<\/p>\n
RFPs: Request For Performance\u2026Theatre<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sorry to defy the conventional RFP<\/em><\/span><\/strong> definition…almost forgot…yes I got it now…Request For Proposal.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As I write this, I can visualise a brand manager copy-pasting an RFP<\/em><\/span> template from 2020, changing the logo, and calling it “a strategic partnership opportunity<\/em><\/span>.” The heavens are weeping( No, the Bangalore rains this morning was something else). Somewhere else, an agency is pulling three all-nighters to answer 17 questions about “brand philosophy<\/em><\/span>” for a pitch they know \u2014 in their bone marrow \u2014 was already decided over golf(or golgappas<\/em>) on Saturday.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Welcome to the RFP. The world’s most expensive theatrical performance where everybody knows the ending but nobody breaks character.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Let’s call the shovel a shovel, shall we?<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The RFP<\/em><\/span>, as currently practised by most brands, is essentially a free consulting extraction machine dressed in the language of “due diligence<\/em><\/span>.” You’re not evaluating agencies. You’re harvesting intellectual capital from six desperate vendors while the decision maker’s brother-in-law’s agency warms the winner’s chair. The “evaluation matrix<\/em><\/span>” with its delightful columns of Strategy (20%), Creativity (25%), Team (15%)<\/span><\/em>, and Cost (40%<\/em><\/span> but listed last to seem classy) is democracy theatre of the highest order<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The real comedy? <\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The evaluation criteria that asks agencies to demonstrate “deep cultural understanding<\/em><\/span>” but the shortlisting is done by someone who hasn’t spoken to a consumer since 2016. That requests “breakthrough creative thinking<\/em><\/span>” but caps the budget at what wouldn’t cover a decent documentary. That demands “long-term partnership vision<\/em><\/span>” from someone who changes agencies more often than their Instagram profile picture.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The agency<\/em><\/span> side isn’t innocent either. They dress their speculative work in confident fonts, present recycled frameworks with evangelical conviction, and call three junior executives “The Core Team<\/em><\/span>” while the actual talent never enters the room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n RFPs: Request For Performance\u2026Theatre<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Somewhere in a glass-walled boardroom, an RFP<\/em><\/span> is being born. Not as a quest for brilliance, but as a beautifully formatted ritual. A document that whispers:\u00a0\u201cShow us your best thinking<\/span>\u201d<\/em>\u2026while quietly budgeting for the cheapest thinking available.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Welcome to the grand opera of \u201cRFP for Vendors<\/em><\/span>\u201d where agencies pirouette, procurement claps politely, and merit is the understudy who never gets stage time. Welcome to Russian Roulette with blanks.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Act 1, Part 1<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The opening act is always seductive. \u201cLooking for a long-term strategic partner.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Translation:<\/em><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Three presentations, five rounds, twelve stakeholders, and a decision already pre-decided in a WhatsApp chat.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Agencies arrive like Olympic athletes. Strategy decks that could double as PhD theses. Films that could win at Cannes. Ideas that could make a brand feel something other than quarterly anxiety. And then comes the twist ending:<\/p>\n \u201cCan you match the lowest quote?\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n India’s masala remix? <\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Picture a Delhi FMCG behemoth RFPs for “disruptive content storytelling<\/em><\/span>.” You pour Diwali-level effort into GOLOKA-esque narratives. Shortlist? The Mumbai shop with “digital expertise<\/em><\/span>” (read: interns on Canva<\/em><\/span>). Verdict: “Your ideas brilliant, but budget!” Why? “Procurement.” It’s the corporate equivalent of “It’s not you, it’s our P&L<\/em><\/span>.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s less\u00a0Mad Men, more\u00a0Deal or No Deal.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Across India<\/em><\/span>, a boutique agency crafts a soul-stirring brand narrative. In London<\/em><\/span>, a mid-sized firm builds a cultural movement blueprint. In Dubai<\/em><\/span>, a digital shop reverse-engineers consumer behavior like a Swiss watch. All three lose to\u2026a spreadsheet with a smaller number<\/em><\/span>. Now go, spread the word!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Globally consistent. Locally perfected.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In New York<\/em><\/span>, agencies joke that RFP<\/em><\/span> stands for \u201cReally Fixed Process<\/strong>.<\/em><\/span>\u201d In Bengaluru, it\u2019s \u201cRehearse, Perform, Perish<\/strong><\/em><\/span>.\u201d In Mumbai, it\u2019s simply \u201cRate First Please<\/strong>.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The irony is rich enough to invoice. But don’t you dare try it. And if you do, please ensure your price is the lowest<\/em><\/span>!