This topic is a particular favourite of mine, because I spent a number of years on the agency side of the table, responding to RFPs and various tender documents. Then I switched sides and spent another number of years evaluating design company’s work and assessing their pitches.

The advice in this article is absolutely on the money. Highlights include

In our experience, organizations that use the RFP process to purchase creative services often find that their expectations are not met.

As it happens, those compelled to respond to RFPs are often at the bottom of the barrel. Design firms that are in demand typically don’t waste their time with the process.

This is completely accurate, and exacerbates the client’s perception that design is overpriced, and often ineffectual. Consequently less effort is put into finding a design agency the next time there is a requirement for a piece of design work.

A design team can serve as an excellent partner, and any good one will look for ways to help you accomplish your goals in a cost-effective manner. When you reduce design to a line-item, however, you miss out on ever having such a relationship with your provider.

When looking for a firm to fulfil design requirements, clients should be looking for a partner and not a provider. Being external, they may often have the ability to suggest new approaches to problems, and help the marketing people get internal approval. The design team will often be able to give details of how a similar campaign worked for another client of theirs, and show the process involved.