Where Specificity Matters Most in Your RFPs
Part of the RFP Clarity Series
This article is part of an ongoing series on improving the effectiveness of marketing RFPs—focused on clarity, strategy, and better outcomes for both issuers and agencies. Explore all posts in the RFP Clarity Series.
The Flip Side of Strategic Ambiguity
In our last RFP Clarity post, we made the case for purposeful restraint in RFPs, explaining how leaving some space can prompt more revealing, strategic responses. But not all ambiguity is helpful. In fact, when key details are missing or unclear, it can lead to confusion, misalignment, and responses that entirely miss the mark.
Ambiguity is only strategic when it’s intentional. Otherwise, it’s just noise.
Five Areas That Deserve Clarity
While there’s room for interpretation in parts of an RFP, some elements need to be crystal clear to set your process up for success. Here are five areas where vagueness does more harm than good:
1. Objectives and Success Criteria Agencies can only aim for a target if they know what it is. Be clear about what success looks like, even if you’re open to different paths to get there. If your goal is increased brand awareness, say so. If you’re solving for declining acquisition metrics, name it.
When agencies don’t understand your underlying goals, they’re forced to make assumptions. That can lead to proposals that sound thoughtful, but don’t actually solve the problem.
2. Budget Realities Being vague about budget might feel strategic, but it often backfires. Without a clear range, agencies have no idea what scale to propose. You risk getting proposals that are either underwhelming or wildly over-engineered.
Even a rough budget band helps agencies tailor their thinking to your context and saves you time by filtering out options that won’t be viable.
3. Decision-Making Process and Timeline Transparency around how decisions will be made builds trust and helps agencies plan their own resources accordingly. Who will evaluate the proposals? When should agencies expect to hear back? What criteria will matter most? (We’ll do a deeper dive into evaluation criteria in an upcoming post.)
A vague or moving timeline doesn’t just create confusion. It can signal disorganization or lack of commitment, which makes great agencies think twice about investing time and resources in the process.
4. Expectations Around Resources. Speaking of resources: your RFP should clearly define expectations around resource commitment (dedicated time), resource seniority (who’s actually doing the work), and resource location (where key team members are based). Leaving these areas vague can create painful misalignment late in the process. We’ll discuss how to set smart resource expectations in an upcoming post.
5. What format do you expect the proposal to take? If you want a doc, a deck, or a minimum or maximum number of pages, say so. You might as well save yourself some time, because if you don’t specify it’s going to be one of the questions most proposers will ask in the Q&A.
Clarity Supports Partnership
The best RFPs strike a balance: room for thinking, clarity where it counts. Strategic ambiguity works when it’s used to reveal insight, not when it obscures it.
By being explicit about your goals, constraints, and process, you set the foundation for stronger responses and better relationships.
Next up: Don’t just ask for bios. What do you actually want to know about the team?
Smart organizations know that stronger RFPs lead to better partnerships. We help teams clarify what they really need, sharpen their evaluation criteria, and structure the RFP to attract the right response from the right partners. Whether you’re looking for a topline diagnostic, a strategic rewrite, or a full-process tune-up, we can help. Let’s talk.
Featured image by Ricardo Arce via Unsplash
