Should I send an RFI or go straight to an RFP?

Use an RFI to narrow the market, and an RFP to compare a small group on validated requirements. The choice depends on how well you know the market and how mature your requirements are.

Send an RFI first when:

• The longlist has more than 6 candidates.
• The team is unsure which architecture fits, for example a suite, a specialist PIM or an MDM platform.
• Requirements are still in draft.

Go straight to an RFP when:

• The longlist has 5 vendors or fewer.
• Requirements are validated, prioritised and cross-checked.
• Budget and timeline are approved.

Keep an RFI short: company profile, deployment options, pricing model, partner network in your region and yes or no answers to the must-haves. PIMvendors estimate: an RFI of 20 to 30 questions gets more careful answers than a long one.

In the PIMvendors method, requirements are cross-checked against a 4-domain checklist of 400+ requirements before any document goes out. A combined route also works: a short RFI to reach 3 to 5 vendors, followed by scenario-based demos that replace the bulk of a traditional RFP. Written answers show what a vendor claims, and demos on your data show what the software does.