RFP in tender: what RFP, RFQ, EOI, RFI and NIT mean, and how they differ

RFP in a tender means request for proposal: the document a government buyer sends to shortlisted firms asking how they would do a job and what they would charge. It usually comes after an EOI, and it sits among other short forms, such as RFQ, RFI and NIT, that confuse new bidders. This guide explains each one from the Department of Expenditure's procurement manuals, shows the differences in one table, and tells you what to prepare at each stage.

What is an RFP in a tender? (RFP full form)

RFP stands for Request for Proposal. Rule 186 of the General Financial Rules (GFR) 2017 describes it as "the document to be used by the Ministry/Department for obtaining offers from the consultants for the required service", issued "to the shortlisted consultants to seek their technical and financial proposals".

Three things set an RFP apart from an ordinary tender:

• It goes to a shortlist. For consultancy, the RFP is sent only to firms shortlisted earlier, usually through an EOI. Proposals from firms that weren't shortlisted "shall not be entertained", and a shortlisted firm can't pass the RFP on to another firm without the buyer's permission.
• You propose how you'll do the work. Besides a price, you submit your approach, method, work plan and team. The buyer scores these.
• Quality can count alongside price. Depending on the selection method, the cheapest proposal doesn't always win.

The name is used loosely too. The Department of Expenditure's (DoE) glossary notes that a tender document is called an "RfP document" in some contexts, and that a notice inviting tenders is sometimes called a "request for proposals". The DEA's model PPP bid document and MeitY's model bid document for IT implementation agencies are both called RFPs. So read what the document asks for, not only its name.

RFP, RFQ, EOI, RFI and NIT: full forms

RFP vs RFQ vs EOI: the difference

The two-stage process: EOI, then RFP

The consultancy manual explains why: it's too slow and costly for everyone to prepare and evaluate full proposals, so the buyer first shortlists firms it can trust, then asks only them for proposals.

Stage 1: the EOI

• How it's found. Above ₹50 lakh, the request for EOI must be published on GeM and GeM-CPPP (Rule 183), and on the buyer's own website if it has one. Up to ₹50 lakh, the buyer can build a long list from enquiries with other departments, chambers of commerce and associations of consultancy firms, without advertising.
• How many get shortlisted. At least three (Rule 184). The consultancy manual says the shortlist should have not fewer than 3 and not more than 8 firms. If fewer than three qualify and the criteria can't be relaxed, the buyer may go ahead with the competent authority's approval.
• What it asks. Your experience over a stated period (say five years) in similar assignments, and your turnover, overall and from consultancy. Under DoE's model, it does not ask for your approach, key experts' CVs, or legal papers such as incorporation certificates; those belong to the RFP.
• Startups. For DPIIT-recognised startups, the prior turnover and experience conditions are to be relaxed, except where public safety, health or critical security justify not doing so.
• Partners. Unless the EOI says otherwise, you may team up with other firms to qualify, but you must say whether it's a joint venture or consortium, or a sub-consultancy.
• Validity. Your EOI must stay valid for at least 60 days after the deadline.

Departments that hire consultants often may keep a panel of qualified consultants for jobs under ₹50 lakh, instead of running an EOI each time.

Stage 2: the RFP

The shortlisted firms get the RFP and send technical and financial proposals, normally in separate envelopes or covers. Technical proposals are opened and scored first. Financial proposals are opened only for firms that pass (Rule 190).

Two-stage bidding for goods and works

The same idea is used outside consultancy. Rule 164 allows two-stage bidding when the buyer can't write detailed specifications without the bidders' input, when technology changes fast, for research and development, or when the bidder must survey and assess the risks itself. In the first stage, the buyer invites EOI bids without prices and shortlists capable firms, often after technical discussions. In the second stage, the shortlisted firms bid with prices against revised specifications. A bidder who can't meet the revised terms can withdraw without losing its bid security.

The goods manual suggests shortlisting everyone who scores the minimum marks (normally 60%) and says the shortlist should normally have at least four firms. Sometimes the EOI says ahead of time that the second stage will be open to all bidders. This "non-committal" EOI should not ask for bid security.

