An RFP, or request for proposal, is a written brief you send to shortlisted suppliers describing what you need, so that each one quotes for the same thing. For a website project it is the difference between three comparable quotes and three quotes for three different projects.
Most website projects go wrong before anyone writes code. They go wrong at the brief, because the business asked for “a new website” and each agency interpreted that differently. The cheap quote looks cheap because it is for less work, and nobody finds out until the variations start.
This guide covers what an RFP is, which document you actually need, what belongs in a website RFP, and how to compare the replies. There is a fill-in template to download.
RFP, RFQ or RFI: Which One You Need
Three documents, often confused, used at different stages. Sending the wrong one wastes everybody’s time.
| Document | What it asks | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| RFI (request for information) | Who are you and what can you do? | Early, when you do not know the market or the suppliers |
| RFP (request for proposal) | How would you solve this, and what would it cost? | When you know the outcome you need but not the solution |
| RFQ (request for quotation) | What is your price for this exact specification? | When the specification is fixed and only price is in question |
For a website project, you almost always want an RFP. You know the outcome you need but not exactly how it should be built, and you want the supplier’s thinking as part of what you are buying.
An RFQ suits a website only when the specification is genuinely fixed, for example a rebuild of an existing site on a defined platform with content already written. If you issue an RFQ while your requirements are still forming, you will get a price for the wrong thing.
An RFI is worth it only when you have no idea who the suppliers are. For most Singapore SMEs, a search and two referrals replace it.
The RFP Process, Step by Step
Seven stages. For a typical SME website project this runs four to six weeks from drafting to decision.
- Define internally. Agree the problem, the objectives, the budget range and who decides. This is where most of the value sits, and it is the step most often skipped.
- Write the RFP. Four to eight pages. Specific beats long.
- Shortlist suppliers. Three to five. Fewer gives no comparison; more creates work nobody reads.
- Issue it, with a question window. Give suppliers a date by which they can ask questions, and circulate your answers to all of them.
- Receive proposals. Hold the deadline. A supplier who misses it without warning is telling you something.
- Evaluate against the stated criteria, then shortlist two or three for a conversation.
- Decide, and tell everyone. Including the ones who did not win. The Singapore market is small.
The question window in stage four is worth protecting. The questions you receive usually reveal what your brief left ambiguous, and answering them for everyone keeps the quotes comparable.
Why Bother, for a Website Project
For a S$5,000 brochure site, a conversation may be enough. Above that, an RFP earns its time back three ways.
It makes quotes comparable. Without a written scope, one agency quotes for five pages and another for twenty-five.
It surfaces your own disagreements early. Writing down who approves design, what the site must integrate with, and when it has to launch tends to reveal that the people in the room do not agree. Better now than in month three.
It filters the suppliers. An agency that replies addressing your specific points is engaged. One that sends a generic deck has told you something useful.
What to Include in a Website RFP
Eight sections. Keep each one short.
1. About your business
What you do, who you sell to, how customers find you now, and what changed to prompt this project. The last point matters: “our site is five years old” leads to a different proposal than “we are launching in Malaysia next year”.
2. What is wrong with the current site
Be specific. “It looks dated” is a design issue. “Our team cannot publish a page without a developer” is a platform issue. These lead to very different projects, and getting the diagnosis wrong is the most expensive error available. See redesign or a new website.
List your top three problems, not fifteen.
3. Objectives, with numbers
What the site must achieve. Give current figures where you have them. “We get 12 enquiries a month and want 25” is something an agency can plan against. “We want more leads” is not.
If you do not know your current numbers, say so. Most agencies will then include measurement in scope.
4. Scope
The section that determines whether quotes are comparable.
- Approximate page count, or at least page types
- Functionality: forms, bookings, payments, member login, catalogue, multi-language
- Who writes the content
- Who provides photography
- Integrations: CRM, accounting, inventory, email, payment gateway
- What you are keeping: platform, hosting, domain
On content, be explicit about whether the agency writes it, edits what you supply, or receives it finished. This is the largest single variable in any website quote and leaving it ambiguous is the main reason quotes cannot be compared.
5. Technical requirements
Only what you need. Do not copy a generic list, which narrows your field for no benefit.
State what you own: if you want the code, the domain and the hosting account in your company’s name, put it in the brief rather than discovering the position later.
6. Timeline
A target date and what drives it. If a trade show or product launch fixes the date, name it. If the date is arbitrary, say so. An agency plans better against “ideally Q1, nothing depends on it” than against a date it suspects is invented.
7. Budget
The section Singapore SMEs most often omit, usually believing that naming a number means paying it.
In practice the opposite happens. Without a budget, agencies either quote high to be safe or quote low to win and recover it through variations. A range lets a good supplier tell you what is achievable, or tell you honestly that your scope and your number do not match.
