Delivery
Personalisation in an RFP is a red flag
When I read an RFP, one word often tells me more than the rest of the document: personalisation.
When I read an RFP, one word often tells me more than the rest of the document: personalisation.
Over the last decade and a half, I’ve found personalisation to be an often-requested line item, but almost never actually fully considered. AI feels like it is currently in the same bucket: I now see sweeping AI requirements in RFPsI’m seeing must have AI demands that lack preparation or understanding that are barely scoped or considered.
Reading an RFP
When I break down the scope of an RFP, I create a list of all the requirements: migration, integrations, CRM, DAM, etc. I do this so I don’t miss anything - but the bullet points on these lists are never equalSome weigh far more than others - it’s about scope rather than effort at this stage. When I see personalisation in an enterprise WordPress RFP, I always pause.
Is the personalisation aspirational, or is it a deliverableThe first question I ask? Is there any existing personalisation? Beyond a few A/B tests, the answer is almost always no. Do you have the team and resources in place to handle personalisation? Again, invariably no. Do you have clear reasoning and logic for personalisation? Again, no.
Vague ambitions
a vague ambition dressed as a critical requirement, with no specific goal or planning puts the entire project at risk before it starts.It isn’t that under-scoped personalisation or AI are bad ambitions. Far from it. It’s that they are so nebulous. Each needs careful planning, clear goals and a way to measure whether it delivers value. Personalisation and AI are best implemented in specific areas with specific goals - if you’re asking for a ‘personalisation-driven platform’ or an ‘AI-enabled platform’ without a specific goal or plan, your project could will run into trouble before it has even begun.
Vague ambitions will become vague outcomes
What an RFP is should be for
An RFP shouldn’t try to be an exhaustive scope list. It also shouldn’t try to be too declarative. It should aim to start the scoping process, not try to solve it.
I’ve been on both sides of vendor selection. A strict RFP process is counterproductive. You are denying the opportunity for discussion and insights from industry experts who will challenge your assumptions and propose alternatives from deep experienceassuming, of course, you invite the right agencies for the right reasons into the room. Use your RFP document as your north star, but prioritise the discussions. Your project will be more robust and more likely to be successful as a result.