How to Respond to an RFP in 4 Hours (Not 40)

RFP responses take 30-40 hours to write properly.

Most of that time is wasted on formatting, not thinking.

I've watched teams spend 3 days copying sections from old proposals, reformatting tables, cross-checking page limits, and fixing typos someone spotted at 11pm.

Then they lose anyway because the competitor had better relationships, not a better document.

The 4-Hour System

Step 1: Extract the questions (30 minutes)

Don't read the entire 50-page RFP. Most of it is legal boilerplate.

Upload the PDF to ChatGPT or Claude. Prompt: "Extract all questions, requirements, and evaluation criteria into a numbered list."

Review the list for anything AI missed. You now have a clear task list instead of a wall of text.

Step 2: Answer in bullet points (2 hours)

Don't write prose. Answer each question in 2-3 bullets.

Example:

• Question: "Describe your project management methodology"
• Your bullets: "Agile sprints. 2-week cycles. Daily standups. Jira for tracking. Weekly client demos."

Speed matters. You'll format later.

Step 3: Pull proof from past work (1 hour)

For each answer, add one piece of evidence:

• Screenshot of similar work
• Client testimonial
• Metric from a past project

RFPs are won on credibility. Proof beats promises.

Step 4: Format everything (30 minutes)

Now make it look professional:

• Match their required structure
• Add table of contents
• Insert page numbers
• Check page limits

The Recording Shortcut

For complex technical answers, record yourself explaining it for 2 minutes. You'll cover all the points naturally because you're not staring at a blank page.

Transcribe it. Clean up the grammar. That's your answer.

This is what StatusDraft automates—you record your answers verbally, and it generates formatted RFP sections ready to paste.

Real Numbers

Teams using this system:

• Time per RFP: 4-6 hours (down from 30-40)
• Win rate: About the same as before
• Number of RFPs they can respond to: 5-6x more

The 35 hours you save? Spend them building relationships with the decision makers.