Custom Software RFP Sample

   This sample RFP illustrates the optimum organization best suited for quantitative evaluation of vendor responses, and contains sections organized by function. Some sample questions are provided to illustrate what is needed in each section. Note that not all questions needed for a specific application are shown! Just add the remaining questions needed to accurately reflect your specific custom software needs and contractual requirements to develop a final RFP. See the red comments in each section for more information.

    A full, Ready-to-Use RFP created with 610 criteria is now available! If you are running out of time to write an RFP, or identify your specific software requirements, this can help! You can now obtain a fully documented, Ready-to-Use Request for Proposal (RFP) created with hundreds of custom software development questions. Complete with instructions and project domain checklists, these detailed RFPs will jump-start your project.
Visit the Ready-to-Use RFP page for more details! The sample questions shown below were all extracted from the full Excel RFP.

Project Summary

Statements communicating the environment the custom software must operate in should always go first. It is important for the vendor to receive as much data as possible about the system and business environment at your organization. We have placed a few samples below.

2) The ______________ department has many different processes in place for

servicing it's various types of customers. Most have been put in place in response to

operational needs over the years, without the benefit of any formal plan to

integrate them into an overall, entity-wide business system or to augment any of __________'s

strategic business plans.

The ______________ department has always operated in a paper-intensive

environment, typically processing many ________ requests with forms filled out

manually by hand. The significant growth experienced in the past ___ years has

drawn attention to the need to streamline these manual business operations. Examples

of streamlining would be to automatically retrieve _________ information and merge

standard letters for frequently needed letters and reports, as opposed to doing it all by

hand, or to eliminate the duplicated efforts currently being expended in the

department's current, antiquated information processing system(s).

There are ______ different databases currently in use for different data processing

needs in the ______________ department.

3) __________ desires to upgrade the ______________ information processing systems to one more

closely aligned with its operational and strategic business goals. It is the purpose

of this RFP to identify the system design methodology, architecture, components

(language, etc.), and implementation plan most suited to __________ short and long-term needs.

It is important to emphasize the most important aspect of any new system is that it be

designed to enhance (automate) ______________ business processes and strategic marketing

goals. It is not mandatory that any of the existing systems be used for any other reason.

If data conversion from one database to another is needed, please specify the timing and

estimated cost of that conversion where needed.

4) Another big consideration is the one of on-going system support and maintenance

over the life-time of the system. Please be certain to identify what to expect in the

area of compatibility between the shared components of the applications making up the

proposed system. In addition to your other issues, specifically address how

upgrades of one application component (DLL, OCX, VBX, APIs etc.) affect the

usability of the other applications, and what methodology your firm will put in place to

minimize the on-going cost in this area.

5) __________ has already standardized around the ___________________ database system

running on a __________________________ network using AppleTalk to

incorporate Macintosh computers. It is mandatory that all proposed systems be

totally supported as native applications or tasks. No exceptions will be made. Please

confirm the proposed system conforms to this standard by writing YES below.

6) How long has the vendor's company been in business? __________

7) Has the vendor company shown good performance (profits) in it's last two fiscal years?   Y   N

8) Describe the vendor company's written product development and version update

procedures.

9) What percentage of the vendor company's resources (people and money) are dedicated to new product version development instead of existing product support? __________

15) Please elaborate on the benefits your firm's system design methodology will provide to

this project.

16) What means will be used to estimate the workload that will be placed on the

various system components during peak usage times?

17) To what extent will Rapid Prototyping techniques be used to determine the data

entry/inquiry/reporting formats most suitable to end user needs?

18) Describe the techniques that will be used to integrate the various databases already

in use at the present time?

19) Please explain how the TOTAL ownership costs incurred over the life of this system

will be minimized.

20) What methods will be employed to reduce the potential of system level conflicts

between the many software applications comprising this system?

21) Has your firm been certified at a specific Capabilities Maturity Model (CMM) Level? Y N

22) What is your firm's SEI CMM Level?

23) Describe the software implementation project management experience and capabilities

of your firm.

Questions designed to identify global user interface, search, reporting, and security capabilities should be placed here. The Ready-to-Use RFP provides many questions that could fit your needs here, or quickly create your own!

60) Is the security provided through assigned passwords or security levels? Enter PASSWORD

or SECURITY.

61) Is the security at the user, program, or field level?

