Design agency RFP template with weighted scoring (free, ungated)

This design agency RFP template comes with a weighted scoring sheet, so three proposals written in three different styles can be compared line by line. Copy the template below or download the Word file and the Excel scoring sheet, fill in the brackets, set your weights, and send the same pack to every agency on your shortlist.

It is free and ungated: no email, no sign-up. The template is design-specific, so it works for a website redesign, a brand identity, a product UI or a campaign, and it fixes the two problems that make most RFPs useless: proposals in incomparable formats, and scoring that is decided after the price is known.

When you need an RFP (and when a brief is enough)

An RFP (request for proposal) is a formal invitation for several agencies to compete for the same project, with the rules written down: what to submit, by when, and how you will judge it.

You need one when:

• You are inviting three or more agencies.
• Procurement, finance or a board needs a documented, scored decision.
• The budget is large enough that a wrong choice is expensive.
• You are in the public sector or using grant money with its own rules.

For one or two agencies and a contained project, a design brief is enough. The RFP below attaches that brief rather than repeating it, so write the brief first.

What to Include in Your Website Redesign RFP (opens YouTube)

The design agency RFP template

Copy the box into a new Google Doc or Word file, or use the download above.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL: [PROJECT NAME]
Issued by: [Company]   Issue date: [Date]   Version: [1.0]
RFP contact: [Name, role, email] (all questions in writing to this contact)

1. ABOUT US
[Two short paragraphs: what the company does, size, where it is based,
who the customers are.]

2. PROJECT SUMMARY
Goal: [One main goal]
Success measure: [Number, date or decision]
The full design brief is attached as Appendix A.

3. SCOPE AND DELIVERABLES
In scope:
- [Deliverable, format, quantity]
- [Deliverable, format, quantity]
Not in scope:
- [e.g. copywriting, development, photography]
Optional items to price separately:
- [e.g. development in Webflow, motion assets]

4. BUDGET
Budget range: [$ low to $ high], excluding [taxes/expenses if relevant].
Proposals far outside this range should explain why.

5. TIMELINE
RFP issued: [date]
Written questions due: [date]
Answers shared with all agencies: [date]
Proposals due: [date, time, time zone]
Shortlist notified: [date]
Shortlist presentations: [date range]
Decision: [date]
Project start: [date]
Fixed project deadline: [date and the reason for it]

6. WHAT YOUR PROPOSAL MUST CONTAIN
Use the section order below so we can compare proposals fairly.
Maximum [10] pages excluding case studies.
 6.1 Your understanding of our goal (max 1 page)
 6.2 Proposed approach and phases
 6.3 Relevant work: 2 to 3 case studies with the client's problem,
     what you did, and the result
 6.4 Team: who will work on this, their role and % of time
 6.5 Timeline against our dates
 6.6 Price: fixed fee per phase, plus the rates for any extra work
 6.7 Assumptions and what you need from us
 6.8 Two client references we may contact

7. HOW WE WILL EVALUATE PROPOSALS
Criterion                               Weight
Understanding of our goal and audience    [25]%
Relevant work and results                 [20]%
Team and capacity                         [15]%
Process and collaboration                 [10]%
Price and value                           [20]%
Terms and risk                            [10]%
Each criterion is scored 1 to 5 by each evaluator, then agreed
as a team. The highest scores are shortlisted for presentations.

8. COMMERCIAL TERMS
Payment: [e.g. by milestone, net 30]
Intellectual property: on full payment, all rights in the final
deliverables and source files transfer to [Company] by written
assignment. List any third-party assets (fonts, stock) and licences.
Revisions: state how many rounds each phase includes.
Changes: state how out-of-scope work is quoted and approved.
Termination: state what happens to fees and files if either side ends
the project early.
Insurance: [state any requirement].

9. SUBMISSION
Send one PDF to [email] by [deadline]. Late proposals [will / will not]
be considered. We do not ask for or pay for unsolicited design
concepts at this stage.

10. RULES
- Questions go only to the RFP contact; answers are shared with all.
- We may shortlist, negotiate or cancel at any stage.
- Everything we send is confidential and for this RFP only.

APPENDIX A: Design brief
APPENDIX B: Brand guidelines and links

Why the reply format matters more than the questions

Most RFPs ask good questions and then get answers in five different shapes: a 40-page deck, a two-page letter, a slide with one price, a portfolio link. You end up comparing presentation skills instead of agencies.

Section 6 fixes the order and the length. When every proposal puts “team” in section 6.4 and “price per phase” in 6.6, your evaluators can lay them side by side. Two details do most of the work:

• “Who will work on this, and what percentage of their time.” It exposes the agency that pitches with senior people and staffs with juniors.
• “Assumptions and what you need from us.” This is where hidden costs live: content you are expected to supply, rounds of feedback you are expected to finish in two days, development that turns out not to be included.