“S$15,000 to S$25,000” is useful. So is “we have not set one, tell us what this should cost”.
8. How you will decide
The criteria, the weighting if you have one, and the dates: questions due, proposals due, shortlist, decision. Agencies plan resource around this, and a process that slips without communication loses you the better suppliers first.
What to Leave Out
- Design direction. Briefs specifying colours and layouts get what they asked for rather than what would work. Share examples you like and say why.
- A copied technical specification. Requiring technologies you do not need narrows the field for nothing.
- Demands for free work. Asking for mock-ups before appointment filters out agencies with enough work to decline, which selects against the ones you want.
- An NDA before any conversation. For a standard website project it adds friction and signals a difficult client.
How to Compare the Replies
Read them against the same questions rather than against each other.
| Question | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Did they address your specific problems? | References to your brief, not a generic capabilities deck |
| What exactly is in scope? | Page count, content writing, integrations, photography |
| Custom build or template? | Which approach, and why it suits your objectives |
| What is excluded? | Content, hosting, maintenance, SEO migration, variations |
| Who does the work? | Named team members, in-house or outsourced |
| What is the timeline and payment schedule? | Realistic milestones tied to deliverables |
| What happens after launch? | Warranty, maintenance cost, training for your team |
The cheapest quote is usually for less work. Line up the scopes before concluding anything. A quote at half the price normally excludes content, excludes integrations, or assumes a template where others proposed a custom build. Our breakdown of website and ecommerce build costs gives you a reference point.
Questions to Ask Before Signing
The answers belong in the contract, not in an email.
- Who owns the code and design files on completion?
- Will the domain and hosting be in our name?
- What does the warranty cover and for how long?
- What does maintenance cost after launch?
- What happens to our search rankings during the transition, and who owns the redirect map?
- Can our team edit the site without a developer? Show us.
- What are the payment milestones?
That fifth question separates agencies that treat SEO as part of the build from those treating it as someone else’s problem. It is also where most website projects quietly lose traffic. See the website redesign checklist.
The Template
The accompanying file covers all eight sections with guidance notes explaining what to write and what agencies do with each answer. It includes tick lists for scope and functionality, tables for objectives and integrations, and an evaluation matrix.
Delete what does not apply. A four-page RFP that is specific beats a twenty-page one that is generic.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does RFP stand for?
Request for proposal. It is a written brief sent to shortlisted suppliers describing your problem, scope, timeline and budget, asking how they would approach it and what it would cost.
What is the difference between an RFP, an RFQ and an RFI?
An RFI asks who a supplier is and what they can do, used early when you do not know the market. An RFP describes your problem and asks for an approach plus a price, used when you know the outcome but not the solution. An RFQ supplies a fixed specification and asks only for a price. For website projects an RFP is almost always the right one.
What is the RFP process?
Seven stages: define requirements internally, write the brief, shortlist three to five suppliers, issue it with a question window, receive proposals by a held deadline, evaluate against stated criteria, then decide and notify everyone. For an SME website project this typically runs four to six weeks.
Do I need an RFP for a small website project?
Below roughly S$5,000 a conversation may be enough. Above that, a short written brief pays for itself by making quotes comparable and forcing internal decisions about scope and approval before work starts.
Should I include my budget in the RFP?
Yes, at least as a range. Without one, suppliers quote high to protect themselves or quote low to win and recover it through variations. A range lets a good agency tell you what is realistic within it.
How many suppliers should I send it to?
Three to five. Fewer gives no comparison; more creates work you will not read properly and wastes most recipients’ effort, which the better ones notice.
Should I ask for design mock-ups in the proposal?
No. Requesting speculative design work before appointment filters out agencies with enough work to decline, selecting against the ones you want. Ask for their approach and relevant examples instead.
What is the most common mistake in a website RFP?
Not stating who writes the content. It is the largest single variable in any website quote and the main reason quotes cannot be compared.
How long should a website RFP be?
Four to eight pages for a typical SME project. Anything beyond about fifteen pages gets skimmed rather than read.
What should I ask before signing the contract?
Who owns the code and design files, whether the domain and hosting will be in your name, what the warranty covers and for how long, maintenance cost afterwards, who protects search rankings during the transition, whether your team can edit without a developer, and how variations are quoted.
If You Would Rather Talk It Through
Writing the brief is useful even if you never send it, because it forces the scope decisions that otherwise surface halfway through a build.
If you want a second opinion on a brief before issuing it, or a conversation about what your project should realistically cost, that is a normal thing to ask for. See web design in Singapore for how we scope projects, agency vs freelancer vs in-house if you are still deciding who should build it, and website maintenance cost for the part most briefs forget to budget.
