Dollars and Sense: Examining the RFP Process

Abstract

While the Request for Proposal (RFP) is not an activity that all librarians encounter continually, it is an endeavor that all library service groups and companies undertake as an essential part of their ongoing operations. This article summarizes the 2015 Charleston session entitled "Dollars and Sense: Examining the RFP Process" which delved into the RFP process from multiple viewpoints, serving both as a review of the process itself and as an investigation of how the process can generate positive results for all parties involved. The panel consisted of a librarian from a large academic library, a librarian from a medium-sized academic library, a vendor representative, and an individual with considerable consortia experience. The academic librarians reviewed the generic and the institution-specific items that contribute to a successful RFP. The vendor representative discussed how the vendor reviews and crafts a response that fulfills the requirements of the RFP while providing contractual guarantees for themselves. The consortia representative looked at both how they respond to an RFP as well as what they require in an RFP; having a unique perspective of both sending out and receiving RFPs.