Describe the job, not the solution
State the outcome you need and the constraints around it — deadline, budget range, systems it must integrate with, and who signs it off. Suppliers can suggest better solutions than your assumptions, but only if the problem is clear.
Give volumes and edge cases: number of employees paid monthly, pages per year for print, tickets per month for support. Vague volumes produce padded quotes.
Say how you will decide
List your three or four evaluation criteria in order — for example, sector experience, then total cost over 12 months, then response times. Suppliers tailor their proposals to what you measure.
Ask each bidder to price the same core scope plus optional extras separately, so comparisons stay honest.
Make the timeline real
Give a questions deadline, a submission deadline, and a decision date — and keep them. Serious suppliers plan capacity around firm timelines; drifting dates attract desperate bids.
A short call before submission removes most misunderstandings and improves quote accuracy for both sides.
Quick checklist
- Outcome and constraints stated
- Realistic volumes and edge cases included
- Evaluation criteria shared in priority order
- Core scope priced separately from extras
- Firm dates for questions, submission, and decision