Updated September 2026: in 2019, drained after a tight-deadline proposal, I was asked at the end of the day to "QA" a short-turnaround RFP response with minimal scope, then heard nothing until I chased my manager at lunch the next day. I have rewritten it into a checklist for quality-checking an RFP response at short notice.
My manager had let me rest after a draining deadline. Then, as everyone was leaving, he asked me to look at a short-turnaround RFP with "minimal scope to QA". I agreed and left. The next morning brought no email or details, and only when I reminded him at lunch did the work start moving. Short-notice QA requests often arrive like that: vague, late and urgent.
What does QA of an RFP response involve?
Checking that the response answers every question the client asked, is consistent throughout, and contains no errors that could cost the deal. It is not rewriting the solution. Agree that boundary at the start, or "QA" quietly becomes co-authoring.
What should you ask before starting?
- The RFP document itself and the submission deadline.
- Who owns the response and who can approve changes.
- Whether you are checking content, format, compliance or all three.
- When your comments are due back.
What should a QA checklist cover?
- Compliance: every RFP question answered, in the required order and format, within page or word limits.
- Consistency: the same numbers, names, timelines and team sizes across all sections.
- Client details: the correct client name everywhere, with no leftovers from a previous proposal.
- Commercials: figures matching between the pricing sheet and the narrative.
- Presentation: headings, numbering, fonts and table formatting.
How do you give QA feedback efficiently?
Group comments by severity: must fix, should fix and optional. Use comments in the document rather than long emails, and give a one-line summary at the top. The response owner should be able to decide in minutes what to act on.
What if the details do not arrive?
Chase early, as I eventually did. With a short turnaround, half a day lost waiting is a large share of the time available. A quick morning message, "Ready to start the QA; please share the RFP and draft", avoids the lunchtime surprise.