What is a Website Design RFP?
Should you invest time in filling out the comprehensive Website Design RFP?
I will tell you the known truth – businesses without a functioning, responsive website cannot survive nowadays. Well-designed websites generate revenue and keep you growing.
This is the article for you if you are considering re/designing the website. In step 1 – to make the process smooth and fast you have to prepare the RFP (Request for Proposal).
We’re going to talk about how to write an extensive RFP (Request for Proposal). We’ll discuss:
- 📄 what a Website Design RFP is;
- 📄 why do you need one;
- 📄 which sections should be included in one;
- 📄 what is the best Website Design RFP example;
- 📄 & where to find one that fits your needs.
Why is RFP for Web Design Important?
RFP stands for “request for proposal.” In other words, it’s a document that you send out to different web design companies to get bids on your project. If you’re looking at redoing your website, RFPs are an important part of the process.
- ☝️RFP is the most effective way to state and illustrate what you want to the people you have never worked with before.
The main reason why RFPs are so important is that they’re the first step in getting a quote on your project.
Without an RFP, web designers won’t know which design you want and which functionality you need. They’ll merely guess what they believe would work best for you. If they are incorrect, they’ll have to start over with multiple edits and waste even more time in the process.
- ☝️RFP helps get your search organized for an ideal design provider.
Define exactly what you want in your new website.
This means that when you get bids back from different web designers, you’ll be able to compare them easily based on price and quality (instead of just one or the other).
In addition, by asking for specific information in your RFP (such as how many pages there will be), you’ll make sure that each designer includes this information in their bid so that there aren’t any surprises later on.
Common RFP Mistakes
😝 Feeling excited about the new website design project? That’s totally understandable!
However, don’t allow your enthusiasm to get the best of you. While preparing the RFP, keep in mind, – this informal document will be used to locate the best contractor for your project, and it must be as detailed and correct as possible.
⛔ Please, don’t do the following things:
01. Spending too little/too much time on it
The first step of your RFP is to define your business needs in terms of a website design. You need to spend some time thinking about this so that you can clearly define your objectives.
❗️Tip: when you write out your RFP, you’ll be able to hit the ground running with a clear path of action. On the other hand, if you spend too much time on it without getting the desired results, you might start to feel frustrated and overwhelmed.
02. Setting an unrealistic timeline
Many businesses make the mistake of having an unrealistic timeline when writing an RFP for their website design needs. Take some time to think about the RFP, which includes your current website issues, plans, etc.
❗️Tip: give yourself enough time to complete the project without rushing, so consider whether or not you have enough resources available before committing to a deadline. I would suggest allocating at least a week to complete the document.
03. Cooperating on the fixed-price budget
If you want high-quality work from your designers, it’s important that you don’t offer them a fixed price budget for their design services – this will only lead to disappointment later on down the road.
❗️Tip: Instead, offer them a project budget range in that you are willing to invest.
What to Include in a Design RFP?
General information
Awesome, you’re ready to fill out the RFP for design services! Let’s dive right in.
The first step is to gather all the general information about you and your needs. Don’t forget to include the contact person, website, social media, and any relevant links.
One key thing to remember is to provide a due date for responses to the RFP, along with the email address where they should be sent. That way, you’ll be able to stay organized and streamline the process.
Introduction
This section should include a brief intro to the project and why you’re writing it.
It will help the designers to understand the purpose of the assignment and what they can expect.
1️⃣ Let’s talk about your goals for the design!
What are you looking to achieve? Do you want to focus on converting visitors into MQLs, showcasing your expertise, educating your customers, or simply selling products?
It’s important to keep your business goals in mind when considering a design/redesign, and each aspect of the design should serve a specific purpose. So, make sure you’re clear about what you want and communicate it effectively. The more details you provide, the better your chances of getting exactly what you’re looking for.
Remember, design shouldn’t be done just for the sake of it – there should always be a purpose behind it.
2️⃣ What do you need from the vendor for your project?
- Team:
The first thing to consider is what will your dream team look like! Do you need a team that will manage the project from scratch, or do you need a dedicated designer?
