Simon G's Blog

Having been on the receiving end of Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Proposal (RFP) responses, from an evaluation perspective there are ways respondents can make it easier for the evaluation panel to assess what it is being proposed and ultimately have greater success on getting through to the next round. These considerations are from my experiences with Software package selection and with Delivery partner selection, but should be applicable to many other selections. 1. First impressions count. Even before the RFI/RFP response is opened, an evaluator can be swayed by the presentation of the response and the level of engagement getting there. Key considerations: Ask questions during the response period to validate any areas lacking clarity, but don’t go overboard. Make sure you meet the response times. Use good quality paper and colour (if required to present a  paper copy). Binding can make a document look classier. If the response requests that all questio...

Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono is a very easy read and provides a good simple approach for exploring ideas and problems through thinking from different perspectives in a structured manner. There are six hats, each of which have different characteristics: White Hat: facts, figures, information Red Hat: emotions and feelings, hunch and intuition Black Hat: devil's advocate, negative judgement Yellow Hat: optimism, positivity Green Hat: creativity Blue Hat: controlling of the hats and thinking, orchestration   The idea of the hat is that a person will put on or be asked to put on a hat and to express a view from that perspective. This gets people thinking in different ways and since it is play-acting people are more willing to express views from under the security of the hat that otherwise may be left unsaid.