Build an event RFP for suppliers
You need supplier proposals and want to ask each supplier for the same things in the same order.
…
The short answer
Enter your organisation and event summary, the workstreams you want priced, the specifications suppliers must meet, your evaluation criteria with weights, the submission deadline and a contact for questions. The builder returns a structured request-for-proposal document you can edit and send.
It uses only what you supplied. Missing parts show as To be completed, a completeness note lists every gap, and weights that do not total 100 are flagged. Supplier names and prices come from you and the suppliers.
What to enter
- Your organisation, the event name and a short summary: purpose, audience, format, place and date.
- The workstreams you want proposals for, such as venue, audio-visual or registration, with what you need from each.
- Mandatory specifications, attached to a workstream or listed as general requirements.
- Evaluation criteria with a weight for each, so that the weights add up to 100.
- The submission deadline and a work contact for supplier questions.
What the document contains
Seven sections: introduction, event summary, workstreams, mandatory specifications, evaluation criteria, submission and questions. A workstream with no mandatory specification says so, rather than leaving the gap out of sight.
The submission section asks suppliers to state their fees and assumptions in their own proposal. The document sets no price.
What stays with you
You choose the suppliers, the cost estimates and the criteria. Read it through against your procurement rules before it goes out.
A weight total other than 100 is flagged, not corrected. Decide what matters most to you and adjust the weights yourself.
Using the result
Copy the document into your own template and send it with a clear deadline. If you are still deciding what to ask for, start with the event project checklist builder to see which scope areas you need.
Worked example · Fictional example
A fictional members forum
Fictional details, to show how gaps and weights are handled.
A fictional association asks for proposals on venue, audio-visual and registration. It lists a step-free access requirement for the venue and a technician on site for audio-visual, but nothing for registration. The document shows registration with the note that no mandatory specification has been stated yet.
Its three criteria carry 40, 35 and 20, a total of 95. The builder flags the total and the document carries a note that the total should be 100%, so the association corrects it before sending.
Use this yourself
RFP outline
Use this outline to draft the request without the tool, and leave any part you have not decided as To be completed.
| Section | What to write | Done |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Your organisation, event name and event date | |
| Event summary | Purpose, audience, format and place | |
| Workstreams requested | One line for each workstream and what you need | |
| Mandatory specifications | Requirements a supplier must meet, by workstream | |
| Evaluation criteria | Each criterion and its weight, totalling 100 | |
| Submission | Deadline and how to submit | |
| Questions | A work contact for supplier questions |
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- You know what you need, have a short supplier list and have written a request like this before.
- Your organisation already has an RFP template and procurement rules.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Several workstreams need to be compared fairly and nobody has written the specifications.
- The proposals you receive are hard to compare because each supplier was asked for something different.
- You want the scope, criteria and timeline set out before suppliers are approached.
Want the request for proposal prepared with you?
An Event Blueprint can set out your scope, specifications, evaluation criteria and timeline, and prepare the RFP with you so suppliers are asked for the same things. You decide who is invited and who is chosen. Send us your draft RFP, and we will reply with the level of support that fits and what it would cover.
Questions organisers ask
Does the builder suggest suppliers or prices?
Supplier names and prices come from you and the suppliers. The document asks suppliers to state their own fees in their proposals.
What if my weights do not add up to 100?
The total is flagged and shown in the document as needing to be 100%. The builder keeps your numbers as you entered them.
What does To be completed mean?
It marks a part you have not filled in. It stays visible so the document is not sent out looking finished.
Related resources
Content record: Written by the EventConsultant team to our editorial rules. Sources are listed on pages that rely on them.