Joy Of Code - Web Design Training and Consulting
Joy Gems Newsletter

Practical Advice On How To Find And Hire
That Perfect Web Designer

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By Bud Kraus
bud@joyofcode.com
Joy Of Code
Creator And Instructor

v5 i18
Originally Published: December 8, 2009

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Part 2 of 3: Choosing vendor-candidates to bid on your project.

During the process of putting your Request For Proposal (RFP) together you should also be thinking of whom you should invite to bid on your project.

RFP? In the previous Joy Gems I talked about the things that make up a good Request For Proposal. One of the benefits of a properly written RFP is that it will entice good design studios to bid for your web site project. Think you can’t attract top people to work on your site? Think again.

Finding vendor-candidates and getting them interested in bidding on your work is a four step process:

  1. Research
  2. Make Your List
  3. Send A Heads-Up Email
  4. Disseminate RFP And Deadlines

Step 1. Do Some Research To Find Vendor-Candidates

Ask around for references, but don't stop there. Seek out studios and agencies that can deliver your requirements. Do not rule out candidates from outside the United States (although I favor stateside companies).

In one of my projects my client and I sought design studios that embraced web design standards. I knew a few names but after doing some research it didn’t take long to find many qualified candidates. But suppose you’re doing a gaming site, likely to require Flash. Your search for Candidates would take you in a totally different direction.

When researching prospective candidates spend time looking at the work they have done for others. Does it appeal to you? If a company tells you that they can provide a certain feature, but you don't see any use of it in their current work, you need to keep that in mind. When I look at the client sites of prospective candidates, I look at the source code and do some user experience testing as well. That’s just me because my focus is on design standards and quality user experiences.

Find out if the designers have ever developed a project in your industry.

When you’re doing your search for prospective vendors there’s really only one big question to ask yourself: “Could this design studio deliver what is in my RFP?” If the answer is no, then don’t bother putting them on your list.

Step 2. Making Your List Of Vendor-Candidates

As you’re doing your research, you are beginning to assemble a list of designers/developers who can fulfill your RFP. The list can include referrals and names of designers you know, but you should also reach out beyond your circle to search for that perfect web design team.

Get out some project management software and make a spreadsheet that includes this data on each vendor:

  • Name of company
  • Person to contact
  • Email Address
  • Snail Mail Address
  • Phone Number (very important)
  • Web Site
  • URLs of client projects

That’s the minimum. You may also want to include “About Us” or “Our Approach” URLs, if available, for ready reference.

Your job is to learn as much information about each vendor-candidate as you can without letting them know that you are interested in having them do your project.

If you've done your research well, you'll know to whom to send your RFP. A good search match is one in which the size and scale of the project fit the capabilities and experience of the design team. If you are sending an RFP that has a small budget to a major shop - or if you have a large budget and you're sending an RFP to a small studio - you are probably (but not necessarily) wasting everyone's time.

You don’t want - or need - to draw up a long list. In fact, good research will narrow your list of possible candidates. That will play to your favor as you create buzz among designers to do your project.

There is no magic number of design studios to ask to submit a proposal based on your RFP. If you’ve done your homework, you’ll have a tight, pared down list of designers.

Step 3. Send A Heads-Up Email To Your Vendor-Candidates

As the RFP nears completion and you have finalized your list of studios deemed qualified to do the job, send a “Heads-Up” email to each studio on the list. Inform them that you are interested in their web work and will be submitting an RFP to them by a specified date. If you‘re going to say anything about competition, emphasize that their studio is on a very short list and that you are serious about the possibility of contracting them to do the work.

Make the studio feel important. Tell them that you have chosen them because of their work and you feel your project would be a nice inclusion into their portfolio. As much as any group I know, designers love to be stroked, so stroke away!!

By sending a “Heads-Up” email, you are acknowledging that studio's time is precious and asking them to set aside some time in the near future to review your RFP and submit a Proposal. Just dropping in and telling a studio, “Hey, we need your bid manana,” runs counter to the stroking process. Doing things like that says a lot about you to the design team. What it says is not good!

The “Heads-Up” email must state when you will be sending the RFP, and when their proposal will be due. These dates have to be clearly communicated and must not be changed under any circumstances.

A good idea is to ask each recipient to acknowledge the receipt of your email. With spam filters being what they are, you want to make sure each studio received the Heads-Up. If you don’t hear back, call the studio. It’s possible you sent your email to the wrong person in the organization.

Step 4: Disseminate RFP With Deadlines

At last, your vendor-candidates are about to receive your RFP on the date you stated in your “Heads-Up” email. Your RFP can be in any format as discussed in Part 1.

A few ground rules should be established in your email so that all candidates know they are playing on a level playing field.

  • A date certain submission date.
  • That no changes to the RFP will be made during the time vendors are putting their proposal together. If this can’t be achieved, make sure everyone is alerted to the changes.
  • That you are open to answering questions about the project by phone, email or in person. Encourage your candidates to ask questions. You’ll get an early sense as to who is interested in doing your work.

Never, under any circumstances, give out the following information as it will damage the process of being fair to all competitors.

  • Never divulge - directly or indirectly - what the budget is. Not even a clue. You’re asking for quotations and even a hint ruins the process.
  • Never tell how many vendors are bidding. Just reassure anyone who asks that it is a small number and that they are on a short list of prospective bidders. Remind them of why you chose them in the first place.

How much time should you allow before the bids are due? I would allow from 10 days to 2 weeks with exceptions, of course. Is it possible that no one, for a variety of reasons, will bid on your project? Yes, but you should get an early indication of that without having to wait until the proposals are due. There are remedies to this problem that range from starting the process with a new slate of vendors to delaying the due date as you ask others to bid (not my favorite approach), to just having to settle on two strong bidders giving it their best shot.

Once you start getting bids to do your work, you'll need a method to evaluate the bids as you make your way towards awarding a contract. That's what the next JG is about.

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