Make the first date count, and the relationship should be worthwhile.

By Tom Hurley

5. Keep the lines of communication open. Do your part to keep all parties informed, and encourage agencies to call you with questions. If one agency has a question, share it with the other agencies whom you have invited to submit a proposal, as they are all likely to have the same concern. Remember that agencies will call you to determine if your organization would be a good fit for them. My agency has invested many hours researching and crafting responses to RFPs, ranging from “vague” to really “buttoned-down.” Frankly, there is a tendency to work extra hard on a proposal for someone to whom you have actually spoken.