Have you ever tried to write an animated video production RFP but had no clue where to begin? There are just way too many questions to answer. How do you convey the intention behind the request? How do you ensure that vendors will meet your expectations? How do you guide the video production company through the process and review their submission? If you’ve been in the same situation, then you’re not alone.
F. Learning Studio experienced the same pickle on both the requesting and the receiving ends. So, we’re here today to share our story and hopefully help you solve your headscratchers. In this article, you will find a complete guide to crafting a comprehensive request for a proposal brewed out of our real experience. We also include free RFP templates for you in the end!
What Is A Request For Proposal?
A request for proposal is a business document that announces a project, describes it, and solicits bids from vendors who may be interested in it. RFPs are most popular among organizations as a great way to launch their projects.
Qualified bidders then send back their proposals to the requesting entity for evaluation. The company will consider the feasibility of the bids submitted, the financial health as well as the ability of the bidding companies to determine the best vendor for the project.
4 Steps To Create An Accurate Animated Video Production RFP 2021
Here are 4 easy steps to follow when writing an RFP:
- Introduce yourself
- Explain the project
- Ask for relevant information
- Detail your contact information
Step 1: Introduce Yourself
Always start a request for proposal by introducing your company. However, try not to have yourself carried away in this section. Only include the basic information that helps the bidders understand your organization. Points like your mission statement, your products or services, your target audience are to be considered. Additionally, mention things that may influence the project.
Try to be succinct but clear enough to ensure retention so that the vendors will truly understand what your company is about.
Pro Tips:
#1 Of course, any competent vendor will conduct research on your business as soon as the animated video production RFP reaches them. However, there are chances that they may not find everything they need to know. Hence, it’s a great idea to include interesting pieces of information like your insights as a token of mutual respect. It may heighten the vendor’s proficiency.
#2 The better you specify yourself as an organization, the better chance you have at finding the perfect vendor. For example, if you’re doing a training program, provide some information about your target audience (students, employees,…), what the program will bring to them as well as the thoughts you have for future projects.
Step 2: Explain The Project
This section is where you go into detail about the project. The proposals you’ll receive depend greatly on how you describe your requirements. Therefore, you must try to be as specific and accurate as possible with all the details. That showcases your company’s attention on the project. Accordingly, the vendors put more effort into the proposals to match, giving you a true sense of what they’re capable of.
Let’s go over the points you want to cover when describing your project:
Expected Goals
Be clear about what you want to achieve with the video. It helps vendors understand what you’re trying to do and build their plan to match accordingly. For example, a viral video designed to increase website conversions is different from the one designed to sharpen your brand image.
Pro Tip:
If you’re trying to create a training program or learning course, your goal should focus on ensuring knowledge retention.
Required Qualifications
Just like when hiring a new member for your team, you need to have some kind of selection criteria when outsourcing animation vendors. In the animated video production RFP, tell the bidders exactly what you want in a video production company. What impresses you the most? Is it high-quality products/services? Affordable pricing? Or perhaps, extensive experience in similar projects. This saves time for both you and the vendors. Any provider that doesn’t meet your requirements can simply back out of the proposal. In return, you’ll have fewer submissions to go through during the selection process.
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Target Platforms
Inform the vendors about where your video will appear. Is it on your social media channels, on your websites, or shown in a live event? Each platform requires a different video format, size, and aspect ratio. Skip the confusion and provide these specifications beforehand.
Submission Deadline
Set a deadline for vendors to submit their proposals. You should also specify other important dates of the selection process, including the day you’ll announce the results.
Video Production Process Timeline
Provide accurate dates for each point in the production process of the video. You should specify the estimated deadlines for the script, style frames, storyboard, animation draft, and final video. Try to maintain realistic and flexible timeframes at this stage of the process. Producing a video often takes quite a while. If you’re searching for vendors to create an animated video series, try to determine the due dates for each episode.
Type of Video
If you already know what type of video you need, clarify the information to the bidders in your animated video production RFP. The common types of animated videos are explainer videos, product videos, commercial videos, tutorial videos, testimonial videos, or FAQ videos.
This process is especially important for developing employee training courses. Each type of video fits a specific type of training content. For example, companies often use whiteboard animation to explain graphic images without frightening the audience. On the other hand, explainer videos are great for clarifying complicated concepts, and 3D animation works best when the project requires details.
Your References
If there’s a video from another company that catches your attention, let the vendors know. Provide the video companies with references to get inspired by. Shower them with any ideas, style frames, or images that you want to include in your videos. References will help vendors have a clearer idea of your expectations. Hence, they are more likely to deliver what you ask for.
