Writers and RFPs
Any of you who have been following this blog for awhile know I’m not fond of sites or situations that put freelance writers in the position of bidding on jobs. But there’s another type of opportunity out there that might seem like a bidding offer but isn’t.
That’s the Request For Proposal or RFP. Most often seen in connection with government contracts and software development, occasionally RFP’s show up for writers as well. Right now there’s one at the Debtors Anonymous website – way down at the bottom of the home page.
At first glance, RFPs do have elements of bidding or competition, but if you dig around a bit you’ll realize that even when the price isn’t stated, as it isn’t in this one, it’s way more than a bidding situation. DA has a specific need, pretty clearly spelled out. They want a professional writer with a particular background and they have deliverables spelled out quite clearly. They also ask for a sample written in a particular way with a specific goal.
Although they don’t spell out a price, I’m sure they have a budget – I would guess that any writer who is way over their budget will be eliminated, or at least negotiated with. And, if out of a bunch of applicants, they get down to two or three, the price the writer quotes may very well be the final determining factor. But it may well be that the writer they eventually hire won’t be the cheapest… and that’s the difference, in my mind, between bidding and an RFP.
I didn’t put this on the job list because it’s so very specialized, but I might have. If you qualify for this or other RFP, go for it with your best effort.
Write well and often,
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Tags: bid, debtors-anonymous, freelance-writing, gigs, jobs, request-for-proposal, rfp, writing-jobsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Business of Freelance Writing, Freelance Writing Jobs
1 opinion for Writers and RFPs
Jenn
Feb 13, 2007 at 4:09 pm
I get RFPs all the time privately for copywriting and PR writing projects. They can get time consuming, but fortunately most have led to nice gigs in the past, and even a few long-term relationships. They’re definitely worth it. :) If you haven’t done a proposal yet as a writer, it’s a good thing to practice. :)
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