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Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about a bid with a very short turnaround, where I drafted the client questionnaire from experience and the delivery expert had little to add. I have rewritten it into a guide to writing clarification questions for a tight RFP.

With one bid dropped for lack of expertise, my manager assigned another the next day. It had to be submitted the following week, with questions to the client due in two days. After reading the documents, I judged it could be a standard response with some tailoring, and asked the delivery expert for his view. To my surprise, he asked for my input. I already had a list of questions from earlier bids, tailored it to this client, and he had little to add or remove. We sent it, hoping the client would take a while to reply.

Why do clarification questions matter so much?

Because they shape the scope you price. A good question can remove a risky assumption or reveal that the client wants something different from what the RFP says. On a short timeline, they are your one chance to reduce guesswork.

What makes a good clarification question?

• Specific: "How many users are in scope for the service desk?" rather than "Please share volumes."
• Tied to price or risk: ask what changes your estimate.
• Not revealing your approach: in open processes, other bidders may see the answers.
• Grouped by topic: so the client can route them to the right people.

How do you reuse questions from past bids?

Keep a question bank by service type, with notes on which questions produced useful answers. Tailor each set to the client's documents, and delete any question the RFP already answers, since those make a bidder look careless.

What if the client replies quickly?

Then the deadline is real. Plan as if answers will arrive the next day and there will be no extension. Hoping for a slow reply is how short bids become weekend work.

Should presales or delivery own the questions?

Both. Presales knows the patterns; delivery knows what will hurt later. A draft from presales, checked by delivery, is usually the quickest route.

Keep reading

• Asked for Overnight Changes After a Client Call?
• Your Weekend Work Was Called Irrelevant? Respond Calmly
• The Team Wants a New Approach Days Before the Deadline

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about a bid that warned of weekend work but needed only minimal support at first, where I finished my deck in under an hour and spent the rest of the day browsing. I have rewritten it into advice on using slack time during a bid.

After the first conversation suggested weekend support on a tight deadline, I waited anxiously for the next day's call with the account team. They wanted only minimal support that day. I took the early call from home, went to the office, and finished my deck in under an hour, though I sent it three hours later. The delivery expert was very impressed with it. With my part done, I spent the day watching videos and looking at shopping deals, unaware of what was coming next.

Why hold a finished deck for three hours?

Many people do it so that quick work does not look easy. It is usually better to send it when ready. Early delivery gives reviewers more time, and fast turnaround is noticed.

How should you use quiet time in a live bid?

• Anticipate the next request: draft the slides that are likely to be asked for.
• Check the RFP again: for requirements not yet covered.
• Prepare for questions: write short answers on your assumptions and estimates.
• Rest if you can: quiet days before a deadline are worth protecting.

What does "minimal support" usually hide?

Work that has not arrived yet. On bids with tight dates, the heavy requests tend to come in the last few days, often after client answers or leadership review.

How do you build on a good first impression?

Thank the expert for the feedback, ask what they need next, and deliver it as quickly. Early trust makes the later, harder days of a bid easier.

What did I learn?

That a fast start is valuable only if you use the time it buys. Spending it on the next part of the bid is what keeps weekends free.

Keep reading

• A Same-Day Deadline Lands While You Are on Leave
• Asked for Overnight Changes After a Client Call?
• Why One Clear Task List From Onsite Cuts Rework