David,
You bring up great points in your article. As someone who writes many RFPs for clients, it's really helpful to see if from a recipients point of view. Your comments about transparency are so important, especially about revealing the budget. Just to tell potential respondents "It's an exhibit about cars, what will it cost?" isn't very helpful. You could design an exhibit as expensive as a Mini Cooper or one as expensive as a Porsche and they'd both be about cars.
I will offer another point of view on your thoughts about providing a schedule to a prospective client. Many clients know the start date of the project (the RFP being step 1) and the opening date, but need help in understanding how individual firms allocate their time. Some firms think the timeframe is too long and take a pause in the middle, some think it's too short and say they can't get it done in time, others will allocate months for prototyping while their competitors allocate weeks. In explaining to the client how you allocate time, it helps the client understand how you approach your work.
For those reading this thread, AAM has done two special issues of the NAME journal "Exhibition" on RFPs. The first one was in the spring 2006 and the second in spring of 2019. If you don't have access to the magazine, contact me and I'm happy to send you the articles I've written for each of those issues.
Be healthy and safe,
Barbara
Barbara
Punt Punt Consulting Group
409 North PCH, Suite 326
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 937-3366
barbara@puntconsulting.com
When in Doubt...Punt!
Original Message:
Sent: 1/20/2021 9:16:00 AM
From: David Whitemyer
Subject: Writing Better RFPs
I've been reading and writing RFPs for exhibit design services for more than 25 years, and I've seen a number of interesting patterns. A well written RFP can greatly improve the quality of proposals that museums receive from exhibit designers. Based on the part of the RFP process where prospective bidders can submit written questions, here's a short article about the six most common, frequently asked questions I've seen throughout the years.
Writing Better RFPs: 6 Questions Potential Bidders Will Ask About Your Project
Please let me know if there are others you're familiar with and would add to this list.
Enjoy!
David
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David Whitemyer AIA
Director of Business Development
Luci Creative
Lincolnwood IL
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