I’m an episode behind on this comment but it has to do with your Christmas wish list regarding RFPs and budgets. You mentioned that the client being explicit about the budget of the proposed project helps the PR firm to provide a more accurate proposal. I believe there is also a benefit to the client.

By making the budget clear in the RFP, the client can compare the responses of the competing PR firms more objectively. Without a stated budget, they are comparing approaches that could vary widely depending on the amount allocated. If all the PR firms are using the same budget, the client can more easily compare the value of each response.

As you’ve alluded to, the whole RFP process needs to be revamped. A few months ago I was part of a forum involving professional services consultants and service purchasers to begin establishing best practices for the RFP process. I wrote a blog post about it called “Should we shred the RFP process?”. I’d love to hear feedback from Inside PR listeners on the subject. You can find the post at messagecom.wordpress.com.

The post’s specific link is: http://messagecom.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/should-we-ditch-the-rfp-process/