estimated return
Net annual labour value
$36,960
after the annual platform investment
576
Proposal hours returned per year
$48,960
Gross annual labour value
308%
Estimated first-year ROI
2.9 months
Estimated payback period
14.4
Current-proposal equivalents of capacity returned per year
This estimate values recovered labour capacity only. It does not assume a higher win rate, additional projects, or incremental revenue.
Model your process with usTransparent methodology
A business case you can inspect, challenge, and change.
02 · Value
Labour value recovered
Annual hours returned × your fully loaded blended hourly cost.
03 · Return
Net benefit and ROI
Gross labour value minus annual investment. ROI divides that net benefit by the investment.
What this calculator intentionally leaves out
No assumed win-rate improvement, speculative project revenue, avoided hiring, or value assigned to lower compliance risk. Those may matter to your firm, but they should be evaluated separately instead of hidden inside the headline number.
Where time is returned
Measure the workflow, not just the writing step.
Proposal effort begins before the first draft. Teams search for opportunities, interpret requirements, decide whether to pursue, find comparable projects, coordinate contributors, draft responses, and review the final submission.
Explore how Stepscale supports opportunity discovery, RFP evaluation, firm knowledge retrieval, and response drafting and review.
RFP ROI calculator FAQ
Questions behind the estimate.
Use conservative inputs, document what they mean, and replace every default with your firm’s own operating data.
How does the RFP ROI calculator estimate savings?
It multiplies annual proposal volume by hours per proposal, the selected share of time saved, and the firm's blended hourly cost. It then subtracts the annual platform investment to estimate net annual labour value and ROI.
Does the calculator assume Stepscale will improve our win rate?
No. The headline calculation does not assign revenue to a higher win rate or assume additional contract wins. It estimates labour capacity only, using inputs you control.
What should we use for blended hourly cost?
Use the fully loaded hourly cost of the proposal coordinators, principals, technical contributors, and other staff involved in the average response. If several roles participate, use a weighted average.
What should we enter as annual platform investment?
Use the annual amount from your Stepscale proposal, including any recurring platform cost you want reflected in the business case. The prefilled amount is an editable example, not published Stepscale pricing.
Do I need to provide contact information to see the results?
No. The calculator updates immediately and shows the complete estimate without an email address or form submission.
Are the calculator results guaranteed?
No. The results are planning estimates based entirely on the values entered. Validate the assumptions against your own proposal process before using the estimate in a budget or purchasing decision.