RFI Template and Examples: What to Send, What to Ask, and What Comes Back

An RFI template is a reusable document setting out what you tell suppliers about your requirement and what you ask in return. It covers the header, purpose, category summary, questions, response instructions and deadline. This page gives you the structure, three worked examples, and the emails that go with them.

Key takeaways

1. Every workable RFI varies the same six-part skeleton.
2. Specific questions produce comparable answers.
3. Same document and same format can be applied to every supplier.
4. Agree scoring weights before the first response lands.

What does an RFI look like?

An RFI is a written request sent to suppliers asking about their capabilities before any shortlist or pricing exercise. It is usually two to four pages long and includes a short brief, then a numbered question set.

Read: What Is an RFI? The Document That Decides Which Suppliers Are Worth Your Time

RFI form vs RFI questionnaire vs RFI portal

The purpose of an RFI can be fulfilled in different formats. It could be a document the supplier fills and returns, a spreadsheet with list of questions, or a portal where suppliers answer online. While raising your first RFI, it is recommended to start with a form and later upgrade as your process becomes more structured.

Free RFI template

Below are three templates that you can steal if you have no idea where to start.

Two edits make it yours. Replace the category summary with a real description of what you buy and how much, since suppliers read it to decide whether to respond. Then cut the questions to those that could disqualify someone.

RFI examples

Three complete RFIs. Copy whichever is closest and edit.

Example 1: IT and software supplier RFI

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
Issued by: [Company] · Reference: RFI-[YYYY]-[NN]
Category: IT service management platform
Deadline: [Date], 17:00 [zone] · Questions to: [Name], [email]

Purpose. Gathering information from ITSM platform suppliers. Not a request for pricing, a proposal or a demonstration. Commits neither party.

Our requirement. [Sector] business, [number] employees across [number] sites, roughly [number] tickets a month in [current system].

Questions

1. Registered name, country of registration, year founded, employee count.
2. Which do you deliver in your own product rather than through a partner: incident, request, change and asset management, self-service portal, knowledge base?
3. Deployment models, authentication standards, and API standard with any rate limits.
4. Three deployments at our size and sector — sector, employee count, year. Names may be anonymised.
5. Where customer data is stored and processed, and typical implementation duration.
6. Security certifications with issuing body, number and expiry date, and any reportable breach in the last 36 months.
7. Support hours by time zone and target response times by severity.

How to respond. Answer in this numbering, under 150 words each, single PDF to [email] by the deadline. Subject: RFI-[YYYY]-[NN] response — [supplier]. Clarifications to [name] by [date]; answers shared with all recipients.

Example 2: Facilities and MRO supplier RFI

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
Issued by: [Company] · Reference: RFI-[YYYY]-[NN]
Category: Janitorial and building maintenance supplies
Deadline: [Date], 17:00 [zone] · Questions to: [Name], [email]

Purpose. Gathering information ahead of a category review. Not a request for pricing, not an invitation to bid.

Our requirement. [Number] sites across [regions], ordering independently at roughly [amount] a year. Several have no loading dock and no goods-in staff after [time].

Questions

1. Registered name, country of registration, year founded, revenue band.
2. Are you a manufacturer, a distributor, or both?
3. Regions served directly, and any served through third parties. Name them.
4. Standard lead time for stocked and non-stocked items, and fill rate over twelve months.
5. Site-level ordering with consolidated invoicing, and any catalogue integration standards.
6. Certifications with issuing body and expiry date, including environmental schemes.

How to respond. As above.

Example 3: Professional services RFI

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
Issued by: [Company] · Reference: RFI-[YYYY]-[NN]
Category: Management consultancy, finance process transformation
Deadline: [Date], 17:00 [zone] · Questions to: [Name], [email]

Purpose. Gathering information from consultancies with finance transformation experience. Not a request for a proposal, methodology or fee rates.

Our requirement. [Sector] business, revenue around [amount], finance operations in [locations]. Considering a review of purchase-to-pay and record-to-report. No decision on scope or timing.

Questions

1. Registered firm name, country of registration, year founded, and headcount in the practice that would serve us.
2. Any conflicts that would prevent you working with us.
3. Three comparable engagements in the last four years — sector, client revenue, duration, and what changed. Names may be anonymised.
4. Finance systems your teams have worked with directly, and who would lead this engagement.
5. Proportion of the delivery team who are permanent employees, and how you handle continuity if someone becomes unavailable.
6. Engagement models offered — structures only — and your professional indemnity cover.

How to respond. As above, under 200 words per answer.

How to write an RFI, section by section

Work down the six parts in the table above. Response instructions name the format and deadline, then say other formats will not be scored. The questions decide the rest.

A good question has a factual answer someone could later be held to. The last row is not a joke.

RFI email to vendors

The invitation:

Subject: RFI-[YYYY]-[NN] — [category] — response requested by [date]

Hello [name],

[Company] is gathering information from suppliers in [category] and we would like to include you.

The attached RFI asks about your capabilities, coverage and relevant experience. It is not a request for pricing and commits neither of us to anything.

The deadline is [date] at [time, zone]. Please answer as per the structure provided and kindly return a single PDF to this address. Questions to [name] until [date]; answers go to all recipients. If this is not the right contact, please pass it on.

Best regards,
[Name], [Title]

Follow-up three days before the deadline:

Subject: Reminder — RFI-[YYYY]-[NN] closes [date]

Hello [name],

Our RFI for [category] closes on [date] at [time, zone]. If you intend to respond, no action is needed. If not, a one-line reply would be helpful, and we won’t follow up again.

[Name]

Decline. Send it — suppliers remember who told them.

Subject: RFI-[YYYY]-[NN] — outcome

Hello [name],

Thank you for responding to our RFI for [category]. We will not be taking [supplier] forward on this occasion. We keep responses on file for future requirements. Reply if you would like brief feedback.

[Name]

RFI response scorecard

Set the weights against your requirement, then fix them before scoring.

Two scorers working independently and then reconciling beats a group discussion: disagreements show where your questions were ambiguous.

Frequently asked questions about RFI templates

What does an RFI look like?

Two to four pages: a short brief, then a numbered question set, closing with response instructions and a deadline.

What should be included in an RFI form?

Header, purpose, category summary, questions, response instructions, and structured space for answers.

How do you write an RFI email to vendors?

State the category, the deadline, and that you are not asking for pricing. Give the format and address, and ask the recipient to forward it if they are not the right contact.

What questions should you ask in an RFI?

Ones with factual answers a supplier could be held to. Certifications with expiry dates, not claims of compliance.

How long should an RFI be?

Two to four pages, or fifteen to thirty questions. Longer documents get triaged, and the busiest suppliers decline first.

Is there a standard RFI format?

No formal standard, but the six-part structure above is close to universal.

Stop rebuilding RFIs from scratch

Most teams rebuild each RFI from the last one they can find, usually in a sent folder from two years ago. Zapro keeps supplier discovery and the information you collect in one place, so last time’s questions are there when you need them.

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