If you’re not sure about the composition of the team, no worries! The potential vendor can propose the team structure depending on the scope of your project. Just make sure you communicate your needs and expectations clearly so they can provide the best options for your design project management.
Remember, it’s important to have a clear idea of what you need to ensure that you get the results you want.
- Services:
Now, let’s talk about the specific services you need for your project. Based on the business goals that you described earlier, think about which service would best help you achieve your primary and secondary goals.
Do you need responsive design, app design, redesign, branding, or a design concept?
It’s important to be specific and write down exactly what you need so that the design vendor sales team can find the most suitable team for your custom needs.
3️⃣ Tell your future vendor more about your business.
This is important information that will help them understand your brand better and create a design that truly reflects your vision.
To start off, it’s helpful to provide details about:
- when your company was founded?
- what your mission is?
- What do you strive for as a business?
- what values do you hold?
- where are you located?
- who is your customer?
These are all crucial aspects that will help the vendor get a better understanding of who you are and what you’re all about.
Target Audience
🤔 Who are your potential clients?
☝️Do you know them well enough?
🧡 Sweet! Do you have it all documented?
Starting with the simplest and most basic information such as their name, age, location, title, company name and size, goals/needs, motivation, and frustrations or challenges.
Then, moving forward to the more specific questions such as:
- What must occur for this persona to be fulfilled both during and after purchasing our services?
- What kinds of things will make them happy enough to suggest your service to others?
- What can we offer them?
- Why is our solution better than others for this persona?
- Why would they not buy our product?
The Current Roadblock
Failing to understand what’s currently holding back your site from achieving its goals is the first step toward making sure it succeeds.
Make sure to describe the roadblocks you have experienced in detail so that designers will have enough information to come up with design and development solutions.
Timeline, Scope, and Budget
This is the most important part of the RFP. It will help you understand how long it will take and how much it will cost to complete your project.
You also want to make sure that your timeline is realistic.
Here are some questions for you to answer on determining the time frame, scope, and budget of a website RFP:
- How soon do you need the site to be completed?
- Is there an event or date that needs to be met?
- Do you want to launch it before your big product launch or after it?
- What exactly are you looking for in a website design?
- Do you have specific features that you want to be included? Analytics integrations, photos/videos galleries, e-commerce cards, and checkouts? Or we discuss those as we go along during the design process?
- Are there specific colors/fonts/design elements that are important to you?
- Do you have a budget set aside for this project?
Hey👋 Schedule a free consultation to help you with RFP, budget and scope
Site Map
Draft the future structure of the website, and mention what pages you want to have. The site map will help you determine what pages are needed and how they should be laid out.
It will also help you to visualize the future website and this is the best way to work on a project like this.
Website Examples or Wishlist
A wishlist of apps for inspiration can be used to give ideas on how the page should look and what type of content should go on each page. This list can include the website that you like best or competitor websites, plus what you like about them.
This can help give inspiration to the designer so that they know what type of design style is needed. You can simply go to 🔗 Dribbble and spend hours scrolling through the multiple website styles.
Numbers
Analytics report gives information about how people find your site and what their interests are when visiting it. This information can help provide insight into what type of content may be relevant for certain visitors so that the designer knows what kind of content should be included on each page or section of the website.
Simply put, if we’re talking about website redesign RFP, make sure to include an analytics report that includes how many visits you have, bounce rate, exit rate, top pages, geolocation, languages, and so forth.
RFP Example
Good news! We did a chunk of work for you.
To assist you, we’ve compiled a list of questions that will help you choose which agencies are the greatest fit for your project.
Here you’ll find a sample RFP template. Just save it, fill out the needed information and send it to multiple agencies. Easy, isn’t it?
➡️ Find the Request For Proposal (RFP) template here ⬅️
Where to Send It?
Looking for a new design agency?
Don’t waste your time. Go to clutch.co and find the best design agencies in no time at all.
All the agencies are ranked based on the reviews, those are 100% verified reviews.
🚀 Once you’ve found the perfect agency for you, all you have to do is send them an RFP and wait for their response!