--- title: "Business Continuity RFP: Scope, Questions & Evaluation" description: Learn how to scope a business continuity RFP, define deliverables, structure pricing, evaluate consultants, and compare proposals consistently. image: https://46330580.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/46330580/Imported_Blog_Media/business-continuity-rfp.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://mha-it.com/blog/business-continuity-rfp#main-content) [![MHA by BCMMetrics - navy](https://46330580.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/46330580/hubfs/MHA%20by%20BCMMetrics%20-%20navy.png?width=245&height=54&name=MHA%20by%20BCMMetrics%20-%20navy.png "MHA by BCMMetrics - navy")](https://mha-it.com/) - [Our Consulting Services](https://mha-it.com/what-we-do) - [Business Continuity](https://mha-it.com/business-continuity) - [Crisis Management](https://mha-it.com/crisis-management) - [Disaster Recovery](https://mha-it.com/disaster-recovery-consulting-services) - [BCaaS](https://mha-it.com/bcaas) - [Program Augmentation](https://mha-it.com/program-augmentation) - [Training and Awareness](https://mha-it.com/training-awareness) - [Our BC Software](https://bcmmetrics.com/) - Resources - [Blog](https://mha-it.com/blog) - [News](https://mha-it.com/news) - [About Us](https://mha-it.com/who-we-are) - [Our Team](https://mha-it.com/our-team) - [Clients](https://mha-it.com/clients) - [In the Community](https://mha-it.com/in-the-community) [Contact Us](https://mha-it.com/contact) [![mhalogo](https://mha-it.com/hubfs/mhalogo.svg "mhalogo")](https://mha-it.com/) [Contact Us](https://mha-it.com/contact) [![mhalogo](https://mha-it.com/hubfs/mhalogo.svg "mhalogo")](https://mha-it.com/) - [Our Consulting Services](https://mha-it.com/what-we-do) - [Business Continuity](https://mha-it.com/business-continuity) - [Crisis Management](https://mha-it.com/crisis-management) - [Disaster Recovery](https://mha-it.com/disaster-recovery-consulting-services) - [BCaaS](https://mha-it.com/bcaas) - [Program Augmentation](https://mha-it.com/program-augmentation) - [Training and Awareness](https://mha-it.com/training-awareness) - [Our BC Software](https://bcmmetrics.com/) - Resources - [Blog](https://mha-it.com/blog) - [News](https://mha-it.com/news) - [About Us](https://mha-it.com/who-we-are) - [Our Team](https://mha-it.com/our-team) - [Clients](https://mha-it.com/clients) - [In the Community](https://mha-it.com/in-the-community) [Contact Us](https://mha-it.com/contact) [![mhalogo](https://mha-it.com/hubfs/mhalogo.svg "mhalogo")](https://mha-it.com/) [Contact Us](https://mha-it.com/contact) - [Our Consulting Services](https://mha-it.com/what-we-do) - [Business Continuity](https://mha-it.com/business-continuity) - [Crisis Management](https://mha-it.com/crisis-management) - [Disaster Recovery](https://mha-it.com/disaster-recovery-consulting-services) - [BCaaS](https://mha-it.com/bcaas) - [Program Augmentation](https://mha-it.com/program-augmentation) - [Training and Awareness](https://mha-it.com/training-awareness) - [Our BC Software](https://bcmmetrics.com/) - Resources - [Blog](https://mha-it.com/blog) - [News](https://mha-it.com/news) - [About Us](https://mha-it.com/who-we-are) - [Our Team](https://mha-it.com/our-team) - [Clients](https://mha-it.com/clients) - [In the Community](https://mha-it.com/in-the-community) [Contact Us](https://mha-it.com/contact) Business Continuity # How to Write an RFP for Business Continuity Consulting Services Michael Herrera Updated on: September 21, 2026 #### Relevant Contents #### Need Tailored Business Continuity Insights? Contact Us Now for Personalized Guidance! [Schedule a Free Consultation](https://mha-it.com/contact) A business continuity RFP works best when prospective consulting firms are bidding on the same problem, the same scope, and the same expected outcome. If the scope is vague, two qualified firms can interpret the assignment very differently. One proposal may assume a limited review. Another may assume interviews, BIAs, plan development, exercises, executive presentations, and months of project management. The prices will be different because the proposed work is different. A strong RFP reduces that ambiguity. It gives consulting firms enough information to build a realistic approach and gives your organization a better basis for comparing proposals. **In short** - Define the business outcome before asking vendors to propose a solution. - Quantify the scope wherever possible. - Specify the deliverables you expect. - Tell bidders what your organization will provide and what they must provide. - Require consistent pricing assumptions and proposal formats. - Evaluate methodology, experience, fit, and price rather than price alone. ## Why Business Continuity RFPs Produce Such Different Proposals Large differences between proposals do not automatically mean one