Creating The Perfect RFP For Your Mobile App

You may have a significant mobile app idea for your business and may want to ask a developer to develop it for you. But wait! Do not rush things. It is very essential to find the right development company to build your business app. So, you need to be clear about what you want to include and what is to be omitted in your mobile app and plan out and create a mobile app Request for Proposal (RFP).

RFP is a tender document that helps you find the right people for getting a job done. In case of mobile apps, any business can create there RFP and post it to elicit bids from potential mobile app development companies. So, an RFP is a detailed, structured, comprehensive representation of your business or company that has all details about the scope, requirements, and functionality explained thoroughly. The purpose of this document is to help you access and hire mobile app developers logically as per your needs, expectations, and scope of work is defined. A well-written RFP makes it easy for the developers to gauge the effort and cost estimates and check if they are on the same page as you.  A good RFP also helps build healthy business relations, leading to excellent projects and best results.

Even if you are planning to use big data based mobile apps for business growth, here is a guide to using the right strategies for creating the perfect RFP structure for your business app. This structure can help you get the right bids from the top mobile app development companies around.

#1: State the purpose of the project

You need to state the purpose of the project you wish to develop as the first point in your RFP. It should articulate your business problem and ‘pain point’ your organisation has been facing, its related KPIs, and the reason for this idea to evolve in your mind in short. This section needs to answer many questions such as the state (functional/ terminated) of your current mobile project, in case of mobile app redesign. You should describe your problem in detail instead of explaining the solution here. This information eases the process for mobile app developers, and they can suggest a relevant solution by thinking outside the box.

#2: Give details regarding the background of the company

The RFP should contain a brief about the functions of the company and the real-world problems it tries to solve. Information related to the stakeholders of the company, core products and services offered, your corporate values, statistics about the company, achievements and awards, and some industry and marketing insights. This information can help the app development company ascertain if your products and services and your core values are in alignment with the skills and goals of the app development company.

#3: Detailed description of project and target audience

After this, you need to explain the idea you have and the goal you want to achieve with this mobile app. You need to share your views regarding the qualitative design or any quantitative metrics of the app that will make it a success. You have to define and describe your target audience or perspective users and be in the shoes of the user to explain what are your expectations from the users when they open your app. You should be clear and precise in your descriptions if you want the top app development companies to approach you.

#4: Explain the scope, requirements, and deliverables of the project

You have to define the services your project will offer and the services you expect to be delivered by the app developers such as consultation, design, development, QA testing, marketing, etc. You should mention your requirements of the operating system and platforms clearly, whether you want to build the app on iOS, Android, Windows, Blackberry, it is supposed to be a native app or a hybrid app, it has to be based on Progressive web apps, IoT, Beacon, Smart TV, or OTT platforms – everything needs to be clarified.

The details of your technology stack and the technologies you want the app to work on, also need to be mentioned. Provide the details of the CMS you are using, if any, and the APIs so that the developers have a fair idea if they need to develop APIs or you will provide them with your own to meet the technical requirements and cater to the needs of your business. Mention clearly your choices for front-end coding (HTML/ CSS/ JS), back-end coding (Third party APIs/ custom features/ CMS), and frameworks (Xamarin/ CakePHP/ PhoneGap/ others).

#5: Set the timeline

The targeted timelines should be made clear at the beginning itself. The complexity of the app and the number of screens will determine the timelines. Though the exact dates cannot be quoted as there may be many changes and updates needed, and an approximate date by when you want the project to be delivered must be mentioned. This will help the vendors determine if they have sufficient team to finish the project on time or not.

#6: Clearly mention the budget you have allocated for the app

As all mobile app development companies do not have the same cost structure, you should include a budget range in your mobile app RFP clearly. This saves unnecessary time wastage of both parties in dealing with mobile app development companies that do not fit your budget requirements. In the budget, you should state the investment cost clearly by highlighting the separate budget for API, or hardware (like beacon or IoT device) to be used in the app development in a separate column.

#7: Express the need for after-sales support and maintenance

All app development companies do not provide post-sales support and maintenance services. However, expert support is needed for software services like app development post-launch. So, you need to mention explicitly about your requirement of post-deployment support that may include upgradation of the app for functioning on new OS versions and new devices or to add latest features that reach the market. After all, technology becomes obsolete at a rapid pace if not upgraded regularly.

#8: Specify your testing and analytics requirements

An app is a dynamic venture and to determine the success of your app; you need to track the number of inbound visitors, lead conversions, and other real-time big data. The vendor should be asked to quote clearly the analytics support they will apply to your app project and any analytics tools your app must buy to improve your marketing campaigns.
 
To conclude
Keeping all the above-mentioned points in mind, you need to prepare a detailed mobile RFP to attract ambitious bids from the top mobile app development companies and freelance app developers across the world and make wise decisions to choose the right one for your business app.