Module 3: RFP Writing - Problem Statements & Goals

Guidebook for Crafting a Results-Driven RFP | Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab 24

RFP Writing:

Problem

Statements

& Goals

Guidebook for Drafting a Results-Driven RFP | Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab

Module 3: RFP Writing - Problem

Statements & Goals

In this module, you will:

• Understand how to communicate the problem you want to solve to

potential bidders and clearly articulate what a successful outcome looks

like, especially as it connects to your jurisdiction’s overall goals.

• Draft a problem statement and at least three key goals for your RFP, to

help your proposers understand what you view as a successful outcome

from the resulting contract.

3.1 Best Practices

Now that you have put together a project plan, built your team, and done sufficient research to

understand the needs of your service recipients and how you might improve service delivery, it is time

to start drafting your RFP!

Problem Statements

Beginning your RFP with a problem statement that effectively communicates the challenge you are

facing is the first step in designing a procurement focused on results. By painting a clear picture of the

problem that the vendor will help you solve, you begin to ground the procurement in a real issue and

invite a more creative, problem-focused range of solutions. Furthermore, by opening with a problem

statement, you can specify your jurisdiction’s goals to solve that problem (more on that later!).

For example, if a contract for homeless services defines the problem as lack of shelter bed capacity,

the range of possible solutions is narrowed to only those that increase the number of shelter beds,

and likely limits possible respondents to only shelter providers. If the problem is instead framed more

broadly as one of “housing instability,” this invites more wide-ranging, creative, and potentially cost-

effective solutions.

Guidebook for Crafting a Results-Driven RFP | Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab 26

KEY CONCEPT: CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD PROBLEM STATEMENTS

Connects the department’s priorities to a clear and specific outcome goal.

Problem statements contain the seeds of your definition of success. Tying the problem to a

specific set of goals clarifies departmental priorities for the vendor community and provides

a standard against which you will judge services. If you are making major changes to

service delivery or programmatic changes, you might find that the RFP’s problem

statement is the place to expand on why those changes are being made and how changing

the service model connects to your outcome goal(s).

Clearly explains how where you are today differs from where you want to be.

Illustrating the difference between the present state and your desired end state offers a

clear sense of what progress would look like and invites vendors to think about how they

can help get you there. Good problem statements often use a “from - to” description to

signal to vendors key priorities or expectations for changing the current state.

Quantifies key variables related to where you are today and where you want to be.

What are the data or statistics that help illustrate the gap between your desired future state

and the status quo? Quantifying the different aspects of your problem, where possible, and

sharing that information with vendors can help indicate the scale of the problem and how

you would assess success in solving the problem.

Includes description of end-users or the target population to receive services and

clarifies their needs.

Good problem statements will clearly describe the intended recipients or end-users of the

service or product. For social service RFPs, we encourage you to revisit Module 2 to learn

about assessing the needs and demographics of your target population.

Sufficiently focused to be actionable.

A problem statement that is too broad may not allow vendors to propose sufficiently

detailed solutions. Specifying a target population, describing current services, and sharing

past program data can help narrow the definition of the problem while also allowing

providers flexibility to propose innovative solutions.

As neutral as possible about possible problem diagnosis or solutions.

Good problem statements assume little about why the problem exists or what solutions

could be appropriate. By avoiding specific solutions in the problem statement, you leave

space for vendors to draw on their own expertise and offer solutions you may not have

considered.

Guidebook for Drafting a Results-Driven RFP | Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab

Goals

While the problem statement grounds the RFP in a well-defined challenge, articulating clear goals

allows you to define for vendors what success looks like – what it looks like when the problems are

addressed. A clear definition of success is a critical input for all other results-driven contracting

strategies. It informs how you will select vendors, what metrics you track over the course of the

contract, how you structure the contract, and how you design your next procurement.

KEY CONCEPT: CHARACTERISTICS OF STRONG GOAL STATEMENTS

Relate to outcomes rather than inputs, outputs, or processes

Inputs are the ingredients that go into the activities provided under the contract, like dollars

spent, number of staff, materials used, etc. Outputs measure the completion of the activities

themselves, like clients served, miles paved, number of software subscriptions, etc.

Outcomes are the intended results or measurable effects of the contracted activities, like %

of clients retaining employment for 90 days, number of citizen complaints about street

conditions, etc. Inputs and outputs are important for monitoring vendor progress, but

outcome goals should be the overarching focus of the contract.