consulting firm is overpriced or another is underbidding the work. Often, the firms are answering different versions of the same RFP. Consider a request that says, “Conduct a business impact analysis.” That leaves a long list of unanswered questions. - How many business units are in scope? - How many processes will be assessed? - Will the consultant conduct interviews or will the client collect the data? - Does the organization already have a BIA methodology? - Does the methodology need to be revised? - Will the consultant validate the results with management? - Are recovery objectives part of the assignment? - What reporting is required? - How many locations, legal entities, or regions are involved? Each answer changes the amount of work. The goal of the RFP is not to tell the consultant exactly how to do the job. You are hiring outside expertise for a reason. The goal is to define the problem, boundaries, required outcomes, constraints, and information needed for firms to build comparable proposals. [![BCMMetrics](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/46330580/interactive-184465045097.png)](https://mha-it.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLJsSPdhY2cEuUCPYi%2F8r6OUDQ0dTAiKKegzdX1TUDe%2BMNZ4jrNu9EZX4XumU4GignH99HnWMb52zYGodm2OuZA1j1mjN3Kgkx95xDHJUHgGtPLzD3YUvEG001G5SLPLdgmLNNyHqzU8OWey%2FKyQ%2B%2B1wbnT%2F9YjSbc5fKEOpv43UqNp7NTzMXuhAdZAkiVM%3D&webInteractiveContentId=184465045097&portalId=46330580) ## What to Define Before You Write the RFP Before drafting requirements, decide what you are actually trying to accomplish. Start with the business problem rather than a list of consulting tasks. For example: - Our BIAs are outdated and no longer reflect the current operating model. - We have recovery plans, but their quality varies significantly across business units. - We need to establish a new continuity program across multiple locations. - Leadership needs clearer recovery priorities before approving technology investments. - Our current program needs an independent assessment against defined requirements. - We need help designing and facilitating an enterprise exercise. Once the objective is clear, define the work needed to reach it. If you are not yet sure what type of engagement is appropriate, see [Take Your Pick: Which BC Consulting Approach Is Right for You?](https://mha-it.com/blog/business-continuity-consultant-engagement-model) ## What to Include in a Business Continuity RFP ### 1. Background and Current State Give bidders enough context to understand the environment they would be entering. Useful information may include: - industry - organization size - geographic footprint - number of locations - BC program maturity - existing standards or regulatory requirements - current tools or platforms - existing BIAs, recovery plans, exercises, or governance structures - major program issues already known You do not need to put sensitive information into the public RFP. More detailed material can be provided later under the organization’s normal confidentiality process. ### 2. Project Objectives Explain what successful completion of the engagement should accomplish. A project objective is stronger when it describes the desired result rather than simply naming an activity. Instead of: *Conduct BIAs.* Consider: *Update and validate business impact information across the in-scope business units so management can establish recovery priorities and use the results to guide recovery strategy and planning.* That gives the consulting firm more useful information about why the work is being done. ### 3. Scope Quantify the engagement wherever you reasonably can. Depending on the project, that may include: - number of business units - number of processes - number of BIAs - number of recovery plans - number of applications or technology services - number of locations - number of interviews or workshops - number of exercises - countries or regions involved - expected executive or steering-committee meetings If you cannot quantify something accurately, say so and ask bidders to state the assumption they used. ### 4. Required Deliverables Define what you expect to receive when the engagement is finished. Depending on the project, deliverables might include: - current-state assessment - project plan - BIA methodology - completed BIA results - recovery strategies - business continuity plans - IT disaster recovery documentation - crisis management procedures - exercise scenarios and after-action reports - training materials - executive findings presentation - remediation roadmap Where it matters, also define what makes a deliverable acceptable. For example, if the consultant is developing plans, specify whether the work includes interviews, drafts, business-owner review, revisions, approval, and final delivery rather than simply asking for “completed plans.” ### 5. Client and