Custom Software RFP Template: What to Ask in 2026

We sit on both sides of RFPs all year. We write them for clients evaluating us against competitors and we respond to them as a vendor. The difference between a productive RFP and a procurement-theater RFP is precision. This guide is the template we ship.

For broader context, see How to Choose a Software Development Company and our Dedicated Team vs Agency guide.

1. Company background and project context
2. Problem statement and desired outcomes
3. Functional scope
4. Non-functional requirements (security, scale, compliance)
5. Constraints (technology, timeline, budget envelope)
6. Vendor information requested
7. Proposal structure
8. Evaluation criteria and weights
9. Required response artifacts
10. Timeline and key dates
11. Submission and contact instructions

Two paragraphs. Who you are, what you do, who your customers are. Then one paragraph on the strategic motivation for this project. "We are migrating off Salesforce because the per-seat economics no longer work at our growth rate" is precise. "We want to modernize our tech stack" is not.

Describe the problem, not the solution. "Our sales team uses six tools and spends 3 hours per rep per day on data entry" is a problem. "We want a custom CRM" is a solution that the vendor should be free to reach (or argue against).

Then list desired outcomes with measurable targets. "Reduce data entry to under 30 minutes per rep per day" or "Process 200 leads per hour without manual intervention." Outcomes anchor the rest of the evaluation.

User journeys and feature areas, not click-by-click specs. "Sales rep can: log a call, schedule follow-up, sync with calendar, view lead history, escalate to manager" is enough. Avoid pre-specifying screen designs in the RFP — that constrains the vendor's design contribution.

Distinguish must-have, should-have, and nice-to-have. MoSCoW or a simple priority column works.

The boring section that filters the most vendors. Include:

• Compliance requirements (SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI, ISO, GDPR — name them)
• Performance targets (P95 latency, peak concurrent users)
• Availability SLO and downtime tolerance
• Security posture (MFA, SSO, audit logs, encryption)
• Accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA is the modern baseline)
• Browser and device support
• Internationalization (locales, currencies, RTL)
• Integration with existing systems (named)

What is non-negotiable. Common constraints:

• Budget envelope (e.g., $150K to $250K)
• Hard deadline (e.g., live by Q3 2026 for a regulatory cutover)
• Technology preferences (existing AWS account, Postgres, Vercel)
• Geographic team requirements (US-only, EU-only, on-site visits)
• IP ownership terms
• Source code escrow or repository ownership
• Data residency

The questions you actually want answered:

1. Company size, headcount, years in business, registered entity.
2. Three case studies relevant to our domain. Quantified outcomes.
3. Three reference customers we can call.
4. Named team for our project with resumes (lead engineer, project manager, designer).
5. Methodology and ceremony cadence.
6. Tooling (project management, communication, repo, CI/CD).
7. Security posture: SOC 2, ISO, pentest cadence, breach history.
8. Commercial terms: fixed fee vs T&M, payment milestones, change order process.
9. Warranty and post-launch support.
10. Subcontractor policy and disclosure.

Force structure. Specify section headings and length caps so proposals are comparable. A 12-page cap with named sections is reasonable. Reject proposals that exceed the cap without acknowledgment.

The proof points you want in the document:

• Sample architectural diagrams for a similar build
• Sample sprint or milestone plan
• Sample status report or weekly artifact
• Resumes of the proposed lead engineer and project manager
• Sample SOW or contract language
• SOC 2 report or equivalent (under NDA)
• Three customer references with permission to call

• Day 0: RFP issued
• Day 5: Question deadline
• Day 7: Answers broadcast to all vendors
• Day 14: Proposals due
• Day 14 to 20: Internal scoring
• Day 21 to 28: Shortlist interviews and reference calls
• Day 30: Vendor selection
• Day 35: Contract signed
• Day 45: Kickoff

One named contact for clarification questions. One email or portal for submission. PDF format with a defined file naming convention. Confidentiality terms.

1. Proposal ignores stated constraints.
2. Sample code does not match described methodology.
3. Reference calls feel scripted.
4. Boilerplate security sections without specifics.
5. Pricing well below market with no transparency.
6. Pricing well above market with no clear premium reason.
7. Vague team assignments ('senior engineer TBD').
8. Promises of features outside your scope ('we'll throw that in').

The RFP gets you to a chosen vendor. The contract is where most projects actually go wrong. See Software Development Contract Redlines for the clauses to fight on.