This section of your RFP should explain how vendor proposals will be evaluated and which criteria your organization considers most important. By clearly outlining your evaluation framework, you help vendors tailor their proposals to meet your priorities — and you ensure that your internal review team has a consistent, transparent method for comparing responses.
Begin with a brief overview of how the evaluation will be conducted, including who will be involved (e.g., a review committee) and any scoring or weighting methodology if applicable. Then, list the key criteria your team will use to assess proposals across functional, technical, financial, and strategic dimensions.
Common evaluation criteria to include:
- Relevant Experience and Expertise
Evaluate the vendor’s track record with nonprofit clients, particularly those similar in size or mission, and their experience implementing online giving tools, CRM integrations, and donor portals. Special emphasis should be placed on experience with your specified CRM (e.g., Salesforce NPSP or Nonprofit Cloud).
- Quality of Proposed Solution
Assess how well the proposed solution meets your requirements — including functionality, user experience, scalability, and innovation. Consider how complete and thoughtful the vendor’s response is.
- Integration and Technical Approach
Examine the proposed integration with your CRM and other key systems, the vendor’s data migration strategy, and how they address security, privacy, and compliance requirements.
- Project Management and Timeline
Consider the feasibility and clarity of the proposed implementation plan, project phases, methodology (e.g., Agile or waterfall), and resource allocations.
- Cost and Value
Analyze the total cost of ownership, clarity of cost breakdown, and overall value in relation to the solution’s benefits. Nonprofit discounts or in-kind contributions may be noted.
- Vendor Reputation and References
Review client references, market reputation, and client retention rates. You may also request financial documentation to assess the vendor’s stability and reliability.
- Cultural Fit and Understanding
Assess the vendor’s alignment with your organization’s mission, communication style, and responsiveness throughout the RFP process.
Example RFP Language:
“Proposals will be evaluated based on multiple weighted criteria including vendor experience, technical fit, total cost, CRM integration capabilities (particularly with Salesforce NPSP), and understanding of our organizational needs. A review committee will assess all responses, and shortlisted vendors may be invited for follow-up presentations. Failure to address any must-have requirements outlined in this RFP may result in disqualification.”
Be sure to restate the importance of meeting your must-have requirements, particularly from your Detailed Functional Requirements section. You may also mention whether you’ll use a scoring rubric and how critical requirements will influence the outcome.
