Six fixed criteria, scored 1–5 and weighted to match the RFP's own evaluation section. Shown: a fictional managed IT provider's response to a fictional city's managed IT & cybersecurity RFP, as typically written and after V1's rebuild.
| Criterion | What it asks | Weight | Before | After |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Responsiveness | Does every answer respond to the question actually asked, in the RFP's order? | 20 | 2 | 5 |
| Compliance | Every requirement, form, addendum, and page limit met? | 20 | 2 | 5 |
| Buyer focus | Is it about the City's priorities, or about the bidder's history? | 15 | 1 | 4 |
| Clarity | Can a tired evaluator find and understand each answer in one pass? | 10 | 3 | 4 |
| Proof | Is every claim backed by a number, a reference, or a certification? | 25 | 2 | 4 |
| Presentation | Visual hierarchy, tables, and design that win the scan | 10 | 3 | 4 |
| Weighted total (out of 100) | 41 | 88 | ||
Why these weights: the RFP puts 20 points on experience and 15 on service levels, both won or lost on evidence, so Proof carries the most weight. Weights change with every RFP. Scores are illustrative, for a fictional document.
Fictional sample — not a client result. All companies, names, figures, and scores are invented for demonstration.
The Teardown stage turns the RFP into this table. It rides at the front of the final response, so the evaluator can check every box without hunting. Excerpt: 12 of 64 rows.
| RFP § | Requirement | Answered in | Draft as received | After V1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1.1 | 24/7/365 help desk with stated response times | §2.1 | Partial — hours stated, no times | Met |
| 3.1.2 | Tiered response and resolution table by priority | §2.2, Table 1 | Missing | Met |
| 3.2.1 | Onsite support within 4 hours at all six listed sites | §2.3 | Met | Met |
| 3.3.1 | Endpoint detection and response on all devices | §3.1 | Met | Met |
| 3.3.2 | Multi-factor sign-in for all remote and admin access | §3.2 | Partial — admin access not addressed | Met |
| 3.4.1 | Daily, offsite, unchangeable backups; quarterly restore test | §3.4 | Partial — no test schedule | Met |
| 3.4.2 | Notify the City within 1 hour of a security incident | §3.5 | Missing | Met |
| 3.5.1 | 90-day transition plan with milestones | §4, Figure 2 | Partial — no dates | Met |
| 3.6.1 | Sample monthly service report | Appendix C | Missing | Met |
| 4.1 | Three public-entity references, last 5 years | §5 | Partial — 2 given, 1 private | Met |
| 5.2 | Signed acknowledgment of Addenda 1 and 2 | Cover letter | Missing | Met |
| 5.4 | 25-page limit, excluding appendices | Whole response | Exceeded — 31 pages | Met — 24 pages |
Across all 64 rows of the fictional draft: 41 met, 14 partial, 9 missing or out of compliance. After the rebuild: 64 met. The matrix lives with the client, so the next RFP starts from it.
Fictional sample — not a client result. All companies, names, figures, and scores are invented for demonstration.
The executive summary as typically submitted, then rebuilt. No new facts were added. Every fact in the "after" already existed in the bidder's files and was confirmed by the bidder in writing.
Kestrel Ridge Technology is pleased to submit our proposal for Managed IT Services for the City of Marlow Creek. Founded in 2009, Kestrel Ridge has over 15 years of experience providing IT solutions to organizations throughout the region.
We are a full-service managed service provider offering help desk, network management, cybersecurity, cloud, and backup services. Our team of certified technicians is committed to providing best-in-class support and industry-leading security, and we use the latest tools to proactively monitor your network 24/7.
We have worked with many types of organizations, including government, healthcare, and manufacturing. We believe our experience makes us the ideal partner for the City. We appreciate the opportunity and look forward to working with you.
The City of Marlow Creek asked for two things: dependable response across six sites, including the after-hours water plant office, and a backup program that will hold up at your cyber insurance renewal. Kestrel Ridge delivers both today for 11 municipal and county clients in the region.
Response you can measure. Over the past 12 months, our median first response was 9 minutes, around the clock. The City will see that number every month in the report shown in Appendix C.
Recovery you can prove. Daily offsite backups that can't be altered, with a restore test every quarter documented in writing: the evidence your insurer asks for (Section 3.4).
A transition with dates on it. Our 90-day plan (Section 4) moves all six sites with no planned downtime during business hours, at milestones the City signs off on.
97% of our clients have renewed with us over the last three years. We'd like Marlow Creek to be next.
Fictional sample — not a client result. All companies, names, figures, and scores are invented for demonstration.