What's inside an RFP

DoE's Manual for Procurement of Consultancy Services, 2025 lists the sections of a standard RFP:

1. Section I: RFP letter and tender information summary. Who is buying, what, and the date, time and place to submit. It does the job that an NIT does in a goods or services tender.
2. Section II: Instructions to consultants. How to prepare and submit the proposal, pre-bid meetings, clarifications, the evaluation method, weights and minimum passing score, and the proposal validity, normally 90 days.
3. Section III: Appendix to the instructions. Details for this job: deadlines, qualification criteria, selection method.
4. Sections IV and V: General and special conditions of contract. Everything after the award: payment, termination, disputes. Special conditions override general ones.
5. Section VI: Terms of reference (TOR). Background, objectives, scope, deliverables, timelines and what the buyer will provide. Section VI-A lists the key experts and their required qualifications.
6. Section VII: Evaluation and scoring criteria. Usually your firm's relevant experience, your method and work plan, and your key experts' qualifications.

You reply with technical forms (T-1 to T-10: covering letter, firm's experience, comments on the TOR, approach and method, work schedule, team and CVs, compliance, checklist, EMD bank guarantee format and integrity pact) and a financial proposal in the buyer's BOQ spreadsheet, split into remuneration, reimbursable expenses and other costs, with all taxes included.

Points that catch bidders out:

• The budget isn't shown (except under fixed budget selection), but the expected time input of key experts is.
• A "NIL" fee makes the proposal unresponsive.
• Presentations carry no marks unless the RFP says so.
• Want to add a partner after shortlisting? You need the buyer's written approval at least 14 days before the RFP deadline. With a firm that wasn't shortlisted, you must be the lead member.
• The RFP must stay valid for at least 90 days from the submission deadline.

Rule 186 of the GFR gives a shorter list with the same core: a letter of invitation, instructions, the TOR, eligibility criteria (if not already checked at the EOI), key positions whose CVs will be evaluated, evaluation criteria, standard formats, proposed contract terms, and the review procedure for reports.

How proposals are evaluated: LCS and QCBS in brief

• LCS (least cost selection): proposals must reach a minimum technical score, normally 75 out of 100, or pass simple pass/fail tests. Among those that pass, the lowest price wins. The consultancy manual makes LCS the default and asks for written reasons to use anything else. Rule 193 suits it to standard or routine work such as audits and the engineering design of non-complex works.
• QCBS (quality and cost based selection): the minimum technical score is normally 70 to 80. The lowest price gets 100 cost points and others get fewer, in proportion. The two scores are combined with weights such as 70:30, and quality can never be weighted above 80% (Rule 192). The highest combined score wins.
• Fixed budget selection (best technical proposal within a stated budget) and single source selection (in exceptional cases) are also allowed.

For a worked QCBS example and how L1 is found, see L1 in tender.

RFQ: request for qualification or request for quotation?

Request for Qualification (PPP projects)

In PPP projects, RFQ means a pre-qualification stage. DoE's model RFQ for PPP projects (issued with an office memorandum of 18 May 2009) describes a two-stage process: in the qualification stage, the authority shortlists up to six pre-qualified applicants, and only they get the RFP to bid. DEA's newer 2025 model RFP for PPP projects uses a single stage with two parts instead: a technical bid, then a financial bid for those who qualify.

Request for Quotation (purchases)

"Request for quotation" isn't a term the GFR defines; some PSUs and departments use it for their own enquiries. In central rules, the closest thing is a limited tender enquiry, used for goods up to ₹50 lakh (Rule 162). The bidding document goes directly to more than three firms on the list of registered suppliers, and the goods manual's model limited tender form asks each firm to "submit… your quotation".

Two smaller purchase methods don't involve a quotation request at all, and both apply only when the item is not on GeM:

• Up to ₹50,000: purchase without quotation, on the competent authority's certificate (Rule 154).
• Above ₹50,000 and up to ₹5 lakh: a purchase committee surveys the market and picks a supplier (Rule 155). The goods manual says there is "no question of obtaining quotations by email or otherwise" here.

