Request for Proposal (RFP)
A Request for Proposal (RFP) is the solicitation used in negotiated acquisitions under FAR Part 15. At minimum, a competitive RFP describes the government's requirement, the anticipated terms and conditions, the information the proposal must contain, and the evaluation factors and their relative importance.
FAR 15.203 sets the floor for a competitive RFP: the requirement, the anticipated terms and conditions and whether offerors may propose alternatives, what the proposal must include, and the evaluation factors with their relative importance. That last element carries real weight, because FAR 15.305(a) requires the agency to evaluate proposals solely on the factors and subfactors the solicitation states.
Variants cover the odd cases: letter RFPs in sole-source acquisitions, oral RFPs when a written solicitation would delay the buy to the government's detriment, and electronic issuance under 15.203(e). Changes go out as amendments under FAR 15.206; an amendment so substantial that offerors could not have anticipated it forces cancellation and a new solicitation.
The failure mode is internal drift. The requirement description, the proposal instructions, and the evaluation factors are usually drafted by different people, and a mismatch among the three produces Q&A churn, amendments, and protest exposure after award.
Regulatory Reference
FAR 15.203; FAR 15.206; FAR 15.305(a)
RFO Status
The Part 15 model deviation (RFO-2025-15, adopted by agencies beginning November 3, 2025) collapses Part 15 into five subparts and moves solicitation guidance into subpart 15.1, adding a highest-technically-rated-with-a-fair-and-reasonable-price evaluation approach, so confirm section numbers against your agency's adopted deviation.
Category
Documents & Artifacts
How AcqBot Helps
AcqBot drafts the RFP from your requirements package — it builds the proposal instructions and evaluation factors as one consistent set, checks them against the PWS or SOO for gaps, and flags mismatches between what the solicitation requests and what the evaluation plan scores before the RFP posts.
Related glossary entries
Justification & Approval (J&A)
A Justification & Approval (J&A) is the formal document required by FAR 6.303 to justify awarding a federal contract without full and open competition, citing one of seven statutory exceptions and approved at thresholds based on dollar value.
Performance Work Statement (PWS)
A Performance Work Statement (PWS) describes required outcomes and measurable performance standards for a services acquisition rather than prescribing how the work must be done, enabling contractors to propose their own methods under performance-based acquisition.
Statement of Work (SOW)
A Statement of Work (SOW) is the contract document that prescribes, in specific and directive terms, the tasks a contractor must perform, the deliverables due, and the schedule — placing responsibility for the approach on the government.
Statement of Objectives (SOO)
A Statement of Objectives (SOO) is a brief government document stating top-level acquisition objectives and desired outcomes, leaving offerors free to propose their own technical approach and performance work statement in response.