Lend themselves to quantification

The benefits of quantifying your problem also apply to your goals. Quantifiable goals define

success in a way that you can use to guide and assess the vendor’s work. However, not

every goal will be easily quantifiable. If that is the case, you could write the goal as a

qualitative statement and use creative performance metrics to measure whether the goal

has been achieved through survey data or “proxy” measures. Goals differ from performance

metrics (see Module 5) in that performance metrics help you measure progress toward the

outcome goal.

Focused enough to narrow the range of possible responses or interventions to

address the problem, i.e., are actionable and realistic

Defining your goal precisely can offer useful guidance to vendors. Offering data, critical

information, or illustrative examples could provide helpful additional information about your

goal. Be careful! The more specific your goal, the more narrow the range of possible

solutions.

Broad enough to encompass the impact you want to have on residents/beneficiaries

and allow room for operational innovation by focusing on the “what” instead of the

“how”

Goals should be specific enough to be actionable, but not so specific that vendors focus

only on those activities and not on bringing their best ideas and approaches to bear on the

larger problem.

Guidebook for Crafting a Results-Driven RFP | Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab 28

The goal of Youth Intentional Housing Supports is to

quickly house youth experiencing housing insecurity

while providing the support needed to remain stably

housed and build a foundation for success in the

future …

According to the City’s Dashboard to End

Homelessness, in March 2018 there were 1,227

youth experiencing homeless in the City. Of

those, 126 were matched to projects and awaiting

enrollment, and 45 youth experiencing homelessness

were enrolled in projects and awaiting permanent

housing. An average of 158 new youth seek

support from our system each month, and it

takes 144 days from identifying a youth to that

youth being housed.

In order to reduce these prolonged episodes of

homelessness, the City seeks to support a menu of

housing interventions for youth that are

developmentally appropriate and quickly

deployable.

3.2 Examples

Problem Statement

This example is an excerpt from a city’s RFP for youth intentional housing supports. In the callout

boxes, we show how this example connects to the characteristics of problem statements.

Youth Intentional Housing Supports RFP

Sufficiently

focused

Remains

neutral

Quantifies

key

variables

Illustrates

gap between

current and

desired state

Connects to

goal

Goals

What do good goals look like in practice? On the left, we show what a typical goal might look like, and

on the right, we indicate what an improved version of the goal might look like.

Instead of… Try

“Provide supportive services run by certified

nursing assistants for elderly individuals three

times per week.”

“Enable elderly individuals to safely live at home

by providing services that can decrease

placements into long-term nursing care by 30%.”

“Provide after-school and summer programs to

youth.”

“Increase access to, enrollment in, and sustained

participation in after-school and summer programs

targeted to youth in grades 4-8.”

Guidebook for Drafting a Results-Driven RFP | Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab

1. Imagine that a friend of yours, who lives in but does not work for your jurisdiction, asks you what

problem you are trying to solve with this procurement. In your own words, how would you describe the

problem to them?

MODULE 3: WORKBOOK

3.3 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Gather your RFP drafting team and discuss the questions below. Brainstorming around your problem

statement and goals ahead of time will help your team when it comes time to write the solicitation.

Problem Statements

2. What do you know about this problem (including any statistics or data points)? What are the

features of this problem that somebody would need to know to solve it?

3. How have you tried to solve this problem in the past? What do you believe were the main obstacles

in the path of past efforts?

Guidebook for Crafting a Results-Driven RFP | Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab 30

Goals

1. While it may not always be obvious, this RFP and the resulting contract are opportunities to

advance your department’s (or citywide) priorities. Become grounded in those priorities by creating a

list of your department’s goals and how this RFP might contribute to achieving those goals, using the

table below.

Departmental (or jurisdiction-

wide goal)

How this RFP contributes to achieving

the goal

Example: Reduce homelessness city-wide

Example: Provides solutions to more quickly house

youth experiencing housing insecurity and reduces

prolonged episodes of homelessness

2. Imagine that this contract has reached a successful conclusion. How would you describe the

success of the project to your boss and what evidence or data would you point to as evidence of

success?

Guidebook for Drafting a Results-Driven RFP | Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab

3.4 DRAFTING PROMPTS

1. Drawing on your responses from the above set of questions, write a problem statement that reflects

the “characteristics of good problem statements”, which you will include in the introduction or

background section of your RFP (aim for 200-300 words).

2. Drawing on your responses from the warm up questions, write up to three well-defined goals that

you will include in the introduction or background section of your RFP. Depending on the service or

product you are procuring for, one overall outcome goal may effectively synthesize what you want to

achieve, which is perfectly okay! Make sure your goal(s) correspond with the “characteristics of good

goals.”