Consultant Responsibilities A business continuity project requires participation from the client. State what your organization expects to provide. That may include: - project sponsor - BC program lead - access to subject matter experts - existing documentation - technology or application inventories - vendor information - meeting coordination - review and approval of deliverables - access to internal systems or collaboration tools where required Then ask the bidder to explain what its team will own. This helps prevent work from falling into the gap between what the client assumed the consultant would do and what the consultant assumed the client would do. ### 6. Schedule and Milestones State the target start date, significant milestones, and any fixed completion requirements. Also identify deadlines for: - bidder questions - answers to bidder questions - proposal submission - vendor presentations or interviews - selection - contracting - project kickoff If the schedule is aggressive, say so. The vendor needs to evaluate whether the work can realistically be completed with the required level of client participation. ### 7. Proposal Response Requirements Tell firms how you want the proposal structured. A consistent format makes evaluation much easier. Ask each firm to address the same categories: - understanding of the engagement - proposed approach and methodology - project phases - deliverables - project team and roles - relevant experience - schedule - client responsibilities - assumptions - pricing - optional services - references, if required You should still leave firms room to explain where they would recommend a different approach. A useful RFP creates comparability without preventing an experienced consultant from identifying a better way to accomplish the objective. ## How to Structure Pricing Requests Price is difficult to compare when every bidder includes different work. Ask firms to make their assumptions visible. For example, request that pricing distinguish: - base project fees - optional work - travel and expenses, if applicable - hourly rates for work outside the agreed scope - software or licensing costs, if any - training or exercise costs - ongoing support after the initial project If you are asking for a fixed fee, the scope still needs to be clear. A fixed price does not eliminate uncertainty. It simply requires the consulting firm to price the uncertainty into the proposal. If you are still developing the program budget, see [How to Create a Budget for Your Business Continuity Program](https://mha-it.com/blog/business-continuity-budget). ## How to Evaluate Business Continuity Consulting Proposals The lowest price does not necessarily represent the lowest-cost engagement, and the longest proposal does not necessarily represent the best one. Evaluate the proposal against the problem you are trying to solve. | Evaluation Area | What to Look For | | --- | --- | | **Understanding** | Does the firm understand the business problem, scope, constraints, and desired outcome? | | **Methodology** | Is the proposed approach practical, clear, and appropriate for the maturity of your program? | | **Experience** | Has the firm performed comparable work in environments with similar complexity or requirements? | | **Project team** | Who will actually perform the work, and what experience do those people bring? | | **Deliverables** | Do the proposed outputs match what the organization needs to use after the project? | | **Client effort** | Is the amount of internal participation realistic for your team? | | **Schedule** | Can the firm meet the required timeline without compressing activities that need stakeholder participation? | | **Assumptions** | Are the assumptions clear enough to understand what could change scope, schedule, or cost? | | **Price** | Does the price correspond to the same work you are comparing in the other proposals? | Organizations can assign their own weighting to these criteria based on what matters most for the engagement. The important part is to establish the criteria before final vendor selection rather than changing them to fit a preferred proposal. ## Give Every Bidder the Same Information When one prospective consultant asks a question that affects scope or pricing, provide the answer to every bidder participating in the process. This keeps the procurement process consistent and reduces the chance that one proposal reflects information the others never received. A consolidated question-and-answer document is usually the simplest approach. If the answer materially changes the scope, issue the clarification formally rather than relying on an informal email exchange with one firm. ## Know When You Need Help Before the RFP Sometimes the organization is not ready to issue an RFP because it does not yet know what work it needs. That is a different problem, and it is worth