Why we fear RFPs

One of the most dreaded acronyms in the web development industry (or any industry for that matter) is “Request For Proposal (RFP).”  We all cringe when we hear this term, especially when it comes from a new business opportunity.  I’ve been at a few firms now and all pledge that “We won’t respond to RFPs any longer.” Unfortunately, sometimes we still can’t afford not to.

Here are a few reasons why we prefer to say “NO” to RFPs:

It handcuffs our creativity and strategic thinking
Anyone who has looked at an RFP knows that (most of the time) you have to follow a set structure in order to respond.  The RFP assumes that it has asked all the right questions and knows all the right answers.  An RFP often times gives you a very limited scope, one which does not allow us to know what the project is going to entail and thus it makes delivery within the timeline, budget, and quality expected near impossible.  The end result is that we almost always look bad in the end when we were handcuffed by the RFP from the beginning.

Our clients value our creativity and strategic approach to web site development.  They look to us to answer the hard questions and create a clear path for them.  We cannot do what we’re best at if we are not allowed to give creative input.  We are experts at what we do, namely Web site design and development and custom web applications.  It really doesn’t make much sense to essentially cut off the advice and input that the expert in the industry has to offer.

Find a web site development company who:

·         Seeks to be your business partner, not just a vendor;

·         Cares about your success;

·         Is knowledgeable and creative;

·         Focuses on your business goals and objectives;

·         Doesn’t promise more than they can deliver.

Once you find a web development company that fits you and your business needs, stick with them and don’t ever use the RFP process!

Ron Brumbarger, President and CEO of Indianapolis Web site development company, BitWise Solutions, asks some interesting questions of Josh Cunningham and his father Brady.  Josh is the founding President of BitWise Fellows, a BitWise Solutions subsidiary comprised of high school students.  Josh is beginning his college career at Purdue University this fall and shares in the interview some of the challenges he faced while President of the Fellows as well as some of the things he learned along the way as well.

Woah! Thirty days flew by. It seems like yesterday I was getting familiar with my “office space” and the Keurig coffee maker. At the same rate, however, I sit here in my slightly modified “office space” with a cup of instantly-made coffee, and I feel like a grizzled, BitWise veteran.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned at BitWise, it is that they expect each employee here to be fully-independent, free-thinking, decision-making, client-pleasing people… within the first week (I’m sure you can imagine Ron and Scott don’t hire dumb people).

I was thrown into the snake pit, but I asked to be thrown into it. So what is it I do here? Well, I’m the Client Relations Manager –the first one at BitWise. My first task was to analyze our internal process of working with clients, completing their projects and launching them. My second task was to make recommendations on how we can make that better. So I spent the first week and a half doing just this. I dove right in and I quickly understood what it is we do here. From an outsider’s view it really isn’t that difficult – we get signatures to complete projects, we complete them, and launch them; all the while keeping the client satisfied. From an insider’s perspective, however, there are about 50 steps in our process, with about 200 other small steps in between.

So I made recommendations on how we can make BitWise even more client-friendly and efficient and we are implementing a lot of those recommendations now. So after all that, what have I been doing? I’ve been learning and absorbing everything I can about what it is we do and what it is our clients do. My job, essentially, is to learn about and know our clients and be a main point of contact during and after their projects. I consult, recommend, listen, hold hands, get my hands dirty, make coffee, make phone calls, send e-mails, review analytics, create strategies, and about 100 other things, on behalf of our clients.

I’ve learned that BitWise is a great place to work with great people and it’s built an incredible reputation in Indiana. I’m proud to work here because I know the service we offer is superb. I’m excited to grow with this company.