RFP, RFI, sources sought, and IFB — what each one means

IFB — invitation for bid

Used for well-defined construction and commodity work where the agency knows exactly what it wants. Bids are sealed, opened publicly, and read aloud. Award goes to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder — responsive meaning you submitted everything required in the required form, responsible meaning you have the capacity, licensing, and record to perform.

There is no negotiation and virtually no discretion. A missing bond, an unsigned addendum acknowledgement, or a late submission is fatal regardless of price. Some jurisdictions call the same thing an ITB or a bid.

RFP — request for proposals

Used when the agency has a problem rather than a specification: design services, program management, complex or phased work, or anything where approach matters. Proposals are scored against published evaluation criteria — typically technical approach, team qualifications, past performance, schedule, and cost, with published weights.

Agencies may shortlist, interview, request best and final offers, and negotiate. For architecture and engineering, many states and the federal Brooks Act require qualifications-based selection, where price is not considered until a firm has been selected on qualifications alone.

RFQ — a term that means two different things

Watch the context. In federal and many local contexts an RFQ is a request for quotations: a simplified price solicitation for small purchases. In design and construction, an RFQ is often a request for qualifications: a first-stage submission of statements of qualification used to shortlist firms who are then invited to submit a full proposal. Read the document, not the acronym.

RFI and sources sought — the ones most firms ignore

An RFI asks the market how a problem might be solved, what it should cost, and what is realistic. A sources sought notice asks whether capable firms exist, often to determine whether a project can be set aside for small or disadvantaged businesses.

Neither results in an award, which is why most firms skip them. That is precisely why they are valuable. Responding puts your capabilities in front of the people writing the eventual scope, and the specifications in a final solicitation frequently reflect the responses received. If a sources sought notice draws enough qualified small-business responses, the agency may set the work aside — which changes who you compete against.

Deciding what to respond to

Respond to an IFB when your unit costs are genuinely competitive and the administrative requirements are ones you already meet. Respond to an RFP when your qualifications and approach can outscore a cheaper competitor. Respond to an RFI or sources sought when the project is large enough that shaping the scope is worth an afternoon of writing — the cost is low and the influence is the highest of any document in the process.