How to Cut RFP Response Time by 80%

The Real Cost of Slow RFP Responses

The average RFP takes 32 hours to complete. For a team handling 10 RFPs per month, that's 320 hours—essentially two full-time employees doing nothing but copy-pasting and formatting.

But here's what's worse: slow response times mean you can only pursue a fraction of available opportunities. While you're spending a week on one RFP, three others have passed their deadline.

Where Does the Time Actually Go?

We analyzed 500+ RFP responses to understand the time breakdown:

Notice something? 65% of the time is spent on retrieval and formatting—not actual thinking or writing. This is where automation has the biggest impact.

The 5-Step Framework to Cut Response Time

Step 1: Build a Living Knowledge Base

Stop storing answers in scattered Word docs and email threads. Create a centralized repository that includes:

• Company boilerplate (about us, leadership bios, certifications)
• Past winning proposals (your best answers)
• Technical documentation (security policies, compliance certs)
• Pricing templates and case studies

Step 2: Templatize Your Most Common Sections

80% of RFP questions fall into predictable categories. Create master templates for:

• Company overview and qualifications
• Security and compliance responses
• Implementation methodology
• Support and SLA commitments
• Pricing structures

Step 3: Use AI for First-Draft Generation

Modern AI tools can match RFP questions to your knowledge base and generate first drafts in minutes. The key is using Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)—AI that pulls from YOUR content, not generic internet data.

This typically achieves 80-90% accuracy on first draft, leaving your team to focus on customization rather than creation.

Step 4: Parallelize Your Review Process

Don't wait for one reviewer to finish before the next starts. Assign sections to SMEs simultaneously:

• Technical sections → Engineering lead
• Security questions → CISO or compliance
• Pricing → Finance
• Legal terms → Legal counsel

Step 5: Automate Export and Formatting

The final 25% of time spent on formatting is pure waste. Use tools that export directly to the client's required format (Word, PDF, Excel) with proper styling already applied.

Real Results: Before and After

Ready to implement this workflow? Try Velocibid free and see how AI-powered RFP automation works for your team.