Need a Winning Template

Hello, we need to level up our template. It's old and my boss is really into the aesthetics of the RFP. I'd appreciate hearing from you all about your 'best in class' templates. If you'd be willing to share what you're template looks like that would be great. (See our current one here.) Pls share what you've learned, what works and what doesn't work - that is all very helpful! Thanks everyone.

RFPIO test template.docx

Formatting

Templates

Comments

Kristen Lupo

Hi Robin!

It seems like you're off to a great start! The cover page and imaging looks great!

Something I've seen in some of my clients templates is they implement bios shortly after their introduction. If there's a team or few individuals tied to the account or winning bid, it just adds a personal touch to see a photo and short bio of the team they would have access to.

I'd also think of adding a section template of any awards, certifications, client kudos, or other recognitions your team might be proud of.

I hope this helps in ways to expand your template, without having to recreate the wheel every time you use it! :)

monica

@robin byrne Happy to provide a couple of ideas on your template! I'm one of the Sales Engineers here at Responsive. The first thing I saw right off the bat is a slight change needs to be made to the placeholder text. It should read <<sections goes here>>. That will ensure your export goes where it should.

You've done a really nice job using Merge Tags on your cover page, and you might even want to use them for the phone number and sale's reps name. That would give you even more automation when you export :)

I also took a look at your Core Health Answer and Core Health Header 1 fonts. You'll want to modify each of those to base it off of No Style instead of Normal. This will ensure you're actual style exports the same way for any user who is generating an export package. Basing a style off of Normal can cause different export results for different users.

I think you have a nice, clean template, which is exactly what you want. I **** this is helpful and if you have other questions, please let me know!

Helene H

@robin byrne A couple more questions for you!

Are your responses mostly in Word, Docs, PPT, or Excel/Sheets? Do you do any State or Goverment bids?

I was talking with @Susanne today and she said that it's easier to find sample proposals as the winning proposals are posted for the public to review.

robin byrne

Helene,

Our responses are mostly in Word and submitted as PDFs. We have County and local government bids mostly; no State or Federal bids. I have accumulated a few competitor proposals through FOIA requests. Aside from one company with unlimited funds, they are not remarkable.

Helene H

@Susanne do you have any tips for Robin given the above information? I know we were talking offline about it.

Susanne Taylor

I just recommend it be clean and easy for the client to read. I always mirrored the layout of the RFP. Keep the numbering the same, so the reviewer can easily compare answers. I used a black/gray font for the question, and the responses were in a company color (blue in our case). That helped the answers stand out. Try to incorporate as many graphics as you can. Use a universal font, especially if you are going to submit the response as a pdf. And most importantly, always follow the instructions provided by the issuer.

robin byrne

Thanks Susanne! Our responses can be copy heavy so will try to translate those into graphics more often. If something dawns on you please contact me :)

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