25 Ways to Get Your Site Eliminated - #22: Common Mistakes in Responding to Request for Information
October 21, 2011 | by: Tim Davey, PE
The site selection process has matured into a very sophisticated business. What was once an process whereby an entrepreneur chose the best community to launch a new business has turned into a very complex and layered process. This complex process now includes layers of consultants who each have a unique perspective and value proposition for their client. The consultant that many state, regional, and local economic development professionals interact with the most is the Site Selection Consultant. The interaction that many of us are most familiar with is the Request for Information, or RFI that we are required to respond to within a sometimes unreasonable schedule.
Timmons Group often assists clients in responding to the RFI questions relating to engineering, infrastructure, environmental, surveying, and geotechnical investigations. We also have experience helping clients with air quality, vibration analysis, noise analysis, logistics, workforce, and demographic information that needs to be provided. In our role assisting with site selection, we also advise clients seeking information about the community, the business climate, and the entitlement process. In speaking with these clients, we’ve learned about mistakes in RFI Responses that are damaging or even fatal to a community’s effort to attract a business. Common mistakes include:
- Missing a deadline for the RFI can often cause a site to be eliminated from the selection process…we recommend you stick to the deadlines.
- Ignoring data that the community feels may not be important or relevant, without even knowing who the ultimate customer may be…we recommend that your response be as thorough as possible regardless of what you think of the relevance of a particular question.
- Inconsistent answers cause red flags…especially when you have a committee responsible for preparing the response. We recommend you review the RFI response through the view of your audience to assure you are not contradicting yourself through your answers.
I look forward to hearing about your experiences responding to RFIs. Maybe you have common mistakes you would like to share too.