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Guide

Responding to an RFP: a library of evidence, ready before the next one lands.

When a corporation, a university, a hospital system, a city or a federal agency issues a request for proposal, the written proposal is only part of the response. Buyers usually also want financial statements, insurance certificates, references, resumes, sample work, policies and answers to a security or vendor questionnaire. Teams that scramble for these every time lose days they need for the proposal itself.

This guide is for small and mid-sized businesses that bid on contracts. It covers the supporting documents RFPs commonly request and how to keep them ready and shared with your bid team. It is general information. Follow each RFP's own instructions exactly, and ask your attorney about contract terms.

What RFPs commonly ask for

About your company

  • A company overview or capability statement.
  • Recent financial statements, and sometimes a letter from your bank.
  • Certificates of insurance showing the coverage the buyer requires.
  • Business licenses, and for federal opportunities an active SAM.gov registration.

Proof you can deliver

  • Past performance descriptions and client references.
  • Resumes of the key people who will do the work.
  • Case studies, sample deliverables or a project plan.

Policies and security

  • Information security and privacy policies.
  • Completed security or vendor questionnaires.
  • Business continuity, safety or other policies the buyer names.

A bid room that serves every RFP

  1. 1

    Keep a standing library

    Maintain one folder of current supporting documents: financials, insurance, resumes, references and policies.

  2. 2

    Open a folder per bid

    For each RFP, create a folder for the solicitation, amendments, drafts and the final submission.

  3. 3

    Assign the pieces

    Turn the RFP's required items into a document request list and assign each to its owner, with status visible to the team.

  4. 4

    Version every draft

    Each draft of the proposal goes in as a new version, and the history shows how it changed.

Working with teaming partners and subcontractors

Larger bids often involve a teaming partner or subcontractors, who contribute resumes, past performance and pricing inputs for their part. Put each partner in its own group, so it sees the folders it contributes to and not your other bids or internal pricing. A folder a group cannot see does not appear for it.

Partners can send documents through a request-a-file link, and every upload is scanned for viruses before anyone can open it. Questions about the RFP, assigned to the right person and prioritized against the deadline, can be raised in the room's question and answer area.

Some buyers ask to see sensitive documents, such as financial statements, during evaluation rather than as part of the public submission. If the buyer agrees to a link, a view-only folder with an end date lets the evaluators read them, watermarked with each reader's name, email address and the date.

Finding the answer you wrote last time

Security questionnaires and RFP sections repeat. ShareAndGo reads every document, including scans, tags and summarizes it, and its search finds words inside documents with highlighted snippets, so you can find how you answered a question on the last bid. Owners can also connect Claude or ChatGPT to the workspace, with each room deciding separately whether an assistant may read it.

Questions

Does ShareAndGo submit proposals?
No. Buyers have their own submission portals or addresses. ShareAndGo is where the team assembles and reviews the response.
Can we keep pricing away from subcontractors?
Yes. Put pricing in a folder only your internal group can see.
Can we reuse a folder across bids?
Yes. Keep the standing library in one room and give each bid team access to it.

Related guides

A grant application

Similar evidence for a different funder.

Setting up a joint venture

When you bid together with a partner.

Year-end document collection

Keeping the financial statements current.

All guides

Every business process we cover.