63) Are fully translated and functionally matching versions of the proposed software Y N

64) Please list the languages available.

65) Is GLOBAL currency conversion available in the proposed software? Y N

66) Is the currency conversion transparent to the user? (Can divisions or subsidiaries Y N

corporate wide financials covering all?

67) Does the proposed software allow user defined conversion factors and codes via Y N

68) Is an Application Programming Interface available? Y N

69) Must one database be shared amongst different applications? Y N

76) Which of the following INTEGRATION tools are fully supported?

77) OCX? Y N

78) OLE? Y N

79) OLE Automation? Y N

80) DDE? Y N

81) VBX? Y N

82) Are standard, existing APIs provided to the imaging and RDS functions? (Y/N) Y N

91) Please see the __________ Software Requirements, File Maintenance and Essential Data

sections, to view a preliminary list of the database tables and data elements that need

to be included in the new system database.

93) Does your methodology allow queries to be initiated from the file

maintenance screens for the above Entities, or is a different screen dedicated to

each required?

94) In your typical systems, how many of the fields (data elements) can be used to enter

search criteria when initiating a query - all or just several pre-defined fields?

95) How many of the fields can be used simultaneously when performing a search?

96) Can the standard wild-coard characters * and ? be used within the search criteria Y N

97) Describe how a RANGE of acceptable values would be specified as the

criteria at a given field:

98) Can any User-Defined fields be used as search criteria? Y N

99) Can frequently used search queries be stored for use by other users in the future, Y N

100) Can saved queries be made available to other users via a drop-down list bos or Y N

101) Are the results of a query displayed in spreadsheet format, i.e., with columns for each Y N

rows of field values?

102) Can query results be displayed showing only columns containing the data elements of Y N

103) Can the end-user select the individual record of interest, then "drill down" to Y N

proposing?

104) With reference to the System Requirements - GLOBAL section, can the proposed database Y N

105) If the answer to the previous question is NO, please explain what cannot be done and

why.

106) The proposed system File Maintenance routines must provide for detailed

inquiries and flexible searching options relevant to the record being maintained. For

example, when a user is in the process of maintaining a given Organization

record the need to create a new Contact record, or inquire about an activity

scheduled for the next day, may come up when entering the data required for the

Organization. In this case, the user should be able to simply launch the required

program immediately, without leaving the Organization maintenance screen.

This means that all major File Maintenance screens should provide for wild-card text

searching or drop-down list boxes (as appropriate) to assist the user in

looking-up required parameters, "drill-down" query capabilities, and other

functions as needed.

107) Does the proposed system provide ALL of the features/functions outlined in the Y N

108) If the answer to the previous question is NO, please explain what cannot be done and

why.

109) Does the proposed system provide ALL of the functions described in the Software Y N

110) If the response to the previous question was NO, please list what is not provided and why.

123) One of the goals of the desired system is to minimize on-going system support

and operating costs. The ability to create new system control or operating

parameters on an "as-needed" basis, as business needs change over time and

without custom programming or scripting, will help __________ control costs in many

ways. This section illustrates the maintenance routines needed to provide these

user-defined system control and operating parameters.

This section illustrates those system parameters pertinent to ______________

operations only, without regard to the technology specific to any one vendor's

products. See the "Parameter Maintenance" section for more details. All

vendors must be sure to include all parameters required by their technology.

All vendors must provide detail on how their proposed system will provide

these functions.

126) The immediate goal of ______________ is to implement an integrated, data-base

driven software system designed to make it's current business procedures more

efficient and productive. However, management has already identified several key

areas where WEB utilization would be beneficial. As such, it is very

important for all vendors to supply, and demonstrate the technology needed to utilize the

WEB in a safe and secure manner.

The software interfaces and data-base structures needed to implement a WEB interface

in the areas listed below should be provided. (see Software Resource Requirements -

GLOBAL)

127) Allow potential _____________ to inquire via a form in the current WEB site? Y N

132) Do the proposed Web FORM response processing routines provide the following

validation functions?

170) Can the proposed system convert Xerox Metacode to HTML dynamically? Y N

171) Please outline your proposed implementation plan, showing phases, timetable, and the

conditions that must be met before proceeding with the next step.

172) What are the initial, one-time costs of the proposed system?

173) What are the FIXED on-going costs that will be incurred over the life of

the proposed system?

174) What are the VARIABLE on-going costs that could be incurred over the

life of the system?