Frequently Asked Questions
Listed below are frequently asked questions regarding the RFP Database. If you have a question that is not answered here, contact us.
What is a Request for Proposal (RFP)?
A Request for Proposal (referred to as RFP) is an invitation for suppliers, through a bidding process, to bid on a specific product or service. An RFP is usually part of a complex sales process, also known as enterprise sales, and typically involves more than the price. Other requested information may include basic corporate information and history, financial information (can the company deliver without risk of bankruptcy), technical capability, product information such as stock availability and estimated completion period, and customer references that can be checked to determine a company's suitability. More info can be found at Wikipedia.
Is using the RFPdb free?
Yes, using the RFPdb to post your projects OR to gain access to projects can be entirely free. You can gain free credits that allow you to download RFPs by uploading RFPs to the website. If you don't want to upload content to the site, you can also purchase credits at a minimal cost.
What are credits?
Credits are awarded to your account based on your RFPdb activity. Credits may be used to gain access to an RFP and access any URL or file associated with that RFP. You gain credits upon the initial creation of your account as well as when you create new RFP entries. You may also lose credits for posting redundant or already expired RFP's, for holding duplicate accounts, having incomplete user profiles, and other items left to the administrator's discretion.
Why are credits necessary?
Credits make the RFPdb a more worthwhile and useful place for us to find RFPs by encouraging users to find and upload RFPs. If there were no incentive to upload RFPs, then most users would simply download existing RFPs and not make any contribution, leaving the task to the RFPdb's maintainers. Credits provide the best of both worlds: they allow us to keep the RFPdb free for users while also encouraging more useful content.
How can I get more credits?
We now have two options for getting more credits: you can upload RFPs that you've found, which garners you 10 credits (worth 5 downloads) or you can purchase credits by either using link near the top of this page or clicking here. Click here to learn where to find more RFPs for credit.
Where can I find more RFPs?
One of the easiest ways to find RFPs is by logging in and using our internet rfp search area. It gives you an example of how to search for an RFP, but if you want to tailor the search to your interests you are free to do so. Also, state governments, local municipalities, and other companies often post RFPs on their websites. Finally, other RFP websites similar to this one that allow you to download RFPs, though often at a price.
Why do I have negative credits?
There are a number of reasons one might have negative credits. They generally are applied as punishment for undesired activity; poor account information (a fake name), uploading a duplicate RFP, adding an RFP that is expired or has other incorrect information, or uploading one RFP multiple times. You can redeem yourself by adding new, quality RFPs to the system.
How did my RFP get posted to this site?
Somebody must have found your RFP and decided to post a link to it. If you don't want your RFP posted here, please contact us, but can more proposals for your project be a bad thing?
Who runs this website? Confluent Forms LLC is a boutique design and software development firm based in Northampton MA. Founded in January of 2002, Confluent Forms has provided web design, application development and hosting services to customers from the Fortune 100 to local non-profit organizations and academic institutions. Our goal in every project is to provide a superior final product that empowers our customers and their users. We created the RFPdb as a public service for organizations seeking to gain competitive bids for their projects.
Can I advertise on this site?
Yes! We offer advertisements of graphics, flat or animated gifs, of 150 pixels square. Please contact us for pricing!
How can I report a possible copyright violation?
Please see our DMCA Notice for assistance.
