How to Write a Communications RFP Agencies Can Answer

A good communications RFP does three things: it states the problem you need solved, it tells agencies exactly what to send back, and it explains how you will judge it. Get those three right and you will receive proposals you can compare side by side. Get them wrong and you will spend weeks reading polished decks that answer different questions.

We sit on the agency side of this table, so we know which briefs make a team lean in. Below is a practical way to write yours, built from public RFPs and procurement guidance.

TL;DR

• Lead with the communications problem and the outcome you want, not with a list of channels.
• Describe scope, budget range and timeline openly, because agencies price and staff against them.
• Ask every agency for the same components in the same format, so proposals can be compared.
• Publish your evaluation criteria and weights before proposals arrive, and score every response with the same rubric.
• Tell agencies when and how you will respond. Silence costs you goodwill.

Table of Contents

• Start with the problem, not the format
• What your background section should contain
• Define scope and objectives precisely
• Be open about budget and timeline
• Ask for the same things from every agency
• Set evaluation criteria before proposals arrive
• Score consistently and decide with confidence
• Our perspective
• Need a partner who speaks impact?
• FAQ
• Sources

Start with the problem, not the format

Most weak RFPs begin with boilerplate and bury the reason for the search on page six. Reverse that. UK government guidance on commissioning agencies says the brief summary should cover the communications problem, the agency’s role versus in-house work, policy context, budget and timescales. That list works just as well for a US nonprofit or an EU consortium.

Two or three sentences are enough. What changed? What is not working? What would success look like in a year?

What your background section should contain

The PRCA’s agency brief template advises imagining that the agency knows nothing about your business. It also suggests listing the methods and channels you use today and naming the pain points in your marketing, PR or social activity.

For impact-driven organizations, we would add:

• Your theory of change in plain language, and who you need to move: donors, policymakers, communities, partners.
• What has already been tried, including what failed.
• Any funder, grant or consortium rules that shape the work, such as dissemination obligations or visibility requirements.
• The internal team that will work with the agency, and how fast decisions get made.

Define scope and objectives precisely

Scope is where RFPs succeed or fail. One 2026 guide calls the scope of work the most important section of a communications RFP, because agencies price and staff from it. Say which services you need (strategy, content, design, social, advertising, reporting), which stay in-house, and what the agency owns end to end.

Spelling out who does what also prevents the quiet breakdowns that happen when everyone believes the message is clear. If you want to see how common that is, read about why messages that seem clear still fail inside teams.

The same guide recommends measurable objectives, such as a 20 percent lift in unaided brand recall within 12 months, instead of a vague aim like “increase awareness.” Even if you cannot commit to a number, name the behavior or decision you want to change.

Be open about budget and timeline

Hiding the budget does not produce better prices. It produces proposals scoped at random. The PRCA’s procurement guide says that at the briefing stage you should provide a finalized brief, budget clarity, evaluation criteria and a draft contract, and warns that missing pieces cause misalignment and delays.

Give a range if you cannot give a figure. State the contract length, the start date you need and the decision date. If your process requires specific certifications or registrations, say so up front; the certifications buyers require in tenders are easier to meet when agencies see them early.

Ask for the same things from every agency

Fair comparison starts with a fixed response format. The PRCA template says the requirements section should detail what the proposal must include, for example a six-month activity calendar, creative ideas, team biographies, account management detail and a fully costed budget.

Public RFPs show how this looks in practice. The California Arts Council’s strategic communications RFP asks for a project narrative, a team description, at least two work examples and a cost worksheet, with a ten-page limit. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency asks for past work with quantified results, personnel lists, résumés and an organizational chart.

A solid question set for any communications RFP:

1. How do you understand our problem, and what would you do first?
2. Which two or three past projects are closest to ours, and what changed as a result?
3. Who exactly will work on our account, and how much of their time?
4. How will you measure and report progress?
5. What is your fee structure, and what is not included?
6. What do you need from us to succeed?

