Glossary term
RFP (Request for Proposal)
Also: Ausschreibung, Request for Quotation, RFQ
A structured document that invites vendors to propose a solution against specified requirements, evaluation criteria and timeline. RFPs are the formal front-end of most enterprise buying processes; DecisionOS sits upstream of the RFP and downstream of it, not inside it.
An RFP formalises requirements, commercial expectations and evaluation rules before vendors respond. Done well, it compresses the buying cycle and keeps the process defensible. Done badly, it produces long vendor responses that are impossible to compare and invite the worst kind of spreadsheet acrobatics.
The decision memo is a different artefact. The memo captures why the requirements are what they are, which options are really on the table (including incumbents and status quo), the dealbreakers and weighted criteria, and the evidence behind the decision. The RFP is the request; the memo is the decision.
In regulated scopes (public-sector procurement under UVgO or VgV, DORA Art. 28 due diligence), both artefacts are expected. The memo feeds the procurement file as the auditable decision basis; the RFP documents the formal commercial process.
Related terms
Vendor matrix
A structured comparison of vendor options across weighted criteria, showing scores, evidence per cel…
Decision memo
A short structured document that captures why a decision was made, the options considered, the crite…
Compliance mapping
The explicit link between a decision (vendor, architecture, control) and the specific regulatory art…