solving before asking multiple firms to price an undefined engagement. You can use a smaller advisory engagement to assess the current program, clarify the work that should be performed, and help define the scope of a later RFP. That advisor does not necessarily have to compete for the implementation work. The organization can separate the scoping assignment from the procurement process if independence is important. If you are evaluating whether outside consulting support is appropriate in the first place, see [Client’s Guide to Hiring a BC Consultant](https://mha-it.com/blog/hiring-a-bc-consultant). ## A Better RFP Produces a Better Decision The purpose of a business continuity RFP is not simply to collect prices. It should help your organization understand how different firms would solve the same problem, what each approach requires from your team, what you will receive at the end, and what the work will cost. The clearer you are about the objective, scope, deliverables, responsibilities, and evaluation criteria, the easier it becomes to compare proposals on a consistent basis. ## Need Help Defining the Right Business Continuity Engagement? MHA’s [business continuity consulting services](https://mha-it.com/business-continuity) cover program assessments, BIAs, recovery strategies, plan development, exercises, and broader program improvement. If you are still deciding what type of consulting model fits your organization, read [Which BC Consulting Approach Is Right for You?](https://mha-it.com/blog/business-continuity-consultant-engagement-model) When the scope is clear and you are ready to discuss the work, [contact MHA Consulting](https://mha-it.com/contact). --- ## Further Reading - [Take Your Pick: Which BC Consulting Approach Is Right for You?](https://mha-it.com/blog/business-continuity-consultant-engagement-model) - [Client’s Guide to Hiring a BC Consultant](https://mha-it.com/blog/hiring-a-bc-consultant) - [A Little Help: How to Select a BCM Consultant](https://mha-it.com/blog/how-to-select-a-bcm-consultant) - [Business Continuity Consulting: Now Available in Select-a-Size](https://mha-it.com/blog/business-continuity-consulting-size) - [How to Create a Budget for Your Business Continuity Program](https://mha-it.com/blog/business-continuity-budget) --- ![](https://mha-it.com/hubfs/Michael-Herrera-MHA-Consulting%201.png) #### Michael Herrera Michael Herrera is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MHA. In his role, Michael provides global leadership to the entire set of industry practices and horizontal capabilities within MHA. Under his leadership, MHA has become a leading provider of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery services to organizations on a global level. He is also the founder of BCMMETRICS, a leading cloud based tool designed to assess business continuity compliance and residual risk. Michael is a well-known and sought after speaker on Business Continuity issues at local and national contingency planner chapter meetings and conferences. Prior to founding MHA, he was a Regional VP for Bank of America, where he was responsible for Business Continuity across the southwest region. ## Start building a stronger future ##### Navigate uncertainty with an expert - schedule your free consultation with our CEO, Michael Herrera. [Schedule your consultation](https://mha-it.com/contact) ## Other resources you might enjoy ![Business continuity consultant reviewing a continuity plan with an internal program team](https://46330580.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/46330580/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/bc-consulting-1.jpg?height=245&name=bc-consulting-1.jpg) #### [Business Continuity Consulting: Now Available in Select-a-Size](https://mha-it.com/blog/business-continuity-consulting-size) [Read More](https://mha-it.com/blog/business-continuity-consulting-size) ![Getting the Most Out of Your BCM Consultant: Do’s and Don’ts](https://46330580.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/46330580/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/your-bcm-consultant.jpg?height=245&name=your-bcm-consultant.jpg) #### [Getting the Most Out of Your BCM Consultant: Do's and Don'ts](https://mha-it.com/blog/your-bcm-consultant) [Read More](https://mha-it.com/blog/your-bcm-consultant) ![Five professionals in business attire sit across from each other at a meeting table](https://46330580.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/46330580/hubfs/program%20augmentation.webp?height=245&name=program%20augmentation.webp) #### [How MHA’s Program Augmentation Strengthens Resilience](https://mha-it.com/blog/program-augmentation-resilience) [Read More](https://mha-it.com/blog/program-augmentation-resilience) ## Ready to start focusing on higher-level challenges? 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