Website RFP template for a B2B SaaS redesign: what to include, what to leave out.

What should a website redesign RFP template include?

Everything an agency needs to scope and price the same project, and nothing that prescribes the answer. Public procurement teams describe the core of an RFP as a statement of work with measurable objectives, plus background, questions for proposers, submission instructions, a schedule, and published evaluation criteria. A B2B SaaS website RFP template needs the same backbone, with a few sections specific to web design and web development.

Attach what you can: an export of current URLs, a summary of the last 12 months of Search Console and Google Analytics data, and the brand guidelines. A URL list lets agencies size the migration; "about 300 pages" leaves them guessing.

Which technical requirements do most website RFPs leave out?

The ones that protect pipeline after the new site launches. Generic RFP templates cover goals, design, and budget well, but they rarely ask for these:

1. A URL map and redirect rules. Google's site-move guidance says to map every old URL to its new URL, use permanent server-side redirects (301 or 308) straight to the final address, and keep them for as long as possible, generally at least one year. Ask each agency how it builds, tests, and hands over the redirect map, and who owns it.
2. Crawl access for search and AI features. Google says there are no extra requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, but crawling must be allowed in robots.txt and by any CDN or hosting layer. Ask for content to be in the HTML and for a clear robots.txt policy.
3. An accessibility standard. Name WCAG 2.2 level AA. WCAG 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation on October 5, 2023, and six of its nine new success criteria are at level A or AA. "Accessible" without a standard means each agency prices something different.
4. Performance targets. Use Google's Core Web Vitals thresholds: Largest Contentful Paint within 2.5 seconds, Interaction to Next Paint under 200 milliseconds, and Cumulative Layout Shift under 0.1.
5. Analytics and consent. List the key events (demo request, sign-up, contact), the CRM fields forms must fill, and where your consent banner applies. Google's consent mode documentation puts the responsibility for collecting consent on the site owner, so decide who sets it up and tests it.
6. CMS roles and workflow. Who edits, who approves, and whether you need scheduled publishing, localization, or audit logs. On Webflow, features such as custom roles, publishing workflows, audit logs, and contractual uptime SLAs are part of the Enterprise plan.
7. Data processing terms. If the agency will handle personal data, such as form submissions or analytics access, the European Data Protection Board says the controller and processor relationship must be governed by a contract, and sub-processors need the controller's written authorization. Ask whether the agency signs a DPA and which legal entity signs.

Should you include a budget in a website request for proposal?

Yes, as a range. Without a budget, one agency scopes a template refresh and another scopes a rebuild with new content, and the proposals can't be compared. A range lets each agency show what it would do at that level and where it would draw the line.

If you can't share a number, share what drives the cost instead, so agencies can scope consistently:

• the number of unique templates, not total pages;
• who writes new copy and who migrates existing content;
• the number and depth of integrations;
• languages and regions;
• how many review rounds and approvers the design needs;
• security reviews and procurement steps.

What should you leave out of a website RFP?

Anything that answers the questions you're paying an agency to answer, or that adds work without helping you choose.

• Finished design decisions. Describe the problem ("buyers can't find pricing for teams over 50") rather than the layout ("add a mega menu"). You want to compare thinking, not obedience.
• Unranked wishlists. Forty features with equal weight make every proposal hedge. Mark each requirement as must-have, should-have, or nice-to-have. The ranked list also helps with scope creep later, because the contract can point to what was agreed.
• Unpaid spec design. Asking for mockups before selection rewards speed over understanding, and the work is done without access to your data or your marketing and sales teams.
• The full security questionnaire, too early. Send it to the shortlist. A long questionnaire at the RFP stage costs every agency days and tells you little about fit.
• Vague success measures. "A modern site that converts" can't be scored. "More demo requests from organic search on the new website than on the current site, measured over 90 days" can.

How do you score agency proposals fairly?

Agree the criteria and weights first, publish them in the website RFP, and score independently. New York State's procurement guidance says evaluation tools should be built before the RFP is released, and the University of Texas System publishes its evaluation criteria and weights in the RFP itself. Private companies don't have to follow public rules, but the same habits keep the choice of an agency partner from coming down to the best presentation.

These weights are an example, not a standard. Adjust them to what matters most to you, then keep them fixed while you score. Have each evaluator score alone before the group compares notes, so the loudest view doesn't set the result.

What timeline should the RFP process follow?

Give agencies enough time to ask questions and propose properly, and give your own team time to read. An example schedule:

1. Week 0: send the RFP to a short list of potential vendors.
2. Week 1: deadline for written questions.
3. Week 2: publish all answers to all prospective vendors at the same time.
4. Week 3 or 4: submission deadline for proposals.
5. Week 5: shortlist calls or presentations with the people who would do the work.
6. Week 6: decision, then contracts, DPA, and security review.

Start procurement steps early. If your company needs a security review, an MSA, and a DPA, begin them while proposals are being written, so signing doesn't delay the kickoff.

What does a one-page website design RFP brief look like?

One page is usually enough for an agency to judge fit and the rough shape of the website project. Send this free website RFP template first, and the detailed RFP with full requirements to the shortlist.

We run website redesigns and migrations for B2B and SaaS companies, so we have an interest in this topic. For how we scope and run a redesign, see our website redesign page, and for enterprise procurement documents, our Webflow Enterprise guide.

Questions about website RFPs