Request for proposal (RFP)
A formal procurement document soliciting structured bids from multiple vendors against the buyer's defined requirements and evaluation criteria.
In more detail
RFPs are the structured procurement format for high-value or complex purchases. The buyer documents requirements, the vendors respond with a structured proposal, and the buyer evaluates against the defined criteria. Compared to RFI (information-gathering) and RFQ (quotation), the RFP is the most rigorous of the three.
RFPs are time-consuming for both sides. Buyers spend weeks authoring the requirements, vendors spend weeks responding, and the comparison phase requires the buyer's evaluation panel to score every response.
Where this shows up at Ceven
Ceven's procurement agents handle the long tail of vendor sourcing without an RFP, using voice-AI calling to gather quotes inside a single afternoon. RFPs are reserved for the cases that genuinely need the structured comparison; everything else runs through the calling agent.