RFP vs RFI vs IFB: What's the Difference?

A plain-English guide for people who just got their first government procurement email and aren't sure what to do with it.

If you've ever opened a government procurement email and seen "RFP," "RFI," or "IFB" in the subject line and thought "wait, aren't these all the same thing?" — you're not alone. They look similar. They're all government documents. They all ask you to submit something. But they mean very different things, and mixing them up can waste weeks of work.

Here's the short version:

Document	What it is	What you're actually doing
RFP	Request for Proposal	Bidding on a defined project — you submit a solution and a price
RFI	Request for Information	Market research — the government is asking what's out there, not buying yet
IFB	Invitation for Bid	Sealed bidding — requirements are fully defined, award goes to lowest price

RFP (Request for Proposal)

An RFP is the most common document you'll see as a bidder. The government knows what it wants (roughly), but it wants you to propose how to get there.

You'll see an RFP when:

The project is complex (IT services, consulting, construction management)
Quality matters as much as price
The government wants to compare different approaches

What you submit: A technical proposal explaining your approach, a project timeline, and pricing. Award is usually based on a combination of technical score and price — not just the lowest bid.

Common mistake: Treating an RFP like a fixed-price quote. RFPs are evaluated on how well you understand the problem, not just how cheap you are.

RFI (Request for Information)

An RFI is not a bid. It's the government doing homework. They're not buying anything yet — they're asking "what's available out there?" so they can write a real RFP later.

You'll see an RFI when:

The government is exploring a new area (e.g., "what AI tools exist for contract compliance?")
They want to gauge market pricing before setting a budget
They're writing requirements and want vendor input

What you do: Answer their questions, describe your capabilities, and position your company. This is a relationship-building step, not a competition. Companies that respond to RFIs well often get invited to the actual RFP later.

IFB (Invitation for Bid)

An IFB is the most mechanical of the three. The requirements are fully specified — quantities, specs, delivery dates, everything. You're just quoting a price to deliver exactly what they described.

You'll see an IFB when:

The product/service is standardized (office supplies, road construction, janitorial services)
Requirements are identical regardless of who provides it
Price is the only award criterion

What you submit: A sealed bid with your price. If you're the lowest responsible bidder, you win. There's no "best solution" evaluation — it's a price contest.

How to tell which one you're looking at

Open the document and look for these clues:

Says "proposal" and describes an "approach" or "methodology" → RFP. You're selling your solution.
Says "information" or "market survey" and has open-ended questions → RFI. You're giving feedback, not bidding.
Has a detailed spec sheet, quantities, and a "sealed bid" box → IFB. You're quoting a price for a well-defined product.

Why this matters

Spending two weeks writing a technical proposal for an RFI is wasted effort — they weren't buying. Submitting a creative approach to an IFB gets you thrown out — they wanted a sealed price quote. Reading the document type correctly saves you time and helps you focus your effort on the right things.

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