Creative RFP template.

A creative RFP, or request for proposal, is the document you send when you hire outside help for design, video or motion work. It tells each bidder what you need, what you can spend and how you’ll choose. That way the proposals come back in a shape you can compare side by side.

Use it as a creative agency RFP, or send it to a design studio, a video production company or a freelance team. It has seven fields, a worked example of proposal items and scoring weights on page three, and a checklist and four-week timeline on page four.

What is in it

Field	What goes in it	The usual mistake
1. Who we are	What you do, who buys from you, who the partner works with	Pasting in the About page
2. What we need	One project or ongoing, the work, the volume	“Creative support”
3. Why now, and success	The business reason, and how you’ll judge it after six months	No way to tell if it worked
4. Budget and timeline	A range, a start date, a decision date	No number at all
5. What we want in the proposal	The same items from every bidder	Letting each bidder pick the format
6. How we will choose	Criteria and their weights	Weights decided after the pitches
7. Process and details	Question dates, reply format, security and legal needs	A security review sprung at the end

How to fill it in

• Who we are. Two or three sentences. Say who the partner will work with day to day, as well as what the company does.
• What we need. Say if it’s one project or ongoing work, and roughly how many assets a month. A studio built for one big film and a team built for weekly output price very differently.
• Why now, and success. Give the business reason behind the search and how you’ll judge the partner after six months. Bidders who know why write sharper proposals.
• Budget and timeline. Give a range. Without one, some bidders pad the price and others cut the scope, and you can’t compare them.
• What we want in the proposal. Ask everyone for the same items in the same order. Page three has a list that works.
• How we will choose. Write down the criteria and weights before proposals arrive, and share them with the bidders.
• Process and details. Set a date for questions and send every answer to every bidder. Mention security reviews or contract terms up front, so they don’t stall the start.

Using it as a video production RFP? Add what a producer will ask first: how many videos, how long each one runs, how many shoot days and locations, and where the finished films will be shown. Our breakdown of what video production costs will help you set a realistic range.

Say why before you ask for a pitch

In 2022 the UK trade bodies for advertisers and agencies, ISBA and the IPA, launched the Pitch Positive Pledge. Advertisers who sign it commit to a written statement of why a pitch is needed. They also commit to telling every agency the outcome, with feedback, win or lose.

Both fit an RFP neatly. Field 3 is your written reason. The last week of the timeline is the outcome email, including to the bidders you didn’t pick.

Next steps

Our guide to choosing a video production company has good questions for the shortlist calls. Once you’ve picked a partner, start the first project with a creative brief. Moonb is a creative studio that works as an embedded team, and we’re happy to answer an RFP like this one.