The verdict in three sentences
Without a written brief (RFP), three agencies bid on three different projects and your quotes become uncomparable. A 6-to-10-page RFP with a standardized response grid brings the pricing spread down from 40 % to under 15 % and saves you two weeks of back-and-forth. For a premium B2B website in Berlin, target a budget of 8,000 to 18,000 EUR net, 3 to 4 candidates and a 3-week response window.
The eight essential sections
A useful RFP is not an essay: it is a checklist that frames the scope and imposes a response format. Every section must be scoreable.
| Section | Expected content | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Context & goals | Market, B2B target, KPIs (leads/month, contact rate) | Staying vague on the expected outcome |
| 2. Site map | Page list, depth, navigation | Letting the agency guess the page count |
| 3. Features | Forms, booking, multilingual, blog | Mixing must-haves and nice-to-haves |
| 4. Design & brand | Guidelines, references, tone, liked examples | Providing no visual reference |
| 5. SEO & content | Target keywords, who writes, redirects | Forgetting to migrate existing SEO |
| 6. Tech & GDPR | Hosting, performance, accessibility, cookies | Ignoring GDPR from the tender stage |
| 7. Timeline & milestones | Go-live date, validation checkpoints | Setting a deadline with no review buffer |
| 8. Budget & terms | Range, fixed vs time-and-materials, maintenance | Hiding the budget "to force competition" |
Stating a budget range does not weaken your position: it filters out off-target candidates and focuses bids on the right service level.
The response grid that makes bids comparable
Require the same reporting table from every candidate. Otherwise one prices 12 pages, another 6, and you are comparing nothing.
| Item | Candidate must detail | Scoring weight |
|---|---|---|
| Total price net | Design / dev / content breakdown | 30 % |
| Scope covered | Pages, included vs optional features | 20 % |
| Timeline & milestones | Schedule with dates | 15 % |
| References | 2-3 comparable B2B sites delivered | 20 % |
| Support & maintenance | Warranty, monthly fee, SLA | 15 % |
Explicit weighting protects your decision: if a director challenges the choice, the numeric score settles it objectively.
Mini case study
Lena runs a 45-person industrial SME in Berlin and is rebuilding her website. First round without an RFP: four bids between 6,200 and 21,000 EUR net, uncomparable scopes, two months lost. She writes an 8-page RFP with a weighted grid and re-consults 4 agencies. Result: three bids between 11,400 and 14,900 EUR net, spread cut to 13 %, decision made in three weeks. The time invested in the RFP (about 1.5 days) saved her a month of drift and locked in a fair price.
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FAQ
Should I state the budget in the RFP?
Yes, a range (e.g. 8,000-18,000 EUR net). It filters out off-target candidates and prevents receiving quotes from 4,000 to 30,000 EUR that are impossible to compare.
How many agencies should I consult?
Three to four is enough. Beyond that, analysis time explodes and response quality drops as each candidate senses diluted odds.
How long a response window?
Three weeks for a premium website. Less produces rushed bids; more slows your project with no quality gain.
How many pages should the RFP be?
Six to ten. Below that the scope stays fuzzy; above that you design the solution instead of the agency, stifling creative proposals.
Who should write the RFP?
The decision maker with marketing support. An RFP written only by IT forgets business goals; the reverse neglects GDPR and performance constraints.
Let's scope your project. Send us your RFP or describe your scope (page count, features, indicative budget 8,000-18,000 EUR net, go-live date) and we reply inside your grid. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
