IT Managed Service Provider Request for Proposal Template

When small business owners or larger businesses decide to outsource the management of their technology needs to an IT managed services provider (MSP), our best advice is to always do an RFP. A carefully crafted request for proposal (RFP) enables organizations to collect bids from multiple vendors in order to more easily compare service options based on your individual needs - not based on the service provider line card.

Our experienced managed services team at Resultant has created a free, downloadable RFP template you can use for guidance on what should be included in your own IT-MSP request for proposal as you begin the evaluation process.

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Find Your Perfect IT MSP Partner with Our RFP Template

Outsourcing IT services to be managed by a third-party provider is a major business decision that will have a major impact on your business and its success. As you begin looking at each potential managed service partner, weighing your options can be frustrating because of all the inscrutable jargon and details. It feels as if you need a certification to sort through all of it. A useful way to move forward in the selection process is using a request for proposal template to give you a clear basis for comparing potential providers. Our IT managed service provider RFP template is a resource we make freely available to any business or organization that wants to engage the process with all due diligence.

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Key Facts

The main elements covered in our IT MSP RFP template are:

  • Cover Page:​ Think of this as a single-page executive summary about your company, the main critical features of the RFP and selection process (release date, due date for bids, timeframe for decision), and a concise description of what you’re looking for in terms of your IT managed service needs and an MSP partner.
  • Background:​ This section of the RFP template is a summary (a few paragraphs) of your organization, including a description of your market, what services or products you offer, a brief history, and the size (staff) and organizational structure. This gives context to how your IT department supports your greater mission and organizational goals.
  • Scope of Services:​ Defining this as precisely as possible is the key to making sure bids are for what you know you need. Our RFP template includes a comprehensive list of potential IT managed services from which you can choose the ones you want to include in your RFP.
  • Response Instructions:​ There are several details you need to layout in this section, including the process for submitting questions, whether there will be a bidder conference, submission instructions, so you get proposals in the format you want, bidder presentations to further cull the field, and the timeframe for vendor selection so bidders have an idea of when a project might begin.
  • Proposal Format:​ This section provides bidders with clear, detailed instructions on the sections you expect to see covered in a proposal.
    Evaluation Criteria:​ Be clear about what criteria you’ll be using to evaluate proposals. The template gives guidance on what criteria to include that you can then prioritize or weight them however suits you best.
  • Technical Environment:​ In this section, you provide bidders with a clear understanding of your technical environment, including users, locations, devices, and network information. The more robust and precise you make this section, the fewer questions bidders will have to ask.
  • Contract Clauses:​ This gives bidders a chance to inform you of the legal language they use in their contracts, for you to have an opportunity to do your legal review to see if any red flags come up.

Download RFP Template

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