14/07/2026
Running an RFP is supposed to be the structured way to make a platform decision.
In practice, most RFPs don’t deliver better outcomes.
They deliver the illusion of a better process.
Here’s what we consistently see:
Too feature-driven
→ Vendors are scored on capability lists, not on whether those capabilities work in context
Too vendor-led
→ Vendors optimize to win, not to fit. The best pitch wins. Not the best platform
Too compressed
→ Months of coordination reduced to a rushed decision under contract pressure
Not truly comparable
→ Proposals structured differently, pricing models misaligned, hidden costs buried in the terms
Higher costs.
Suboptimal contracts.
A platform the team spends the next 2 years working around.
A good RFP is not about collecting responses.
It is about:
• Defining evaluation criteria before vendors are involved
• Forcing structured, comparable responses across platforms
• Building negotiation leverage before the conversation starts
• Aligning the decision to growth strategy, not just today’s requirements
That’s where the real value is created.
Otherwise, an RFP becomes a very expensive checkbox exercise.
If you are relying on an RFP 3 months before expiry to figure things out,
you are already working with limited room to move.
The real work starts well before contract expiry.
For the best outcomes, starting earlier gives you the most flexibility.
Around 12 months ahead is ideal, but if your timeline is tighter, it is not too late
We’ve stepped in at every stage of the cycle.
When timelines are tight, one of the first conversations we’ll have is whether a short extension with your current vendor creates the space to do this properly.
That’s a negotiation we can help with too.
Because a good RFP doesn’t create clarity.
It reflects it.
And the teams that get the best outcomes are the ones who build that clarity early, before vendors are even part of the conversation.
If your renewal is coming up, reach out.
We can help you assess your options and create flexibility before decisions are locked in.
