Requests for Proposals (RFP): Creating, Managing and Surviving the Process Daphne J. Meyers, CMM

Today’s Presenter  Daphne J. Meyers, CMM Managing Partner, Red Barn Group  Strategic Event Consultant  Adjunct Instructor, Minnesota State University - Moorhead Recovering Corporate Planner (Microsoft) Meeting Professionals International  Minnesota Chapter –Vice President of Leadership Development  Platinum Series Speaker  Certified Global Trainer and Senior Cadre Member

Flow for today  First half (until 2:45pm) RFP Process from the ASK to the ANSWER  Second half (3:00pm – 4:30pm) Panel discussion Q&A

What if…

Today  Learn key elements to include in all RFP’s in both the request and the response  Understand the importance of the RFP process in the overall success of business partnerships  List of resources to improve your RFP process

Your experiences?  most pleasant  least pleasant  craziest?

It starts where it starts…  relationship  planning process  success or failure

Suggestions on where to start  review past events with team what worked? what hurt? what can never happen again? where did we get surprised?  review post event reports and evaluations  ask “like” organizations what they put in their RFP’s and their process

Gold Standard FPs.htm  Service Contractor  Single Facility  Audiovisual  Destination Management  Transportation

THE ASK

Building the RFP  info about group/meeting needs/ demographics/history  philosophy of meeting/organization goals and objectives stakeholders why are you having meeting?  specifications on what is needed – (details! details! details!)

Building the RFP  deal breakers  requirements of requesting organization special stuff and clauses (competitors, legal stuff the lawyers say, construction, noise, attrition, special concessions, green, risk)  requirements of responding organization insurance/financial referrals/references

Building the RFP  information on organization(s) annual report past materials  information on past service providers direct to service being requested provided by others in past

Building the RFP  budget process who owns? who pays? what is determined by who?

Process  SHARE this in RFP how many respondents and who? timing, decision timeline (by who), how decision will be made factors and ratings system that will be used (experience, cost) submission guidelines (how accepted)  steps to decision after RFP’s are received

Please (with sugar on top) DON’T!  ask for intellectual property  expect to get ideas at the RFP level

THE ANSWER

Responding to RFP  do your homework work your networks (past vendors, employees, other suppliers) ask lots of questions to make sure you have all information needed to respond determine if you can make suggestions for services outside of RFP spell out ALL charges, fees and policies that will be in contract – hide nothing!!

Responding to RFP  build comprehensive RFP response kit, so you can “plug and play”  model your response to request – not your own template  let your personality and uniqueness come through  copyright your document

After submission…  what next steps are – face to face? presentation?  follow-up on regular basis  set-up face-to-face meeting  if you don’t get business, find out who did and why

Summary…  What is one thing you will change in your next RFP ask or response?

Break

Panel Discussion

Our Panel  David Jewell, CMP Regional Vice President, Helms Briscoe  Anne Marie Sklar, CMP Senior Manager, Events Deloitte Management Services  Jennifer Glynn, MA Global Account Executive Marriott Global Sales Organization  Greg Ganest CEO, The Meeting Encore Group Inc.

Thank you!!