Writing Clarification Questions for a Tight RFP

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