To be invited to limited tenders, you need to be on the buyer's list of registered suppliers.

What are RFI and NIT?

RFI (Request for Information)

An RFI asks the market what's available before the buyer writes the specifications. The Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 describes it as "a means to seek information from the vendors", used to frame requirements, decide the acquisition category, estimate the budget and shape the RFP. It says plainly: "The issue of RFI is not a commitment for procurement". Not answering an RFI query "would in no way debar" a vendor from getting the RFP, and vendors get at least eight weeks to respond.

Civil ministries do something similar through a pre-NIT conference (market consultation), widely publicised, to collect industry inputs before the tender is final.

NIT (Notice Inviting Tender)

The NIT is the part of the tender that actually invites offers, which is why the goods manual says it is "of legal importance". It must give enough information for you to decide whether to bid and how. Central buyers must publish their tender enquiries, RFPs, requests for EOI and notices for pre-qualification or registration on the Central Public Procurement Portal (CPPP), except purchases without quotation, purchase-committee buys and cases exempted for national security. That's why GovtTenderHub can show you EOIs and RFPs among CPPP tenders.

A limited tender NIT published on CPPP carries a note that it is "for information only", that participation is by invitation and limited to registered suppliers, and that unsolicited offers are liable to be ignored.

How to respond: a checklist

1. Find the EOI in time. If you skip it, you can't bid on the RFP. Watch consultancy tenders and set tender alerts for your keywords.
2. Match the EOI's qualification table line by line: years of experience, number of similar assignments, turnover. Our guide to tender eligibility criteria explains how these are measured.
3. Decide on partners early. Say in the EOI if you are bidding as a joint venture or with a sub-consultant. Adding one at the RFP stage needs written approval at least 14 days before the deadline.
4. Read the evaluation criteria first when the RFP arrives. They tell you where marks are, such as experience, method or key experts.
5. Line up key experts with CVs that match Section VI-A. They don't have to be your permanent staff.
6. Fill only the buyer's BOQ sheet for the price, without changing its structure, with all taxes included.
7. Keep the price out of the technical cover. It belongs in the financial proposal only.
8. Ask questions in the pre-bid meeting or in writing by the date given.

Common questions

What is the full form of RFP in a tender?

RFP stands for Request for Proposal. It is the bid document sent to shortlisted firms, mostly consultants, asking for a technical proposal and a financial proposal against the terms of reference (GFR Rule 186).

What is the difference between RFP and RFQ?

An RFP asks how you will do a job and at what price, and is often judged on quality as well as cost. An RFQ is either a request for quotation, where you quote a price for clearly specified items, or, in PPP projects, a request for qualification that shortlists bidders before the RFP.

What is the difference between EOI and RFP?

An EOI is the first stage: you show your experience and finances without a price, and the buyer makes a shortlist. The RFP is the second stage: only shortlisted firms submit full technical and financial proposals, and the contract is awarded from these.

Is an EOI a tender?

It is part of the tender process, but it doesn't lead to a contract by itself. It produces a shortlist. Central buyers must still publish requests for EOI on CPPP, like other tender notices.

Do I need to pay EMD for an EOI or RFP?

Usually there's no price, and so often no bid security, at the EOI stage; the goods manual says a non-committal EOI should not ask for any. The RFP may ask for EMD or a bid security declaration; DoE's standard technical forms include an EMD bank guarantee format. Check the document. See EMD in tender for exemptions.

What is NIT in a tender?

NIT means Notice Inviting Tender. It is the formal invitation that tells bidders what is being bought, who can bid, the key dates and where to get the documents. It's the part of the tender that legally invites offers.

What is an RFI in procurement?

An RFI (request for information) asks suppliers about available products, capabilities and rough costs before the buyer decides its requirements. It is not a commitment to buy, and not replying does not stop you from receiving the later RFP.