Have you ever received a request for proposal (RFP) from a potential client? Or noticed one in the E-Learning Heroes forums?
If you’re an e-learning freelancer, you might be wondering if it...
Published 8 years ago
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Great article and lots of valuable info here!
What I'm interested in though, is how do you get the opportunity to bid on RFPs? If you're a freelance e-learning developer and have a have a website and good portfolio, what strategies or marketing techniques can help in having companies reach out to you to bid on a project? Would there be any local websites that list RFPs that are open for bidding?
What I'm interested in though, is how do you get the opportunity to bid on RFPs? If you're a freelance e-learning developer and have a have a website and good portfolio, what strategies or marketing techniques can help in having companies reach out to you to bid on a project? Would there be any local websites that list RFPs that are open for bidding?
- I don't actively pursue RFPs and have decided not to bid on them when invited. For the most part, I find that the elearning RFPs lack enough information to make a proper bid or they ask you to jump through hoops just to get to an interview stage.
Having said that, I know you are based in Ontario so you could try https://www.merx.com or http://www.rfp.ca for public sector opportunities. You can also try city websites such as https://web.toronto.ca for municipal opportunities.
Some of these sites make you pay for the RFP so you have to decide if it is worth it or not and since most seem to be geared towards big vendors or have a vendor of preference (and they are just going through the motions) it is most likely a long shot to submit a bid.
As for private sector RFPs, I am not sure if there is a centralized site or not. My suggestion would be to monitor the companies you are interested in and also to visit the Job Postings section on this site on a regular basis because companies sometimes post requests for proposals.- Thanks Nancy! As usual, solid and straight-to-the point advice. :)
- Stephen,
My apologies for the delay in responding to your comment on this article. I've been dealing with Internet connectivity problems for several weeks and just got them resolved today. It looks like Nancy gave you some good advice!
In regard to your question, "Where do you find RFPs?" Here are some thoughts:
I often receive requests to submit RFPs from vendors who have found me either here in the ELH forums or via my social media presence. Many times, as Nancy states, the RFPs are very limited in the information they provide.
I have been approached to bid on government and academic projects (via my contact form on my website) but sometimes, the hoops you have to jump through may not be worth the time you'll need to invest in them.
Here in the U.S., you can search the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) at http://www.fbo.gov. All federal solicitations worth at least $25,000 are published on this site. There are typically about 20-30,000 RFPs out at any given time. To figure out how to start this process, I would recommend checking out your local Small Business Administration. In the U.S., it is SBA.gov.
Tip: Many times, it's easier to get subcontract work from a vendor who has already won a government contract, you can search for subcontracting jobs here: http://web.sba.gov/subnet/search/dsp_search_option.cfm
On the other hand, you could also check with at your local/state level. They may also have active bids in process. For example, government agencies, nonprofit groups, corporations, etc.
Food for thought: Some agencies must issue RFPs as a formality. In other words, they've already chosen a contractor. So, make sure you do some research on the company issuing the RFP to see what type of track record they have in place.
Richard