The weighted scoring sheet

Set the criteria and weights before the RFP goes out, and tell the agencies what they are. If you decide the weights after you have seen the prices, you will, without meaning to, pick weights that favour the agency you already like.

Default criteria and weights

Criterion	Weight	What a 5 looks like
Understanding of our goal and audience	25%	Restates the goal in their own words, asks sharp questions, spots a risk we missed
Relevant work and results	20%	Case studies close to our problem, with the client’s goal and an outcome, not just visuals
Team and capacity	15%	Named people, realistic time allocation, senior time on the work and not only in the pitch
Process and collaboration	10%	Clear phases, feedback points, decision owners, how they handle disagreement
Price and value	20%	Fixed fee per phase inside our range, clear about what is extra
Terms and risk	10%	IP transfers on payment, revision rounds stated, fair change and exit terms

Change the weights to fit the project. A brand identity might put more on relevant work; a fixed-budget public project might put more on price.

The 1 to 5 scale

Score	Meaning
5	Excellent: clearly exceeds what we asked for
4	Good: fully meets it, with some strengths
3	Acceptable: meets it, nothing more
2	Weak: partly meets it, gaps or vague answers
1	Poor: missing or does not meet it

The formula

Weighted score = sum of (weight × score ÷ 5), giving a total out of 100. The Excel sheet does this for you: enter each evaluator’s 1 to 5 scores and the weights, and it calculates each agency’s total.

A worked example

Illustration only: three fictional agencies scored by a consensus team.

Criterion (weight)	Agency A	Agency B	Agency C
Understanding (25%)	4	5	3
Relevant work (20%)	5	3	4
Team and capacity (15%)	3	4	4
Process (10%)	4	4	3
Price and value (20%)	2	4	5
Terms and risk (10%)	3	4	3
Weighted total (out of 100)	71	81	75

Agency A has the best portfolio but the weakest price and staffing answers. Agency B understood the problem best and offered fair terms. Agency C was cheapest. On these weights, B and C go to presentations. The score picks the shortlist; the final decision still comes from the presentations and the references.

How to run the scoring

1. Pick three to five evaluators from the people who will live with the result: marketing, product, the budget owner.
2. Score alone first. Each evaluator scores every proposal before any discussion, with a one-line reason for each score.
3. Meet and agree a consensus score. Discuss the criteria where scores differ by two points or more. Change a score only for a reason someone can point to in the proposal.
4. Shortlist the top two or three for presentations and reference calls.
5. Keep the sheet. If procurement or a board asks why you chose an agency, the scoring sheet is your record.

Proposal Evaluation Phase 2 Team Meeting & Consensus Scoring (opens YouTube)

A realistic RFP timeline

Our suggested planning schedule, not market data. Adjust it to your project.

Step	Allow
Write the brief and the RFP, agree the weights	1 to 2 weeks
Agencies prepare questions	1 week
You answer questions (shared with everyone)	2 to 3 days
Agencies write proposals	2 weeks from the answers
Individual scoring and consensus meeting	1 week
Shortlist presentations and reference calls	1 week
Decision, negotiation and contract	1 to 2 weeks

Two weeks to write a proposal is a reasonable minimum for a meaningful project. Squeeze it and you mostly get recycled boilerplate.

Mistakes that sink design RFPs

1. No budget range. You cannot compare a $20,000 proposal with a $120,000 one for “the same” project.
2. Weights decided after opening the proposals.
3. Asking for free concepts. Many strong agencies will not do unpaid spec work, and concepts made without research tell you little.
4. Too many agencies. Ten proposals rarely get ten careful readings.
5. Private answers. If you answer one agency’s question, share the answer with all of them.
6. No IP clause. Under US copyright law, most commissioned design work, such as a logo or a website design, is not a “work made for hire” just because you paid for it; you need a written assignment. See the Copyright Office’s Circular 30 and the questions to ask before you sign.
7. Ghosting the agencies you did not pick. Send a short no with one line of feedback. You may want to work with them later.

Next steps

• Write the design brief that goes in Appendix A.
• Use the questions to ask a design agency for the shortlist presentations and reference calls.
• Score the finalists with the design agency evaluation scorecard and compare quotes with the proposal comparison template.
• Check your budget against what Bay Area design agencies charge.
• For the whole process from shortlist to contract, see how to hire a design agency in the Bay Area.

Further reading

• AIGA Standard Form of Agreement for Design Services: modular contract terms from the US design association, useful for section 8.
• US Copyright Office Circular 30: Works Made for Hire (revised Aug 2024): when the commissioning party owns the copyright, and when it does not.