Request for Proposals (RFP)

A Request for Proposals (RFP) is the full solicitation document issued to shortlisted consulting firms inviting them to submit a technical proposal and, in most methods, a separate financial proposal, against a defined scope of work and published evaluation criteria.

What is a Request for Proposals?

The RFP is the central document in consultant selection across multilateral development banks and UN agencies. It contains the tor, the shortlist of invited firms, the method of evaluation (such as qcbs or qbs), the technical scoring criteria and their weights, the two-envelope submission format, the financial proposal format, and the contract terms. Only firms that were shortlisted through an reoi or equivalent prequalification step receive the RFP.

At the UN level, the RFP applies to complex or qualitative requirements above USD 40,000, where winning depends on a scored evaluation of methodology, team, and experience rather than on price alone. In the UN procurement methods table, the RFP covers the same threshold as the Invitation to Bid but is used when requirements cannot be fully quantified in advance. UNDP, UNICEF, WFP, UNOPS, and most other UN agencies all use the RFP designation. At MDBs, the RFP is the vehicle for QCBS and QBS selections.

The two-envelope structure, technical proposals evaluated before financial envelopes are opened, is standard in both MDB and UN RFPs and ensures that price does not influence the technical scoring.

Why RFP matters for bidders

The RFP is where consulting competitions are won or lost. Because technical quality is often weighted at 70 to 80 percent under QCBS, firms that read the TOR and scoring sub-criteria carefully and build their methodology section directly against them consistently outscore those that submit generic proposals. Pricing discipline also matters: a firm must model its likely technical score and expected fee to find a financially competitive position without compromising the staff quality that earns technical marks.

Example

UNDP publishes an RFP to three shortlisted firms for a climate resilience study in Bangladesh. The RFP weights technical quality at 80 percent and financial proposal at 20 percent, with sub-criteria for methodology, team composition, and country experience. The firm scoring highest on the combined evaluation wins the contract.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does an RFP differ from an Invitation to Bid?

An RFP is used for complex or qualitative services where methodology and expertise matter; award is based on a weighted technical and financial score. An Invitation to Bid or itb is used for clearly quantifiable goods or works; award goes to the lowest substantially responsive bid.

Can any firm submit a proposal in response to an RFP?

In most MDB and UN processes, only shortlisted firms receive and may respond to the RFP. The shortlist is established through an earlier reoi or prequalification step.

What does the two-envelope format mean in an RFP?

Firms submit a technical proposal and a financial proposal in separate sealed envelopes. The buyer evaluates and scores all technical proposals first, then opens only the financial envelopes of firms that meet the minimum technical threshold, keeping pricing from influencing the technical judgment.