Your Budget
There’s no saying for sure how much an animated video may cost you. The price range varies significantly from video to video, depending on the type of animation, the complexity, and a basket full of other factors. Providing how much you are willing to invest in the project allows vendors to develop a proposal that fits your budget. Just like with the timeline, make sure the budget is reasonable.
Pro Tip:
If you don’t have a budget in mind, ask for consultation from the vendor. Explain the project to them to find a price tag that works best for both companies.
Step 3: Ask For Relevant Information
Since you have shared information about your company and your project, it’s time the bidders talk about theirs. Ask the vendors for important information about their video production company.
Here are the points you want to include:
Company Overview
Ask the vendors to provide a brief rundown of their video production company. However, avoid getting into too specific details. Only ask the relevant questions that you think may help you get to know the providers.
Capabilities
Here’s where you test the competence of the vendors. You can expect the video production companies to blow their horns in this part of the video production RFP. Still, this information is incredibly helpful in determining an ideal fit for the project.
Relevant Experience
To see whether the vendors would do a great job, ask for their experience with similar projects. For example, if you’re looking for a company to produce training courses, request to see their similar products. Then you’ll have a much better perspective on the type of work the vendors are comfortable with. This is another vital point to base your decision on.
Production Process
Ask the video company how they plan to handle the production process in case they’re selected. Their answer should tell you how the providers comply with your time and meet the deadline while keeping the quality.
Pro Tip:
Pay extra attention to this point when you’re creating a series of animated videos. When there is more than one video involved, the schedule may get a little overwhelming. You need to make sure that the vendors can handle such a large workload and guarantee to deliver top-quality videos in time.
Team Members
This may sound like a strange thing to ask. But wanting to know who does what during the video production process is completely normal. You can check their qualifications and skills to make sure they’re suitable for the project.
However, be careful not to go overboard with your questions. Stop at their LinkedIn or Behance profiles only. If you take one step further and demand to see the employees’ qualifications or resumes, it’s a bit over the top. It costs both the vendors’ time to find and send the information and your effort to go through them all.
Outsourcing
Many vendors reach out to other companies or freelancers for certain parts of the project. As the requesting client, you can ask the bidders which part of the video production will be outsourced. Find out how it can affect you as the client, or does outsourcing involve any additional cost or risk?
Pricing
Ask the vendor about the prices they charge for their services. If possible, compare the price proposal with the price tags of their previous type of projects.
Step 4: Detail Your Contact Info
Lastly, clarify how the vendors can reach your company to submit their proposal or clear out their doubts about the project. Provide your contact information, mentioning the name of the person who uptakes the submissions or explaining other necessary details.
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5 Tips To Improve Your RFP
1. Use Links To Specify References
It’s practical to provide the recipients of the animated video production RFP with some guidance for the project. When you and the vendors can settle down on the design of the video, then it becomes easier to determine the price range. It helps both sides to develop more accurate bids. Using references is a great way to let the bidders understand precisely what you’re looking for in a video. Include examples of the type of videos and links to any sample you’re fond of. This offers a more explicit idea than reading some words in a PDF.
2. Include The Number Of Recipients
Your goal should be to get as many bids from video production agencies as possible. The more you get, the pickier you can be in the selection process. Vendors will provide better responses when they know how many people they are competing with. However, do not include a number that is too overwhelming. Seeing a staggering number of competitors may scare off potential providers.
3. Ask For Client References
Past customers’ references may assure that the vendors are competent. While video production companies can be less than 100% honest with you, their clients won’t. Request to see previous clients’ testimonials and statistics to determine the vendors’ capabilities. If you want first-hand experience, just ask for their contact info and reach out to them on your own.
4. Ask For The Vendors’ Unique Selling Point
The competition is stiff, especially since many vendors offer the same services. In this case, knowing what a company can do that others cannot undoubtedly assist you in deciding which vendor to choose. It also gives you early insight into how well they communicate value propositions.
5. Ask How The Vendors Handle Revision
There’s a high chance that the video production agency may not get the video right on its first try. If revision is required, learn how the vendors handle the process. Don’t assume a revision process already comes with the production; just ask. Be clear on your expectations.
Free RFP Template
Looking for a head-start for your animated video production RFP? Download our free sample templates below!
Conclusion
The RFP defines the project on both ends of the spectrum. A well-written RFP conveys the intention behind the request and ensures that the proposal will meet expectations. It also ensures the most efficient approach to the project. The requesting company can sift through various ideas and choose the one that best suits its needs.
However, there’s still a chance that an animated video production RFP may not lead you to the right vendor. Whether you find the perfect agency or not, there’s no escaping the fact that sending an RFP and evaluating submissions take a lot of time, patience, and effort. So, if you’re looking for a partner who provides top-quality animation in the optimal amount of time, team up with F.Learning Studio. Want to learn more about us? Hop on over to our services page.
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