RFP DETAILS

Read exactly how an RFP wants price presented

The pricing format is the set of rules for how cost must be presented: a fixed price or rates, which form to complete, what costs to include or leave out, and whether price goes in a separate volume. Mistakes here can make a response hard to evaluate or non-compliant. Ask Search+ "How must pricing be submitted for this RFP?" and the answer cites the pricing instructions so you can read them exactly as written.

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Last updated October 2026

How to read pricing instructions with Search+

Upload the RFP with its pricing workbook and attachments
Pricing rules often sit in the instructions, a cost proposal section and a price schedule exhibit. Buyers often issue the price schedule as an Excel workbook, so upload it as it arrived, next to the instructions, and keep every pricing document in the workspace with the main RFP.
Ask about structure, content and packaging separately
Ask what pricing model is required, then which costs must be included, then how the price volume must be packaged and delivered. These rules are often described in different sections.
Follow the links to scope and evaluation
Price lines usually mirror deliverables in the scope, and the evaluation section says how price is scored. Ask how the price schedule relates to the scope, and open both citations.

Questions to ask about the pricing format

Pricing model

Does this RFP ask for a fixed price, hourly rates, unit prices or a mix?

Required form

Which price form or schedule must be completed, and may we add lines to it?

Separate volume

Must the cost proposal be submitted separately from the technical proposal, and may price appear in the technical volume?

What to include

Should travel, materials, licenses or taxes be included in the price or listed separately?

Multi-year terms

Does the RFP ask for prices for option years or renewals, and how should escalation be shown?

Validity

For how long must the prices offered remain valid after the due date?

What to look for in pricing instructions

Structure follows the contract type

A fixed price puts cost risk on the vendor, while time and materials or unit pricing ties payment to effort or quantities. The required structure tells you a lot about the contract that will follow.

Separation from the technical response

Many buyers require price in a separate volume or envelope so evaluators score the technical response without seeing cost. Some say that showing price elsewhere can lead to rejection, so read this carefully.

Assumptions and exceptions

Some RFPs allow pricing assumptions or alternate pricing, and others forbid them. Check whether qualifications to a price are permitted and where they must go.

Validity periods and option years

The RFP may ask that prices stay firm for a period after submission and may request prices for renewal years. The length varies by buyer, so ask for the exact terms.

Questions scoped to one document

Ask across the workspace or narrow a question to the price exhibit alone. Answers cite the pricing text, and Search+ does not invent page or section numbers the file lacks.

RFP pricing instructions, phrase by phrase

Wording you may see	What it usually signals	A follow-up question
"firm fixed price"	One price for the defined work	What happens if the scope changes after award?
"fully burdened rates"	Rates that include overhead and profit	Which costs must be built into each rate?
"submitted under separate cover"	Price kept apart from the technical response	How must the price volume be labeled and delivered?
"alternate pricing will not be considered"	Only the requested format counts	Are pricing assumptions allowed anywhere?
"prices shall remain valid for"	A period your offer must stand	How long is the validity period, and from what date?
"option years"	Prices for possible renewal terms	How should price changes in option years be shown?

What is the pricing format in an RFP?

The pricing format is the part of an RFP that tells vendors how to present cost: the pricing model, the forms or schedules to complete, what each price must include, how the price volume is packaged and how long the offered prices must remain valid.

The pricing format is not the payment terms. Pricing rules govern how you state cost in the proposal; payment terms in the contract govern when and how the buyer pays after award.

Pricing format questions

Can Search+ tell me which pricing model the RFP requires?

Ask whether the buyer wants a fixed price, rates or unit prices. The answer comes from the solicitation with a citation to the pricing instructions, so you can confirm the requirement.

Can it fill in the price form for us?

No. Search+ reads documents and answers questions; it does not complete forms or set prices. Use it to understand the instructions, then prepare the pricing yourself.

What if the price schedule is an Excel workbook?

Upload the workbook as it is. Search+ reads Excel files, so you can ask which line items are required, how units are defined or where totals go, and the answer cites the workbook alongside the RFP instructions. Check every cited figure and label against the workbook itself before you price.

Will it warn me if price must not appear in the technical volume?

Ask whether pricing may appear outside the cost proposal. If the RFP addresses it, the answer cites that instruction.

Can it compare pricing structures across several RFPs?

Yes. With the solicitations in one workspace, ask how their pricing models or validity periods differ, and each difference is cited to its source.

Does Search+ give pricing or financial advice?

No. It helps you read what the RFP asks for. How you price a bid, and the financial risk it carries, are decisions for you and your advisers.

Related RFP sections

RFPs

Read a whole solicitation with citations

Evaluation criteria

How responses are scored

Mandatory requirements