How to torment your vendors: 7 horror stories

H O W T O T O R M E N T Y O U R V E N D O R S :
7 R F P H O R R O R S T O R I E S

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Maybe it was the RFP that killed them.
There are very few industries that just don't innovate. That won’t change, adapt, or evolve. But
the RFP process has certainly been one of them.
That’s why we’re celebrating this Halloween with our goriest RFP horror stories.
Editor’s note: several of these horror stories originally appeared in our guest post on the Lockton
Companies Technology blog here.
R.I.P. or RFP?

# 1 . E N D L E S S
I N T E R R O G A T I O N R F P
A client of ours recently told us about a 500-
hundred page RFP they received. Endless RFPs
such as this create two huge problems:
#1. A mountain of data for purchasers to get
through.  
#2. They require a massive investment of time and
energy from vendors that ultimately may not win the
business. 
Takeaway: respect your vendors’ time by issuing
short, highly targeted RFPs (in rounds if necessary).
Ultimately, it’s more beneficial for both you and
them.

# 2 . T H E PA P E R
P U R G A T O RY R F P
One county we interviewed requires all proposals to
be physically delivered. The procurement manager
believes that her state’s statutes don’t allow electronic
submission…even email or disks.
Not only is it not “green” to require binders of printed
proposals, but it also incredibly frustrating for vendors.
Takeaway: rules like that may have been valid 20 years
ago, but the game has changed, and if we want to stay
in it, we need to upgrade our process. Let’s agree to at
least allow for electronic alternatives.

# 3 . T H E B I A S E D R F P
We were recently asked “does your platform
support PDF downloads?” (A PDF posted to an
online portal).
Technically, our answer was “no,” but not because
it wasn’t digital (as the buyer would likely assume),
but because it was more digital. Even worse,
because the question was tailored to outdated
technology, it made the vendor with the most
outdated technology look like a winner.
Takeaway: overly specific questions put vendors on
the defensive and don’t give the buyer accurate
perspective. Consider using more open-ended
questions that give vendors a chance to prove their
worth.

# 4 . T H E I N S U LT I N G
R F P
We were recently responding to an RFP in which we
had to prove our employees had the appropriate
insurance to work on-site and drive rental cars there.
Valid concern, right? Here’s the thing though: our
product is an online, cloud-based software, meaning
we’d never need to deliver our product in person.
Irrelevant questions like that prove you used a
generic RFP, and the lack of effort both deters
vendors from engaging and leaves a bad taste in their
mouths.
Takeaway: if you don’t update your questions so they
are relevant to the product/offering of your vendor,
your vendors will wonder why they should bother to
respond.
* Q U O T E I S F R O M T H E F E M A L E C U LT H I T G I L M O R E G I R L S .

# 5 . T H E I R O N I C R F P
Our software company was actually told by a
municipality, “Sorry, we can’t talk to you about
your RFP software until we run an RFP for new
RFP software.”
The paradox was not lost on us.
Takeaway: an RFP isn’t always the right first
step; sometimes it’s better to issue a Request for
Information (RFI) or simply start a conversation.
Don’t get caught up in process for the sake of
process.

# 6 . T H E R F P S O B A D
Y O U H A V E T O C A L L A
H O T L I N E
We’re definitely not the only one with terrifying RFP
stories, because the Association of Proposal
Management Professionals recently created a hotline
specifically for reporting “bad” agency-issued RFPs.
What constitutes as “bad?” Confusing language,
biased requirement, and/or irrelevant questions.
If the committee believes the complaint warrants a
response, they’ll reach out to the agency directly to try
to resolve the problem. Learn more.
 
Takeaway for purchasers: let’s focus on writing clear
and considerate RFPs that will empower vendors to
deliver what we need.

• P H Y S I C A L D E L I V E RY O F
P R O P O S A L S
• N U M E R O U S C O P I E S
• C O M P L I C AT E D F O R M S
• C O M M O D I T Y C O D E S
• C L U N K Y P O R TA L S
• M A N D AT I N G M I C R O S O F T W O R D
W H E N E X C E L W O U L D W O R K
B E T T E R
# 7 .
T H E S T R A I G H T
J A C K E T R F P
If you’re requiring one of the following, you may be
making the responding process needlessly difficult,
and possible even driving top providers away:
Takeaway: if we don’t make RFP responding easy,
we risk being left with bottom of the barrel options.

O R C H E C K T H E S E R F P R E S O U R C E S
READY TO RETHINK YOUR RFP PROCESS?
Learn more

How to torment your vendors: 7 horror stories

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