Also set the rules for questions. Covered California’s RFP asks bidders to send questions by a set deadline, to one email address, and posts the answers publicly so no one gets an edge.

Set evaluation criteria before proposals arrive

Publish your criteria and weights in the RFP. The PRCA recommends a pre-defined scoring framework shared in advance and applied consistently, covering strategic thinking, creativity, team and cultural fit, relevant experience, and value.

Weights reveal your priorities. Compare two public examples:

Notice how little cost counts in the first example. Your own weights should reflect what you genuinely need, not a template.

Score consistently and decide with confidence

In the Bowie BIC process, each evaluator scores every category from 0 to 100, applies the weight and sums the total, and the individual totals are averaged into one composite score. Others prefer a simpler one-to-five scale, with defined anchors from “unacceptable” to “exceptional”. Either works if every evaluator reads the scale the same way.

The California Arts Council adds a useful structure: a pass/fail administrative check, then technical scoring, then a cost formula that gives maximum points to the lowest bid. That keeps price from drowning out quality in the first read.

Finally, keep the process human. The PRCA notes that a scoring framework is guidance and that the final choice should also reflect which agency feels like the best long-term partner, and it warns against extra rounds that cause fatigue. It also asks that agencies hear the outcome within five working days.

Our perspective

We read a lot of briefs, and the best ones have something in common: they are honest about the grey space. They say what is unclear, what has failed, and what the team cannot yet decide.

For impact-driven organizations, that honesty matters even more. Your communications are not only selling something. They carry a mission, and often a funder’s expectations, a consortium’s obligations and a community’s trust. An agency that has only worked on commercial launches will price the work correctly and still miss the point.

So we would urge you to write the RFP as the first conversation of the partnership. Share the real problem. Share the budget range. Tell us how you will judge us. Then choose the team that challenges your thinking, not the one that simply repeats your brief back to you. We built Dante to work exclusively with organizations creating a positive impact, and we believe a clear brief is the fastest route to communications that change something in the real world.

Ali

Need a partner who speaks impact?

If you are drafting an RFP and want a sounding board, or you are ready to brief an agency that works only with NGOs, startups, public institutions and EU projects, we would love to hear from you. We deliver brand strategy, campaigns, content, social media management and communication consulting, all built around impact. See our full range of services.

If your brief centers on a campaign, our impact campaigns page shows how we approach them. If it starts with identity, read how to build a brand that proves its purpose.

FAQ

How long should a communications RFP be?

Long enough to remove guesswork, short enough that people read it. Most of the weight should sit in the problem, scope, requirements and criteria. Limit the response length too: the California Arts Council caps proposals at ten pages, excluding résumés and the cost worksheet.

Should I include my budget in the RFP?

Yes, or at least a range. The PRCA’s procurement guidance lists budget clarity among the things a client should provide at the briefing stage. Agencies can then propose work that fits, and you can compare like with like.

What are the most common agency evaluation criteria?

Understanding of your needs, strategic approach, relevant experience, team quality, creativity and cost. Public RFPs weight them differently, so decide which matter most to you before proposals arrive and share the weights with agencies.

Where can I find communications RFP examples?

Public agencies post full documents online. The Covered California, California Arts Council, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and Bowie BIC RFPs cited above are good starting points. Borrow their structure, then adapt the language to your own goals and procurement rules.

Sources

• Appointing communications agencies: writing effective briefs, GOV.UK
• Guide to Public Relations and Public Affairs Procurement, PRCA
• PR Agency Brief: How to Write, PRCA (2025)
• How to Write a Communications RFP That Gets Results, LegalClarity
• How to Fill Out an Agency Pitch Evaluation Form, LegalClarity
• Covered California RFP 2024-15
• California Arts Council RFP 24-006
• Tahoe Regional Planning Agency RFP CTA25022
• Bowie BIC communications RFP
• City of Buffalo Communications and Public Engagement Services RFP (2022)

Recommended

• Event Communications Plan: A Practical Guide for Impact Teams
• Media Agency 3.0 | A New Era
• Impact Campaigns