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nothing Changes<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Because brands<\/em><\/span> don\u2019t actually lack good agencies. They lack the appetite to choose them for the right reasons. The RFP<\/em><\/span> becomes a polite alibi<\/em><\/span>. A compliance costume<\/em><\/span>. A paper trail<\/em><\/span> that says,\u00a0\u201cWe evaluated everyone fairly<\/span>\u201d<\/em>\u00a0while the decision quietly hums,\u00a0\u201cWe evaluated cost obsessively.<\/span>\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n And agencies<\/em><\/span>? They play along. They romanticize the chase. They submit unpaid thinking like it\u2019s a devotional offering<\/em><\/span>. They convince themselves that this time, surely, the idea will win.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n PS: It rarely does.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ever wonder why RFPs demand 43-page decks plus<\/em><\/span>\u00a0free mood boards, yet decisions hinge on “rate cards<\/em><\/span>“? Because depth? Nah. It’s shallowness disguised as process\u2014agencies shortlisted by Excel wizards, not visionaries.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n And the shortlisting process? <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Please. It\u2019s a mood ring, not merit. \u201cWe loved your case studies, but your deck\u2019s font felt aggressive.\u201d Or the classic: \u201cYour team is brilliant, but our procurement guy didn\u2019t like your coffee.\u201d Or the ubiquitous cut paste four para regret note that is as emotionless as a doorknob. At this point, agencies should submit quotes in crayon. It matches the depth of evaluation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The RFP<\/em><\/span> charade is a mask for indecision<\/em><\/span>. Brands fearful of owning a point of view hide behind \u201cprocess<\/em><\/span>.\u201d They want to look polite while gutting value. They tick boxes like tourists ticking temples\u2014no prayer, just photos. They( read the VP-Marketing<\/em><\/span>) want vendors<\/em><\/span> who will give them a roll up overnight Rs 80 cheaper; not an entity with breakthrough strategy or moonshot thinking that delivers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Tragedy?<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n If you shop for imagination like you shop for office chairs, don\u2019t be surprised when your brand sits comfortably\u2026and says nothing.<\/p>\n The tragedy isn\u2019t that cheaper agencies win. The tragedy is that better thinking doesn\u2019t even get a fair audition.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n So what now?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Brands<\/em><\/span>, if you truly want transformation, rewrite the ritual. <\/p>\n Agencies<\/em><\/span>, stop auditioning for every stage. <\/p>\n Brands<\/em><\/span>, stop the motions. Agencies<\/em><\/span>, demand paid pilots.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Merit-first RFPs exist<\/em><\/span>\u2014Scandinavian brands nail it with “idea bounties.<\/em><\/span>”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n India, let’s pioneer: Reverse RFPs where\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0vet\u00a0them<\/em><\/span>\u00a0on vision, not just velocity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And maybe, just maybe, we rename RFP to something more honest?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n RSL \u2014 Request for the Safest Lowest.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Or, if we\u2019re feeling generous,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n RFT \u2014 Request For Trust.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Because the brands that win tomorrow won\u2019t be the ones who found the cheapest partner.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They\u2019ll be the ones who had the spine to choose the right one<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So, what to take away?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Brands<\/em><\/span>: Stop asking for magic at bargain-bin prices<\/em>.<\/p>\n If you run an RFP<\/em> <\/span>without real intent, you will attract real actors\u2014not artists. You\u2019ll get compliance, not courage. And your brand will sound like every other brand: safe, sorry, and silent<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Agencies<\/em><\/span>: Ditch the dance. Chase clients craving heart<\/em><\/span>\u00a0over hustle. Your stories deserve shovels that dig gold, not dirt-cheap graves. Who’s in?<\/p>\n The contrarians will disagree. Good. Let them. But the ground truth is simple: Merit isn\u2019t a checkbox. It\u2019s a mirror<\/em><\/span>.Look into yours before you send that next PDF.<\/p>\n Or don\u2019t. And keep wondering why your \u201cbrand story<\/em><\/span>\u201d sounds like a terms of service agreement. Your move next.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n PS:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>On a completely different note,\u00a0I am taking the liberty to share here that my other blog\u00a0SOHB(State Of The Heart Branding) Story\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/a>is now a Podcast<\/em><\/strong> as well
\nPay for thinking. Shortlist for chemistry. Decide for courage.
\nBecause the cost of safe decisions is invisibly expensive.<\/p>\n
\nQualify the client as hard as they qualify you.
\nIf the brief smells like procurement, don\u2019t spray it with creativity.<\/p>\n