19.4.1 Requests for Proposals
Write an RFP before engaging a specific firm. The RFP will require you to focus
on your needs and to shape the project in the vendors’ terms. The RFP is unlikely
to reduce your overall cost, but it will enable you to compare vendors on an
equal footing. One researcher stated that she did not use RFPs but another stated
that she always solicited at least three bids per project.
Usable Products Company, a boutique usability consultancy, engaged five
synchronized usability survey vendors in early 2003 with an RFP. One vendor,
after some back-and-forth e-mail, refused to respond to the RFP. The remaining
four vendors responded, ...