Strategic Ambiguity: When Less Is More in an RFP

The Assumption of Clarity

It’s common to think that the more information you include in an RFP, the better the outcome will be. After all, clarity is kind, right? And a comprehensive brief should, in theory, yield more accurate and aligned responses.

But there’s a nuance worth exploring: not everything needs to be defined up front. In fact, sometimes the most insightful responses come not from answering the brief, but from interrogating it.

That kind of space can feel risky, especially if you’re under pressure to deliver results quickly or appease stakeholders who want a buttoned-up process. But the goal of an RFP isn’t just to get responses. It’s to find the right partner. And that means evaluating how they think, not just what they say.

What Strategic Ambiguity Actually Means

Strategic ambiguity isn’t about being vague or careless. It’s about intentionally leaving space – selectively and thoughtfully – to observe how your prospective partners think.

When you leave certain elements open to interpretation, you gain valuable insight into how an agency approaches problems, frames questions, identifies priorities, and navigates uncertainty. You’re not just evaluating their ability to check boxes. You’re assessing their strategic posture.

For example:

• If you’re light on process requirements, do they offer a clear and intentional one?
• If you withhold specific KPIs, do they ask clarifying questions or suggest their own?
• If you leave room in the timeline, how do they structure the work?

In these gaps, you get a preview not just of their capabilities, but of their instincts.

Over-Prescription Limits Insight

When an RFP is overly prescriptive, it can limit creativity, flatten differentiation, and mask the very qualities that matter most in a partner: curiosity, critical thinking, and strategic flexibility.

Imagine asking five agencies to follow the same rigid set of instructions for building a campaign plan. You’ll likely get five versions of the same structure, differing only in polish. But give them room to shape the approach, and their differences in vision, values, and problem-solving styles come into sharper focus.

If you dictate every detail, you’ll likely get exactly what you asked for, but miss the chance to see what your bidders are truly capable of.

Ambiguity as a Diagnostic Tool

Used well, ambiguity becomes diagnostic. It helps you:

• Identify which agencies are thinking critically
• Surface thoughtful questions that could shape your approach
• Observe not just what a team proposes, but how they think

You’re not looking for perfection. You’re looking for a fit. And fit often reveals itself in the gray areas.

What Comes Next

Of course, not everything should be left open-ended. In our next post, we’ll talk about which areas of an RFP deserve absolute clarity, and why vague direction in those sections can do more harm than good.

For now, the takeaway is this: ambiguity isn’t the opposite of clarity. Used strategically, it’s a form of it.

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 Jon Tyson via Unsplash