Write an RFP that agencies can respond to seriously
An RFP for app development should include background, goals, scope, a budget range, and clear evaluation criteria. The more concrete the brief, the more comparable and serious the bids become. An open budget indication more often gets honest answers than wishful pricing, and agencies need reasonable response time and a chance to ask questions.
A bid request, or RFP, determines the quality of the answers you get. A well-thought-out request gets comparable bids and serious follow-up questions. A sloppy one gets wishful pricing that can’t be weighed against each other. The difference lies almost entirely in the brief you send out, and that’s where you have the most to gain before a single agency has responded.
The structure of an RFP that works
A good RFP doesn’t need to be long, but it should cover what the agency needs to respond seriously. Five parts always belong:
- Background. Who are you, what problem is the app solving, and for whom? Without context, the agency builds on guesses.
- Goals. What should the app achieve? Write measurable goals where you can, not just a feature list.
- Scope. What’s to be built, and just as important, what isn’t? This is where you avoid misunderstandings about what the bid covers.
- Budget range. An indication of what you’re willing to invest.
- Evaluation criteria. How will you choose? Price, experience, maintenance capability, references. Being open about it sharpens the answers.
| Part | What it gives the agency |
|---|---|
| Background | Context about you and the problem |
| Goals | What the app should achieve, ideally measurable |
| Scope | What's included and what isn't |
| Budget range | An honest range to work within |
| Evaluation | How you'll weigh the bids |
The point of the structure is comparability. When every agency responds to the same clear brief, you can weigh the bids against each other, instead of comparing a detailed bid with a vague one and not knowing what’s driving the difference.
Why an open budget gets more honest answers
Many want to keep the budget secret for fear the agency will price itself right under the ceiling. The instinct is understandable but often counterproductive. An open budget indication usually gets more honest, more useful answers.
The reason is simple. An app can be built for wildly different sums depending on ambition level. Without a range, the agency guesses where you stand, and if it guesses wrong, the bid ends up either unrealistically expensive or a piece of wishful pricing that falls apart during the build. With a known range, the agency can instead propose the best solution that fits within it, and be upfront about what has to be deprioritized. You then get proposals that are actually achievable, and you weed out the ones that can’t deliver within the range before you’ve even met.
Reasonable response time and a question process
A serious bid takes time to put together. The agency needs to get up to speed, understand the goals, ask questions, and run the numbers. Give too short a response time and you favor whoever shoots from the hip and disadvantage whoever actually gets into your situation. For a project of any size, a couple of weeks is often reasonable.
Also build in a question process. Set a period when agencies can send questions and a date when you answer them, ideally so everyone gets the same answers at the same time. That keeps the process fair and equal. The questions also carry value for you: they often point out gaps in your own brief that are worth closing before the final answers arrive.
A concrete scenario
Say you send an RFP to four agencies for a medium-complexity app. You state a budget range, clear goals, and an evaluation that weighs maintenance capability heavily. During the question period, you realize from the agencies’ questions that you forgot to describe how the app should integrate with your business system, a gap you have time to close. When the answers come in, they’re comparable: three stay within the range with different approaches, one comes in far over and can be ruled out immediately. You end up with a decision basis instead of a pile of uncertain numbers.
An RFP is at its best with a clear requirements picture behind it. Read more about how a discovery phase produces that basis among our services, or get in touch and we’ll help you get started.
Frequently asked questions
What is an RFP for app development?
An RFP, request for proposal, is a bid request you send to several agencies to get comparable proposals for building your app. It describes background, goals, scope, budget range, and how the responses will be judged. A well-thought-out RFP lets you compare apples with apples instead of guessing what each bid actually covers.
What should an RFP include?
Background on you and the problem, clear goals for the app, a scope describing what's to be built, a budget range, and evaluation criteria showing how you'll choose. The more concrete, the better. A vague brief gets vague answers, while a clear RFP forces well-thought-out bids and reveals which agencies actually understood the task.
Should I state a budget in the request?
Usually yes. Many hesitate for fear of being overcharged, but an open budget indication usually gets more honest answers. Agencies can then propose a solution that fits within the range instead of guessing and submitting wishful pricing. That makes the bids more comparable and saves time for both sides by weeding out unrealistic proposals early.
How much response time should agencies get?
Enough to respond thoughtfully, not just quickly. A serious bid requires the agency to get up to speed, ask questions, and run the numbers. A couple of weeks is often reasonable for a project of any size. Too short a response time favors whoever shoots from the hip and disadvantages whoever actually gets into your situation.
How do I handle questions from the agencies?
Build a question process into the request: a period when agencies can send questions and a date when you answer everyone at once. That keeps the process fair, everyone gets the same information, and the questions often reveal gaps in your own brief that are worth closing before the answers come in.