A good RFP saves everyone time. A bad one wastes yours and the vendors’ – and often leads to mismatched expectations, budget overruns, and disappointing results.
Here’s how to write a website redesign RFP that works.
What Makes a Good Website RFP?
The best RFPs share a few characteristics:
- Clear about goals, flexible about solutions: Tell vendors what you’re trying to achieve, not how to achieve it. “We need to increase member engagement” is better than “We need a chatbot.”
- Honest about constraints: Budget, timeline, technical requirements, internal politics – the more vendors know upfront, the better their proposals will be.
- Realistic scope: Trying to squeeze a $150,000 project into a $40,000 budget helps no one. Be honest about what you can afford.
- Reasonable response time: Give vendors at least 3-4 weeks to respond. Complex proposals take time.
Essential Sections for Your RFP
1. Organization Overview
Start with context. Who are you? What do you do? How big is your organization? This helps vendors understand your world.
Include:
- Organization name and mission
- Membership size or audience reach
- Geographic scope (local, national, international)
- Brief history if relevant
2. Project Background
Why are you doing this project now? What’s driving the redesign?
Common drivers include:
- Outdated design that no longer reflects your brand
- Poor mobile experience
- Difficulty updating content
- Integration needs with new systems
- Accessibility compliance requirements
- Merger, rebrand, or strategic shift
Be specific. “Our website looks dated” is less helpful than “Our website was last redesigned in 2018 and doesn’t reflect our 2024 rebrand.”
3. Project Goals and Success Metrics
What does success look like? How will you measure it?
Good goals are specific and measurable:
- Increase online event registration by 25%
- Reduce member support tickets related to website navigation
- Achieve WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility compliance
- Reduce page load time to under 3 seconds
- Increase organic search traffic by 40%
Vague goals like “improve user experience” make it hard for vendors to scope appropriately and for you to evaluate success.
4. Target Audiences
Who uses your website? List your key audience segments and what they’re trying to accomplish.
For associations, this often includes:
- Current members (accessing benefits, renewing, finding events)
- Prospective members (learning about value, joining)
- Non-member professionals (accessing resources, considering membership)
- Media and press (finding news, expert sources)
- Employers and job seekers (career center)
- Policymakers and advocates (position papers, advocacy tools)
- Internal staff (content management, reporting)
5. Scope of Work
What are you asking vendors to do? Be specific but not prescriptive.
Consider including:
- Discovery and strategy: Research, stakeholder interviews, content audit
- Information architecture: Sitemap, navigation, content organization
- UX/UI design: Wireframes, visual design, prototypes
- Development: Front-end, back-end, CMS implementation
- Content migration: Moving existing content to new site
- Integrations: AMS, CRM, event systems, SSO
- Testing and QA: Browser testing, accessibility testing
- Training: Staff training on new CMS
- Launch support: Go-live assistance, post-launch monitoring
Also clarify what’s NOT included or will be handled internally (content writing, photography, etc.).
6. Technical Requirements
What technical constraints or requirements exist?
- CMS preference: Do you require a specific platform (WordPress, Drupal, etc.) or are you open to recommendations?
- Hosting: Where will the site be hosted? Do you have existing infrastructure?
- Integrations: What systems must the website connect to? (List specific platforms: iMIS, Salesforce, Higher Logic, etc.)
- Authentication: SSO requirements, member login needs
- Accessibility: WCAG compliance level required
- Security: Specific security requirements or certifications
- Performance: Page speed requirements, traffic expectations
7. Budget
This is where many RFPs fail. Hiding your budget doesn’t help you – it just means you’ll get proposals ranging from $30,000 to $300,000 with no way to compare them.
Options for addressing budget:
- State a range: “Our budget for this project is $75,000-$100,000”
- State a maximum: “Proposals should not exceed $80,000”
- Ask for tiers: “Please provide options at $50,000, $75,000, and $100,000 levels”
If you truly don’t know what’s realistic, say so: “We’re open to understanding what’s possible within a $60,000-$120,000 range.”
8. Timeline
Include key dates:
- RFP release date
- Deadline for questions
- Proposal due date
- Expected vendor selection date
- Desired project start date
- Target launch date
Be realistic. A complex association website typically takes 4-8 months from kickoff to launch. Rushing leads to shortcuts and regrets.
9. Evaluation Criteria
Tell vendors how you’ll evaluate proposals. This helps them focus on what matters to you.
Common criteria:
- Relevant experience (especially with associations/non-profits)
- Technical approach and methodology
- Quality of proposed team
- Understanding of our needs
- References and portfolio
- Cost and value
- Timeline feasibility
Consider weighting criteria: “Experience with association websites will account for 30% of our evaluation.”
10. Submission Requirements
Tell vendors exactly what to submit and how:
- Format (PDF, online form, etc.)
- Page limits if any
- Required sections
- Number of references
- Portfolio examples to include
- Where and how to submit
- Questions process (who to contact, by when)
Common RFP Mistakes to Avoid
Being Too Prescriptive
“Build us a WordPress site with Elementor and these 47 specific plugins” ties vendors’ hands. You’re hiring experts – let them recommend solutions.
Hiding the Budget
You’ll waste time reviewing proposals that are wildly out of range. Be transparent.
Unrealistic Timelines
“We need to launch in 6 weeks” for a complex site guarantees a rushed, buggy result. Plan appropriately.
Too Many Requirements
A 40-page RFP with 200 mandatory requirements scares off good vendors. Focus on what truly matters.
No Budget for Ongoing Maintenance
Websites need care after launch. Include maintenance and support in your planning.
After You Send the RFP
- Be responsive: Answer vendor questions promptly and share answers with all vendors
- Evaluate fairly: Use your stated criteria consistently
- Check references: Actually call references and ask specific questions
- Meet finalists: Chemistry matters – you’ll be working closely with this team
- Notify everyone: Even vendors you don’t select deserve closure
A Note on “RFP Fatigue”
Some excellent agencies don’t respond to RFPs at all. The process can be time-consuming with low win rates. If there’s a vendor you’re particularly interested in, consider reaching out directly before or alongside your formal RFP process.
Ready to Start Your RFP?
Writing a good RFP takes time, but it’s worth the investment. The clarity you develop while writing it will serve you throughout the project.
Let’s Discuss Your RFP
Whether you’re drafting your RFP or ready to send it out, we’re happy to talk. We’ve responded to hundreds of association website RFPs and can help you think through scope, budget, and what to look for in vendor responses.
Get in touch – we’d love to learn about your project and see if we’re a good fit.