Beyond the RFP issued 1 week before the due date for the proposal, what are the dumbest requirements you've encountered in an RFP?
Right now, I'm dealing with a 20 page limit (I'm fine with that) but that also stipulates a maximum of 10 pages of text. WTF? I have ten pages of resumes for the project team and they reguire other text too!!!
my other peeve of the moment are the 1279 page RFPs issued by the Army Corp of Engineers. these tend to 326 pages of geotechnical boring logs (all showing similar conditions), and 429 pages of trench drain structural calculations! oh, the project scope isn't covered until page 86 after all the bidder requirements are covered. I'm sure the gov't would save million$$$ and lots of trees if they wrote concise RFPs.
tree - i've seen so many bad ones, it's hard to know where to start. i've seen rfp's called rfq's (and the notion you actually needed to prepare a bid is buried 5 pages in, in one sentence). i've seen whole sections refer to other projects than the one being asked for. i've seen 2 page rfp's very eloquently written and 2 page rfp's that get 70 page addenda's because there was nothing in the front end.
one generalized thought: the sophistication of the rfp should tell you something about the sophistication of the client...
Came across one where the deadline for submittal was 4.00 on a Sunday... so we called and asked if that was really correct. They said something like "Oh, really?? a Sunday? We just picked a date without looking at the calendar."
I just submitted a proposal on New Years Eve... it seemed that the city didn't want anybody responding other then their favored firm. (no news yet if we even made the short list).
treekiller - that's why they issue RFPs a week before their due date - they already have someone in mind, but they are just doing due diligence. Once you do a couple of these you'll learn to either stay away or start schmoozing. It's a bit easier if you can entrench yourself in a particular neighborhood and get some very loud people behind you...
in most cities it's not how good your project is, it's who you can get behind your project.
RFP stupidity
Beyond the RFP issued 1 week before the due date for the proposal, what are the dumbest requirements you've encountered in an RFP?
Right now, I'm dealing with a 20 page limit (I'm fine with that) but that also stipulates a maximum of 10 pages of text. WTF? I have ten pages of resumes for the project team and they reguire other text too!!!
my other peeve of the moment are the 1279 page RFPs issued by the Army Corp of Engineers. these tend to 326 pages of geotechnical boring logs (all showing similar conditions), and 429 pages of trench drain structural calculations! oh, the project scope isn't covered until page 86 after all the bidder requirements are covered. I'm sure the gov't would save million$$$ and lots of trees if they wrote concise RFPs.
tree - i've seen so many bad ones, it's hard to know where to start. i've seen rfp's called rfq's (and the notion you actually needed to prepare a bid is buried 5 pages in, in one sentence). i've seen whole sections refer to other projects than the one being asked for. i've seen 2 page rfp's very eloquently written and 2 page rfp's that get 70 page addenda's because there was nothing in the front end.
one generalized thought: the sophistication of the rfp should tell you something about the sophistication of the client...
I also like RFPs where the submittal requirements are buried somewhere in the middle of paragraphs on non-consecutive pages.
Came across one where the deadline for submittal was 4.00 on a Sunday... so we called and asked if that was really correct. They said something like "Oh, really?? a Sunday? We just picked a date without looking at the calendar."
I just submitted a proposal on New Years Eve... it seemed that the city didn't want anybody responding other then their favored firm. (no news yet if we even made the short list).
treekiller - that's why they issue RFPs a week before their due date - they already have someone in mind, but they are just doing due diligence. Once you do a couple of these you'll learn to either stay away or start schmoozing. It's a bit easier if you can entrench yourself in a particular neighborhood and get some very loud people behind you...
in most cities it's not how good your project is, it's who you can get behind your project.
i say take it back to the 80's and get a breakdance crew together and performat the malls....
a few years back i had to quote a few jobs but hardly any of the materials were spec'd out.....
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.