Software RFP Support - IT Procurement Help

A Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Information (RFI) process is often a critical step in software or IT procurement. But people – especially those working in mid-sized and fast-growing companies – may never have issued a formal software RFP or RFI before. At the same time, many IT vendors and sales teams have little to no formal training in how to respond to them effectively.

RFP processes can quickly become a challenge. Buyers aren’t sure what to include or how to structure the document, and the process can rumble on for months and take the team away from their day jobs. Vendors find themselves confused by unclear requirements or unsure of how to tailor their responses and end up submitting a long and complex response to a detailed and vague RFP.....that doesn't get read! The result? Lost time, missed opportunities, and frustration on both sides.

Why Viewpoint Analysis is Uniquely Positioned to Help

At Viewpoint Analysis, we understand RFPs from both sides of the table. We’ve spent decades in software sales roles responding to hundreds of RFPs and RFIs – learning what good looks like - and what just doesn't work. Today, we’re on the other side: helping buying teams issue clear, fair, super-quick, and effective RFPs to the market. We’ve seen what makes a winning response, and we know the pitfalls that can lose a deal.

This dual experience puts us in a unique position to help:

• For buyers: We support businesses buying IT by writing structured, transparent RFPs that attract the right suppliers and lead to confident, justifiable buying decisions.

• For vendors: We offer support and training to improve the quality of responses, helping vendors better understand what buyers are really looking for.

How We Provide Software RFP Support

We run super-quick software procurement processes for companies of all shapes and sizes across the UK, with references at the likes of Reed Exhibitions and ArrowXL. We help customers by either running the process for them, with them, or offering RFP support as and when they need it.

Our services include:

• RFP / RFI creation: We work with buyers to quickly create professional-grade RFPs. Our Rapid RFP (RRFP) service and our 30-Day Technology Selection service see us run the process and lead the vendor engagement.

• RFP response training: We help sales and pre-sales teams improve their win rates by offering practical advice, templates, and coaching through our RFP Response Training

• Scoring and selection insight: For vendors, we offer guidance based on how RFPs are actually scored – bringing insider knowledge to help shape better responses.

• Mediation and clarification: We help resolve misunderstandings and keep the process moving by acting as a neutral advisor.

Providing RFP Support for IT Buying Teams

As a 'Technology Matchmaker' sitting between the IT buying team and the IT suppliers, our technology selection services are a popular service. We provide RFP support with the following services:

• 30-Day Technology Selection - perhaps the quickest RFI and RFP-type process to buy enterprise technology, we take the best parts of our Rapid RFI (RRFI) and Rapid RFP (RRFP) to go from a longlist of options, to a shortlist, and then preferred vendor selection in less than one month.

• Rapid RFI and Technology Matchmaker Services - helping to go from a longlist to a shortlist, our Rapid RFI and our Technology Matchmaker services run super-quick market assessments that take our buying teams to a shortlist from which to issue a more formal process.

• Rapid RFP - To transition from a shortlist to vendor selection in a quick hop, the Rapid RFP is a fast RFP that is easy to run and easy for vendors to participate in.

Outside of our packaged services, we also provide RFP support - where we underpin and guide the RFP process while the customer team leads, and fractional IT procurement for when a business needs ongoing but limited support.

Helping IT Vendors with RFP Training and Support

For IT vendors, RFPs can be a thankless task. They rarely like responding to RFPs because they are concerned that they are simply a procurement exercise with a predetermined answer, or they have lost so many that they can't justify continuing. Although this is what it feels like to be on the vendor side of the equation, it's almost always not the case. An RFI or RFP process is when the customer puts their hand up and says they want to buy.

If the vendor is going to invest in an RFP process, they really need to make sure that they can win - and that's where Viewpoint Analysis can help. Provided we are not running the RFP process (!), we can work with the vendor team to advise on the RFP response - from RFP Response Training to ongoing advice and coaching for those must-win deals.

RFP and RFI Support When You Need It

Whether you are looking to buy new enterprise technology and need software RFP support, advice, and training, or if you are an IT sales team that just needs that little bit of guidance and help, we can support you.

Please call us or fill out our contact form, and we will be in touch.