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Whether you have a concept, an established business, or an organization ready to embrace digital transformation, now is the perfect time to document your vision and identify the best app development company to turn your idea into reality. This is when an mobile app RFP becomes essential.
When looking to hire an app development company for your mobile app project, the first essential document you need is a mobile app Request for Proposal (RFP). This document outlines all the vital information, requirements, and specifics of your project, ensuring potential developers understand your needs. A detailed mobile app RFP allows you to communicate your vision, requirements and expectations, and gather proposals from several app development firms. This provides a structured way to compare their expertise, experience, and offerings.
By creating an RFP, you can evaluate the proposals based on the developers’ skills, approach, and suitability for your project. This process helps you identify the best development partner to bring your app vision to life. A well crafted RFP also sets a professional tone, attracting serious and competent developers who are more likely to meet your expectations and deliver high-quality results
Creating a well-structured mobile app RFP is essential for the success of your project. The individual(s) drafting the RFP should have a comprehensive understanding of the project. Involving the department(s) that will use or manage the app during this process is highly beneficial.
For example, if your organization has a technical team, collaborate with them to draft the RFP. If no one on your team has the necessary technical knowledge, make sure to mention this in the “Technical Requirements” section to inform the vendors.
Before drafting the RFP, ensure you have an understanding of the following aspects:
Finding the best partner to build your mobile app is not easy, It requires homework to define what you need. A request for a proposal makes that process easier for you.
At Simpalm, we have received many requests for proposals for mobile app projects since 2010 from several enterprises, institutes and nonprofits. As a vendor, we know what should constitute a great RFP. To make it easier for companies, we have created a mobile app RFP template that you can use to easily create your own RFP.
Mobile App RFP Template
If you would like to download the word format of the Mobile App RFP, you can download it from here.
StrategyDesignDevelopmentSupportSimpalm has created a detailed guide to write a mobile app RFP. So it will be easier for companies to prepare an RFP that is standardized and covers all aspects of mobile app development.
Here you can describe your organization, introduce yourself, show off how your company works, what your core values are, and define your goals.
Here you can provide a high level overview of the project including objectives, scope, challenges, and how the application will facilitate the users. Describe application capabilities, values, and importance for organizations. How it will change and improve your existing operations.
Describe the demography of the audience who would be the users of the app. Identify and list all the users and their access level.
In this section of mobile app RFP, you should mention the technical requirements of different components of the scope like Design, Mobile Apps, Backend, and Admin. This helps vendors to easily understand the scope.
A. Scoping and Design:
Describe if the client will provide the written requirements or requirements will be written by the vendor. Also describe if the vendor has to create the detailed wireframes of the application or if the wireframes will be provided by the app development company. Here, you can also outline the number of screens required in the app. Give deatils of your app design preference. Does it follow the same design pattern of your website? You can provide color options, layout, icons, and navigation style.
B. Mobile App Requirements
This is the most important section and you may want to cover all aspects of your app requirements. You can write a list of required features and functions, technology consideration, method for building an app (native or cross platform), support for number of platforms and third-party integrations (connecting app with SMS gateway, payment gateway, external device to collect data). Describe if you want to view analytics and app usage (user activity, sessions, userbase).
Here you can also describe if the app has to be developed in a number of phases and breakdown features and functions to be implemented in each phase. This is necessary to prepare a structured business plan and monitor app development progress along with customer feedback.
C. Backend Database Requirement
You should mention what type of backend database you require the vendor to create. Describe your preference (like AWS, Google Firebase, and Microsoft Azure). Describe what types of backend APIs (REST/JSON) should be coded.
D. Admin Panel Requirements
Describe if you need a web based administrative panel to edit/update or delete the content and media of the mobile application. Also cover what items you want to add in the app, how often you will update the content/pages of the mobile app. Describe if you want to monitor user accounts, user posts and block their account/post. Describe admin user roles and their permission level to make necessary updates in mobile apps.
E. Support and Maintenance Requirements
Each and every project needs support from the technical team, you need to describe what level of support and maintenance you need initially. Also, you need to mention if you require continuous enhancements as well.
You describe when you plan to start the project and when you expect the apps to be launched. Your expected timeline may not match with the timeline required to build the quality solution, however, your timeline expectations will give some idea to the vendor and they can align their proposed timeline to your expected timeline. You should also state how flexible you are with the timeline. You should ask vendor to show the timeline for following phases separately:
If you have a budget range already planned, you can mention that in the budget section. If you don’t have any idea, you can mention that you are looking for vendors to come up with the best budget quotes. You should ask the vendor to breakdown the budget by various components of the scope.
Describe how quickly you want to complete Project discovery and requirement gathering sessions. Once you send requirements to app development vendors, mention how soon you want them to provide feedback with a set of questions and suggestions. Then a pre-planned timeline to receive quotations from app development teams.
In this section you can describe what you are looking to see in the proposal. It could be any of these topics or any other topic.
Submissions should include:
We have established an evaluation criteria to ensure vendors meet your requirements. The numbers provided are placeholders; please adjust them according to your organization’s specific criteria. Refer to the table below for detailed criteria and their weightage:
| Criteria | Weightage |
Proposal Submission | 10% |
| Work Experience | 20% |
| Cost & Timeline to complete the project | 30% |
| Presentation | 20% |
| Project Staff & Client Reference | 10% |
| Proposed Solution & Support | 10% |
A well crafted mobile app RFP attracts high quality proposals and competitive bids from top development firms. On the other hand, a vague or poorly structured RFP can result in misunderstandings, low-quality proposals, or being ignored by reputable firms. Investing time in developing an RFP allows you to attract the best talent, ensuring that your project benefits from their expertise and innovation. Your RFP should be clear and thorough, detailing your project’s objectives, the criteria for vendor selection, expected app functionalities, deadlines, and key contact information. Transparency in these areas ensures that vendors have a precise understanding of your needs and expectations, fostering effective communication from the start.
Moreover, a standout RFP helps you establish a foundation for a successful partnership. It sets the tone for future interactions, demonstrating your commitment to the project and your attention to detail. This approach not only enhances the quality of the proposals and the accuracy of the estimates you receive but also builds trust and respect with potential vendors. Here are the key advantages of a well-written RFP:
