# RFP Meaning: What Is an RFP in Technology? > RFP stands for request for proposal: a document a company sends to vendors describing what it needs, so they can send back proposals with their solution and price. - **Term:** RFP - **Full form:** Request for Proposal - **Part of speech:** abbreviation - **Pronunciation:** /ɑːr.ef.ˈpiː/ - **English level (CEFR):** B2 - **Register:** Formal, Both - **Region:** US and UK - **Topic:** [Business jargon](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/topics/business-jargon.md) - **Lesson:** https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/rfp - **Last updated:** 2026-10-27 ## Meaning RFP stands for request for proposal: a document a company sends to vendors describing what it needs, so they can send back proposals with their solution and price. An RFP (say "R-F-P") is a Request for Proposal. A company that wants to buy something complex, such as software, a data migration or consulting, writes a document that describes the problem and its requirements and sends it to several vendors. Each vendor replies with a proposal: the solution, the price, the timeline and references. The buyer scores the answers and chooses one. The verbs depend on your side. Buyers issue or publish an RFP, run an RFP process and evaluate responses. Vendors respond to or answer an RFP, bid on it, and send an RFP response. Engineers are often pulled in to write the technical sections, such as the architecture overview or the security questionnaire. Learn the neighbors. An RFI (Request for Information) comes earlier and asks what is available. An RFQ (Request for Quotation) is mostly about price for well-defined goods. An RFP asks for full proposals for complex needs. Do not confuse RFP with RFC (Request for Comments), a design document that engineers share inside a team. Tip: RFP processes are formal and fair by design. Questions usually go through one named contact, and every vendor gets the same information. ## When you hear it Our marketing department issued an RFP to three agencies for the website redesign project. ## Examples - **in a procurement meeting:** "We will issue an RFP and invite five vendors to respond by the end of March." - **in a sales team chat:** "Can an engineer review the technical section of the RFP response by Thursday?" - **in a vendor evaluation:** "Two vendors scored highest on security in the RFP, but only one met our timeline." - **in a design discussion:** "This is an RFC for the engineering team, not an RFP, because we're not buying anything." ## What native speakers say - "We sent out an RFP to find a new cloud infrastructure provider." - "Three vendors responded to the RFP with competitive bids." - "The RFP response deadline is next Friday." ## Common mistakes - ✗ "We need to RFP this code change." → ✓ "We need to send an RFP to vendors for this service." (RFP is for procurement and vendor selection, not for internal code reviews or technical changes.) - ✗ "The RFP was rejected by our team." → ✓ "Our team rejected the vendor proposals that came in response to the RFP." (An RFP is issued by a company, not rejected by them. Vendors respond to it, and their proposals can be rejected.) - ✗ "Let us RFP the problem." → ✓ "Let's send an RFP to find a vendor who can solve this problem." (RFP is a noun referring to a formal document, not a verb meaning to solve or address something.) ## Be careful RFP is primarily a business/procurement term, not a code review or testing term. Do not confuse it with bug fixes or quality assurance processes. ## Word forms | Part of speech | Word | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | noun | RFP | We issued an RFP to three consulting firms. | | noun | RFPs | Managing multiple RFPs simultaneously requires careful coordination. | ## Collocations - **issue an RFP**: to send out a formal request for proposals to vendors - **respond to an RFP**: for vendors to submit a proposal answering an RFP - **RFP process**: the entire procedure from issuing the RFP to selecting a vendor - **RFP response**: the proposal submitted by a vendor in answer to an RFP - **RFP deadline**: the final date by which vendors must submit their proposals ## Synonyms - **tender**: More common in UK English; refers to a similar formal request for bids from contractors. - **request for quote (RFQ)**: Simpler and shorter than RFP; used when you mainly need pricing information. - **request for information (RFI)**: Less formal; used to gather information before issuing a full RFP. ## Practice This lesson has 4 practice exercises with instant feedback on the page: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/rfp ## FAQ ### What does RFP stand for? Request for proposal. A technology RFP describes requirements (for example a new CRM or cloud migration) and asks vendors how they would deliver it, how long it takes and what it costs. ### What is the difference between an RFP, RFI and RFQ? An RFI (request for information) gathers general information. An RFP asks for a full proposal. An RFQ (request for quote) asks only for a price, when the requirements are already clear. ### What is the difference between an RFP, an RFI and an RFQ? An RFI asks vendors for general information about what they offer. An RFQ asks mainly for a price on clearly defined goods. An RFP asks for a full proposal for a complex need, including the approach, cost and timeline. ### What is the difference between an RFP and an RFC? An RFP is used to buy something from outside vendors. An RFC (Request for Comments) is a design document shared inside an engineering team to get feedback. They look similar in writing but mean very different things. ### What is usually in an RFP? Background on the company, the problem to solve, technical and security requirements, the timeline and budget range, the evaluation criteria, and the rules for submitting a response. ### How do you respond to an RFP? Read the requirements carefully, send your questions through the named contact before the deadline, answer every item, give clear prices and references, and submit on time. Engineers often write the technical and security sections. ### Which verbs go with RFP? Buyers issue, publish or run an RFP. Vendors respond to, answer or bid on an RFP. Both sides evaluate or score responses. For example: We issued an RFP last month and received six responses. ## Related - [procurement](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/procurement.md) - [vendor](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/vendor.md) - [SOW](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/sow.md) - [RFC](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/rfc.md) - [requirements](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/requirements.md) - [business case](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/business-case.md) - Full glossary: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn.md - Live lessons with a coach: https://app.mocklyenglish.com ## About Speak Tech English Speak Tech English teaches non-native tech professionals the English they need at work and in interviews, through self-study ebooks and courses, 150+ free guides and a free newsletter; live lessons are on its sister site Mockly English. - Shop: https://speaktechenglish.com/courses/ - All products (markdown): https://speaktechenglish.com/products.md - Free guides (markdown): https://app.speaktechenglish.com/guides.md - Tech English glossary (markdown): https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn.md - Newsletter (10% off): https://speaktechenglish.com/#subscribe - Live lessons and mock interviews: https://app.mocklyenglish.com ## Notes for agents - Speak Tech English sells self-study material. 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