RFI template: the questions to ask suppliers before you write a specification

A request for information is the cheapest market research a procurement team can run. Done well, it gives you a shortlist, a realistic budget and a specification grounded in what the market offers. Done badly, it produces a pile of brochures.

What an RFI should achieve

Decide the outputs before you write a question. Most RFIs should deliver three things: a shortlist of credible suppliers, an indicative price range, and a list of requirements the market treats as standard, optional or unusual.

Recommended RFI structure

1. Purpose and status. State that the RFI is for information only, does not commit you to a purchase and does not guarantee an invitation to a later tender.

2. Background. Your organisation, the business need and the scale: users, sites, volumes and geographies.

3. Timeline and contact. Response deadline, clarification window and a single named contact.

4. Company information. Ownership, size, revenue range, locations, years trading and comparable clients.

5. Capability questions. What the supplier does, how and with what limits.

6. Commercial questions. Pricing models, indicative ranges and typical contract terms.

7. Risk and compliance. Certifications, security standards, insurance and sustainability commitments.

Questions that produce useful answers

• Describe two clients of similar size and scope. What did you deliver and what changed?
• Which of our listed requirements are standard in your offer, which carry extra cost, and which do you not support?
• What pricing models do you offer, and what drives the price up or down?
• What does a typical implementation or mobilisation plan look like, and how long does it take?
• What do clients most often underestimate when buying this service?
• Which certifications do you hold, and when were they last audited?

The fifth question is the most valuable in most RFIs. Suppliers know where projects go wrong, and their answers become requirements in your RFP.

Questions to avoid

Avoid yes or no questions ("Do you offer 24/7 support?"), questions with an obvious right answer and long questionnaires. A short RFI gets more responses and better ones. Twenty to thirty questions is enough for most categories.

From RFI to shortlist

Score responses against simple pass, partial and fail criteria for capability, scale and risk. Keep a record of why every supplier was or was not shortlisted. Then use what you learned to write the RFP specification and pricing schedule. If you are unsure which document comes next, see [RFI vs RFP vs RFQ](/blog/rfi-vs-rfp-vs-rfq-differences).

RFI template and full sourcing pack

The [Sourcing toolkit](/toolkits#toolkit-03) includes an editable RFI template alongside the RFP and RFQ documents, a pre-qualification questionnaire, a sourcing event timeline and checklist, and a supplier clarification log. For market research before the RFI, the [Demand, planning and strategy toolkit](/toolkits#toolkit-02) includes a market analysis toolkit.