Software development RFP template and project brief generator

To write an RFP for software development, start with the problem and the people who feel it, then cover scope, constraints and how you’ll choose. Those are the five steps above. The formal RFP has 14 numbered sections:

1. Overview and background
2. Problem and goals
3. Who will use it
4. Current systems and data
5. Scope and requirements, in a priority table
6. Integrations
7. Platform, hosting and security
8. Support and maintenance after launch
9. Ownership and access
10. Timeline and budget
11. Proposal requirements
12. Evaluation criteria
13. Questions for vendors
14. Submission instructions

The problem, the users, the integrations and the first-release features shape a quote most. That’s why step 2 asks for the problem, not the solution: “Our contractors need to do this from their phones” tells a team more than “we need an app”.

How completeness and “Vendors will ask” are calculated

Completeness = key fields filled ÷ 12, rounded to a whole percent. The 12 key fields are:

• The problem statement
• At least one user group
• The number of users
• At least one current tool
• A goal (a chip or your own words)
• At least 3 features marked Must, Should or Could
• Integrations (“None” counts)
• Data migration (“No existing data to migrate” counts)
• Platform
• Hosting
• Target date
• Who maintains it after launch

“Undecided” and “Not decided yet” count as answered. Each missing field shows as a “Vendors will ask: …” prompt above the preview, and clicking it jumps to that field. Three show at once; the rest sit under “Show more”. In the document, sections that hold key fields always appear, with “[To be confirmed]” for the gaps. Optional lines, such as industry, budget or integration details, appear only when you fill them in.

Scope as a requirements checklist

Step 3 doubles as a lightweight software requirements document template: 13 common features, each marked Off, Must, Should or Could, plus other requirements one per line. Must means needed for the first release, Should means it can follow soon after, and Could means useful if time and budget allow.

The defaults put understanding of your problem ahead of price. Change any weight in step 5. If proposals use different pricing models, our guide to fixed price vs time and materials explains how to compare them.

Each weight is the number you type, from 0 to 1,000: negatives count as 0 and anything higher counts as 1,000. If the six don’t total exactly 100, the tool warns you and the RFP adds a “[To be confirmed]” note under the weights table.

The vendor scoring sheet

“Scoring sheet (.csv)” lists the criteria and weights as rows, with one column per vendor you named (or Vendor A to Vendor D). Score each vendor from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong) on every criterion. The weighted score is SUMPRODUCT(weights, scores) × 20 ÷ total weight, rounded to one decimal place:

Multiplying by 20 puts the result out of 100: a 5 on every criterion scores 100 and a 1 on every criterion scores 20. Dividing by the total weight keeps that scale even when the weights don’t add up to 100, and all-zero weights score 0. Microsoft’s documentation says SUMPRODUCT treats non-numeric entries as zeros, so fill in every score before you compare.

Assumptions and limits

• It fills fixed templates, with no AI and nothing sent over the network while you work. The same answers always produce the same document.
• It doesn’t estimate cost or timeline. Budget and target date are only what you type. For what drives a quote, read how much custom software costs.
• Completeness checks whether key fields are answered, not whether the answers are right.
• Word may warn about the .doc file’s format (it’s a web page Word opens). The .md download doesn’t escape Markdown symbols you type. The .csv is comma-separated, so a spreadsheet set to semicolons may need its import option.

For the decisions that come before an RFP, browse the other free tools.