TenderMatrix / Guides / RFP shredding process
The RFP shredding process: requirements, owners, deadlines
RFP shredding is the process of breaking a solicitation into individual requirements, instructions and evaluation criteria, one obligation per row, then giving each row an owner and a deadline. The output is the compliance matrix. A good shred keeps the RFP's own references so every row traces back to its clause.
What gets shredded
Shredding is bid-desk shorthand, common in government and defence proposal work, for dissecting an RFP. It covers three layers, and a useful matrix keeps them apart. Requirements say what you must do or provide. Instructions say how to respond: page limits, volumes, formats, forms and deadlines. Evaluation criteria say how the buyer will score. A row that mixes layers is hard to assign, because the person who owns the requirement is rarely the person who owns the formatting.
Shred every document that belongs to the package: the main body, the specification or statement of work, terms, forms, price sheets, appendices and the buyer's published answers to questions. The RFP usually says which documents count and which prevails if they conflict, often in an order of precedence clause.
Shredding in seven steps
- Collect the whole package Download every attachment, form and spreadsheet, and check the portal for addenda. Note the version and date of each file.
- Read once for structure Find the instructions, the specification, the evaluation section and the terms. Do not extract yet.
- Number and quote Give each obligation a row, with the RFP's own reference (3.2.1, Appendix B, REQ-101) and the exact words.
- Split compound sentences A sentence with two shalls becomes two rows, so each gets its own owner and status.
- Type each row Mandatory, desirable, informational or question, using the RFP's definitions if it gives any.
- Assign owners and dates One named owner per row, and internal deadlines counted back from submission: outline, first draft, review, final check.
- Check the shred against the source A second person reads the specification and instruction pages looking for sentences that did not become rows.
Typing is covered in shall, will, should and may in RFPs, and the meeting where owners confirm their rows in proposal kickoff and owner assignment.
What to extract from each layer
| Layer | What to extract | Row type | Usual owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requirements | Shall and must statements, specification items, required deliverables | Mandatory or desirable | Subject-matter expert or writer |
| Instructions | Page limits, formats, forms, signatures, submission method and deadline | Mandatory | Proposal manager or coordinator |
| Evaluation criteria | Criteria, weights, scoring scale, pass marks | Informational | Proposal manager |
| Terms and conditions | Obligations, liability, insurance, payment | Mandatory or informational | Contracts or legal |
| Buyer obligations and dates | Access, data and decisions the buyer promises, plus milestones | Informational | Proposal manager |
| Questions for bidders | Describe and Explain prompts, forms to complete | Question | Subject-matter expert |
Count deadlines back from the submission time, not the submission day, and leave a buffer for portal and upload problems. When the package has several files, add a column for the source document and prefix the Req IDs so they stay unique. The compliance matrix template has the columns to hold all of this.
What goes wrong when shredding
- Reading only the main document. Requirements hide in the terms, attachments, forms and price instructions.
- Shredding a summary or an old issue. Work from the full document and the latest version.
- One giant row per clause. A long clause with several duties gets one answer that appears to cover all of them. Split it.
- Losing the reference. Rows without a section or page force reviewers to search. Keep the RFP's numbering.
- Deadlines with no buffer. A plan that ends at the submission minute fails on a portal problem.
- Assigning by department. Legal is not an owner. Name a person and a deputy.
- Treating the shred as finished. It is a baseline that changes with every addendum, and the usual misses are listed in compliance matrix mistakes.
How TenderMatrix helps
TenderMatrix does the mechanical part of the shred. It converts the PDF, skips contents pages and repeated page footers, and turns each shall, must, should and may sentence, list item and requirement-table row into its own row with section, page when known, and type. You still split compound rows, add rows the rules missed, and assign owners and dates. Convert each volume or attachment separately and append the rows. Try it on the RFP to Excel page. Free: 1 file per day, up to 10 pages, no account. Files over 10 pages are converted up to page 10 on the free allowance; a page code converts the whole file, up to 150 pages. See pricing.
Questions bid teams ask
What does shredding an RFP mean?
It means breaking the solicitation into individual requirements, instructions and evaluation criteria so each can be assigned, answered and checked. The result is usually a compliance matrix. The term is common in proposal work, especially in government contracting.
How long does it take to shred an RFP?
It depends on length and on how the RFP is written. A short RFP may take a few hours by hand and a long multi-volume one several days. Software shortens the copying but not the review, so budget time for a second reader.
Should the whole team help shred?
Usually the proposal manager or a small group builds the first version, then subject-matter experts review the rows in their area. Too many people shredding at once produces inconsistent typing and duplicates.
What counts as one requirement?
One obligation that can be answered, owned and checked on its own. If two people could answer different halves, split it. If one person always answers both halves together, one row is fine.
Do I shred the evaluation criteria?
Record them, as informational rows or on a separate sheet, and map requirements to them. They are not obligations on you, but they show where the points are.
What if documents in the package conflict?
Look for an order of precedence clause. If there is none, raise it as a clarification question and note the conflict on the affected rows in the meantime.
Can I shred an RFP that arrives as several PDFs?
Yes. Treat each file as part of one package, shred each, and keep a column for the source document. Prefix the Req IDs by document so they stay unique when you merge.