How to Write a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Web Content Management

How to Write a Request for Proposal for

Web Content Management

Presenter:

Kemal DemirhisarManager of Solutions Engineering

© Percussion Software 2015 Proprietary & Confidential 1

The reality is….

No one likes RFPsCustomers don’t like writing them,

Vendors don’t like responding to them.

But sometimes we gotta do what we gotta do…

Before you begin


Do your initial research of vendors, speak to them,

see demos

Have a high level understanding of what you can afford

Start brainstorming on what you “actually” need

Create an RFP preparation committee that consists of

stakeholders from each of your business units

Understand your needs


• Is your RFP a re-design RFP? CMS RFP? Or both?

• Are you looking for a cloud-based products or on premise?

• Is your RFP written for Content Management? Marketing

Automation? CRM? or all three? Don’t bundle all your

technology needs into one RFP.

Get to know the vendors, speak to organizations similar

to you about their CMS and experience with their vendor

Have a plan


What is your RFP process?

Don’t set your RFP award date in stone.

Chances are, you are going to have to push it...

RFP

Issue

Pre-Bid

Conference

Call

RFP

Responses

Due

Internal

RFP

ReviewShortlist Award

Utilize existing resources


RFP templates are everywhere, use them to

your advantage

Check-in with your Procurement Team.

Chances are, they have done this before and

they can provide you with content

Review previous RFP’s your organization has

released in the past

Write your own RFP questions


Don’t pull questions directly from a template.

Most RFP templates are written by vendors, for the benefits

of the vendor. Not the customer.

Avoid the “Yes” / “No” questions


Avoid the “Yes”, “No”, “With Customization” responses

• Is there a convenient way to browse through

User Extensions?

A vendor will never say “No” to a questions like this.

Instead, word it like this:

• Please explain how user extensions are viewed

and added to pages using your CMS. Please

provide a screenshot of a list of your built-in

extensions.

Avoid the vague question


If you ask a vague question, you will get a vague answer.

Be specific.

Avoid questions like these:• Must provide browser based GUI

• Must provide high security during

deployment

• Must support on-the-fly pages

Instead, rewrite them like this:• Explain how content authors use your system

to create content from their browsers. Provide

screenshots.

• Explain in detail the layers of security

provided as a part of your deployment. Attach

a diagram.

• What is the process of creating new pages?

Please provide a step-by-step guide of how a

user would create a new page in your system.

Ask them to explain. If you don’t, they wont.


Always ask for detailed explanations, scenarios and use

cases

• Please explain how a new

template is created within the

CMS? Provide examples and use

cases.

• Does the CMS allow for

customization of templates?

Case Studies & References


• Ask vendors to include Case

Studies, References and Past

Experience in the RFP.

• Setup reference calls with the

ones that are similar to your

organization.

Benefits vs. Features


Focus your questions on the

benefit of a feature rather than

the feature itself.

Feature NeedBenefit

Scoring Criteria


Create a scoring mechanism that works for you (also

don’t let the vendor do the scoring for you).

Allow your business units to score independently,

take an average

Don’t score based on the amount of “Yes’s” in the

responses. Score based on how much the answer is

fulfilling the requirement.

Pre-Bid Meeting


Conduct a pre-bid meeting following the launch of the RFP.

Pre-bid meetings help provide:

• Clarity to any unclear questions

• Data needed by vendors to provide detailed pricing

• Deeper insight into the project

• Visibility into technologies that are not the right fit

If you have the option, have vendors attend an on-

site pre-bid meeting.

This will allow you to get to know the vendor better.

Our RFP Template


Take a look at our RFP template

Here’s the link http://www.percussion.com/RFP

We utilize the best practices mentioned above

Adapt and modify as needed

When your RFP is ready...


Give us a call! We’d be glad to review and respond to it!

Questions?


How to Write a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Web Content Management

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Transcript of How to Write a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Web Content Management