Covering Kids RFP
This chapter explains the process of soliciting research
proposals using RFPs, the format of the resulting proposals, and
the evaluation of the proposals.The proposal process in business
research uses two primary documents: the request for proposal (RFP)
and the research proposal.
The RFP is the formal document issued by a corporate business
research department, a decision maker, or some other sponsor to
solicit services from research suppliers. It invites qualified
suppliers to submit a proposal in accordance with a specific,
detailed format delivered by a deadline.
Internal research proposal process is often far less
formalized.The proposal process in business research uses two
primary documents: the request for proposal (RFP) is used when the
firm has neither the time nor the expertise to do the research
itself.
This half of Exhibit 4-1 is designed so that you may focus on
only the external RFP process. A complete RFP is included in the
text as Appendix 4a.
RFPs provide several benefits. The benefit to the sponsoring
organization is an opportunity to formalize the process of
documenting, justifying, and authorizing the procurement of
research. RFPs also provide a chance to evaluate different
solutions and offer the means of establishing, monitoring, and
controlling the performance of the winning supplier.RFPs should not
be used for any of the reasons named in this slide. There are
several objectives that must be accomplished during the RFP
process. These are identified in the slide. Supplier questions can
be addressed informally or as part of a prebidding conference.
Critiquing the proposals for the suppliers who were not chosen for
the project will help unsuccessful bidders become competitive in
the future and maintain good will for future projects.While the
specific format for RFPs varies from organization to organization,
the general components are the same. These are listed in the slide.
The proposal administration section provides information on the
administration of the project. It establishes the dates in the
process, all requirements for preparing the proposal, and the
evaluation process. It also provides all contact information. The
summary statement section often takes the form of a letter
introducing the organization and its research needs.The technical
section describes the problem and the technical detail of each
requirement. It describes the necessary services, equipment,
software, and documentation. It includes a problem statement,
description of functional requirements, and identification of
constraints.The management section lists the schedule and any
supplier qualifications.The types of contracts the supplier is
expected to sign and any nondisclosure agreements are included in
this section. Terms of payment and required benchmarks are also
included in the contracts section.In the pricing section, a list of
all anticipated activities are included.
While the specific format for RFPs varies from organization to
organization, the general components are the same. In the text you
will find the complete RFP for the Covering Kids research program
done by Wirthlin Worldwide for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Use
this RPF to discuss the basic elements.This is a list of items that
might be detailed in the pricing section.While RFP formats vary
widely, a typical format will contain the elements detailed in the
slide.The background section includes an overview or profile of the
buyers company, project overview, and project requirements.The
vendor information section includes the company profile, history
and description, legal summary, partnerships and alliances, and
references.The cost proposal section includes services pricing,
maintenance pricing, and contractual terms and conditions.Exhibit
4-2 shows a checklist for qualifying research suppliers. The graph
illustrates the relevant issues for the research supplier, the
research suppliers staff, and the research suppliers facilities,
procedures and quality management.The proposal process in business
research uses two primary documents: the request for proposal (RFP)
and the research proposal. The internal research proposal is used
when the firm has both the time and the expertise to do the
appropriate research internally.A proposal is an individuals or
companys offer to produce a product or render a service to a
potential buyer or sponsor. This slide shows the purpose of the
research proposal.Exhibit 4-3, on the next slide, illustrates the
proposal development process.In this slide, it is important to
point out the iterative fashion in which a proposal is
developed.Research proposals can be divided between those generated
for internal and those for external audiences. An internal proposal
is done by staff specialists or by the research department within
the firm. External proposals may sponsored by university grant
committees, government agencies, government contractors,
not-for-profit organizations, or corporations . Generally, the
larger the project, the more complex the proposal. These can be
further classified:Solicited proposals Unsolicited proposals There
are three levels of complexity: exploratory studies, small-scale
studies, and large-scale studies.The exploratory study generates
the most simple research proposal. The large-scale professional
study is the most complex and could be worth up to several million
dollars.This is the list of modules that may be included in a
research proposal. Exhibit 4-5, shown on the next slide, displays
the set of modules and indicates which modules are generally
present in different types of proposals.From this exhibit, one can
see which modules are generally present in different research
proposals. Based on the type of proposal, one can choose the
appropriate modules for inclusion.
The USTA has taken on a large-scale project to better understand
perceptions of tennis in the U.S. This is a video case that can be
used to discuss what the proposal might have looked like when
Taylor Research Group was hired to do this massive survey for
USTA.The section of the proposal that deals with the qualifications
of researchers begins with information on the principal
investigator (PI) and then provides similar information on all
individuals involved with the project. The two elements critical in
this section are the establishment of the professional research
competence and the relevant management experience. Professional
research competence is based on relevant research experience, the
highest academic degree held, and memberships in business and
technical societies. This is a sample budget for a research
proposal.The schedule section of the proposal should include the
major phases of the project, their timetables, and the milestones
that signify completion of a phase. It is helpful to chart a
schedule. Some projects can use a Gantt chart, but large projects
may require use of a CPM chart. The critical path method (CPM) is a
scheduling tool for complex research proposals that cites
milestones and time involved between milestones.The purpose of the
project management section is to show the sponsor that the research
team is organized in a way to do the project efficiently. A master
plan shows how the phases will be brought together. The plan
elements are detailed in the slideThis slide introduces the
research proposal for MindWriter. The full exhibit is in the text,
and an excerpt is shown on the next slide.This slide depicts part
of Exhibit 4-8, a research proposal for MindWriter. The full
exhibit is in the text. The formal review process varies but
typically includes developing review criteria, assignment of points
for each criterion, assignment of weights based on the importance
of each criterion, and the generation of a score for each proposal.
Other factors that may be included are neatness, organization,
completeness, writing style, and meeting deadlines.Some reviews are
informal as in the letter shown, referencing Exhibit 4-9If you did
not discuss the full Covering Kids Proposal during lecture, you
might want to use the video case, the snapshot on the proposal
process, and the full RFP contained within end-of-chapter Appendix
4a for a class discussion session.
