In Qualifications-Based Selection, an RFQ comes first: firms respond with an SOQ, the owner shortlists the most qualified, and shortlisted firms are then invited to interview or submit a full proposal. (Note: in procurement outside A-E services, 'RFQ' can also mean Request for Quotation - a price request. Context matters.)
What to include in an RFQ response
- Firm experience relevant to this specific project
- Key personnel and their qualifications
- Comparable past projects and outcomes
- Any required certifications, licenses, or set-aside status
How agencies evaluate RFQ responses
An RFQ is scored on qualifications rather than price, so agencies rate each submission against a defined set of criteria published in the solicitation. The exact weights vary by owner and project, but a few factors appear again and again.
- Relevant experience - projects similar in type, size, and complexity to the work being procured
- Key staff - the qualifications, roles, and availability of the people who will actually do the work
- Past performance - references, on-time and on-budget delivery, and how the firm handled problems
- Locality and knowledge of the area - familiarity with local conditions, agencies, permitting, and stakeholders
- Capacity - the firm's ability to staff and manage the assignment alongside its current workload
Evaluators usually apply these criteria to the SOQ using a point scale or an adjectival rating, then rank firms to decide who advances.
RFQ vs. RFP: when each is used
An RFQ asks who is most qualified; a request for proposal asks how you would do the work and, often, at what price. Agencies tend to lead with an RFQ when the scope is still being defined, when they want to judge teams before discussing cost, or when the selection is governed by qualifications-based rules. An RFP is more common when the scope is well defined and the owner wants to compare technical approach, schedule, and fee across firms.
The two are not mutually exclusive. A two-step procurement uses an RFQ to shortlist, then issues an RFP only to the shortlisted firms, which keeps detailed proposal work limited to teams already judged qualified. See qualifications-based selection for how this sequence is structured.
| RFQ | RFP | |
|---|---|---|
| Core question | Who is most qualified? | How would you do the work? |
| Price | Usually not requested at this stage | Often requested and scored |
| Typical output | Shortlist of qualified firms | Ranked proposals or an award |
| Best when | Scope still evolving or QBS applies | Scope well defined; approach and fee matter |
From RFQ to shortlist to interview
The path from an RFQ to selection typically moves through a few defined stages. Understanding where a submission sits helps a firm decide how much to invest at each step.
- The agency issues the RFQ and firms respond with an SOQ against the stated criteria.
- Evaluators score and rank the SOQs, then shortlist the top-ranked firms.
- Shortlisted firms are invited to interview, present, or submit a full proposal.
- The agency ranks the finalists and, in qualifications-based selection, begins fee negotiations with the top-ranked firm.
Only shortlisted firms usually reach the interview, so the RFQ response is the gate that decides whether a firm gets the chance to compete further. That makes the SOQ worth the most careful effort even though it comes before any detailed proposal.
What a strong RFQ response emphasizes
A strong response does more than list credentials - it maps the firm's qualifications directly to what the RFQ is asking for. Generic capability statements tend to score lower than submissions tailored to the specific project.
- Directly relevant project examples, not a broad catalog of everything the firm has done
- Named key staff tied to the roles they will fill, with availability made clear
- Evidence of past performance, including references and measurable outcomes
- A clear response to each stated evaluation criterion, in the order the RFQ presents them
- Local knowledge and any required certifications, licenses, or set-aside status
For a fuller walkthrough of structuring and writing the response, see how to write an SOQ that wins and the local agency RFQ playbook.
RFQs in design-build and on-call contracts
RFQs are common in delivery methods and contract types where the owner needs to select a team before the full scope is known. In design-build, an agency often issues an RFQ to shortlist qualified design-build teams, then invites the shortlist to submit proposals - this keeps costly proposal development limited to teams already judged capable of delivering both design and construction.
On-call, master-services, and indefinite-delivery agreements also rely on RFQs. Here the agency is not procuring one defined project but a pool of qualified firms it can assign individual task orders to over the life of the contract. Because specific assignments are unknown at selection, qualifications - not a fixed price - are the natural basis for choosing who joins the pool.
Flodoc helps firms assemble and tailor RFQ responses faster by reusing prior qualifications content.