This means that they can describe exactly what services can be provided "in budget," and it also provides a means of "weeding out" those vendors who are unable to provide the service under the stated budget amount. Expected time frame for the project -- in many cases, the time frame in which a vendor can provide a service is every bit as important as the bid price (sometimes more so). Here, it is important to indicate all of the important time specific information concerning the project, including due dates, time sensitive milestones, scheduled meetings, etc. It may also be a good place to indicate possible areas of flexibility (particularly useful when dealing with a high-demand vendor market.

Detailed explanation of the project -- a brief, yet detailed explanation of the key requirements of the project with an emphasis on the vendor's responsibilities. It may not be necessary to explain all of the aspects of a given project if the vendor will not be responsible for the entire project. However, it is important to anticipate and describe all of the aspects that will likely affect bid price as well as vendor capability/expertise and time.

Explanation of working relationship expectations -- Although it is impossible to anticipate all of the nuances possible in the vendor/company work relationship, it is a good idea to anticipate the major points of interaction, and...

This might include contact information, directory of employees "owning" the project, expectations concerning work-in-progress evaluation and accountability, etc.
Conclusion:

Clearly, the RFP process can be complex. However, companies or organizations that neglect to give due attention to the time and detail necessary in devising a good RFP place themselves at significant risk -- both in their ability to acquire the best vendor/s for the project at hand, as well as in the probability of achieving a successful project outcome. Further, having a uniform model for all major outsourced projects not only greatly increases the odds of success for those projects, but it also allows future undertakings to be planned more quickly via standardized RFPs. Not only does this reduce work time for RFP writers, but it also reduces the likelihood of costly errors or oversights of key areas of concern.

Works Cited

Morris, Bruce. (2005). How to Write a Request for Proposal for a Web Project. Web Developer's Journal, Feb/March. Retrieved from Web site on February 21, 2005, from, http://www.webdevelopersjournal.com/columns/writerfp.html

Carton, Sean. (2001) Client 101: How to Write an RFP

Click Z, 5 December. Retrieved from Web site on February 21, 2005, from, http://www.clickz.com/tech/lead_edge/article.php/933951