In this article :
Overview
A robust RFP process is essential for ensuring your department obtains competitive pricing for all outsourced legal work.
LawVu RFPs are linked to the originating matter. An RFP can be created for matters that already have one of your legal team assigned as Matter Manager. They can also be created for unassigned matters with no Matter Manager.
The RFP can then be sent to a number of suppliers to request both a proposal and a quote for the work being undertaken. Once the winning proposal is accepted, the relevant firm will be assigned to the originating matter as the matter manager.
Regular use of the LawVu RFP module allows for clear reporting on aggregate savings by enabling you to compare your accepted proposal prices against the highest proposal prices you received.
To access the RFP module, click Engage icon in the left-hand menu bar and select Requests for proposal.
How to send an RFP in LawVu
Navigate to the matter which you intend to send to outside counsel. Please note that you can only create RFPs for matters that have had no prior external counsel involvement on that matter.
Click the ellipsis button and select Create RFP.
A create modal will appear. By default it will assume the same name as the matter, however, you can edit the name of the RFP if needed. Enter a response deadline if required and click Proceed.
If a budget has already been specified within the matter, the RFP create modal will pull this figure across. Use the tick box selector if you wish to be transparent about the budget with your intended RFP recipients.
Key in the scope of work details and attach the relevant files.
At any point, you can Save as Draft. This draft can then be accessed from within your RFP list.
Add the recipients, type in a message and click the Send request button. Recipients can continue to be added up until the point the winning proposal has been selected.
Note: You can either send the RFP to the LSP intake queue or send to a specific person or people within the organization.
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The recipients will receive both an email notification and an in-app notification within LawVu (depending on the user's notifications settings).
Note that once an edit is made to an RFP, the existing recipients are notified and invited to review the changes and amend their proposal accordingly.
How to accept an RFP
To check on the status of your Request for Proposals, click the Engage icon on the left-hand menu bar and select Requests for proposal.
The STATE column indicates the status of the RFP at your end.
Draft indicates the RFP is still being worked on.
Active indicates the RFP has been sent out to recipients.
Closed indicates a proposal has been accepted.
Cancelled indicates the RFP was effectively voided.
To check whether the recipients have responded to the RFP for a particular matter, click on the matter in question.
This opens up the Scope tab for that RFP. A summary of the scope is displayed, along with the response deadline and budget. Any attached files will be listed in the panel on the right.
If required, click the Edit button to amend the scope.
To check how your recipients have responded to your RFP, simply click the Recipients tab.
The Waiting state indicates the recipient has yet to respond to the RFP.
The Received state indicates the recipient has sent a proposal.
The Review state indicates the recipient needs to review changes made to the scope since they submitted their earlier proposal.
The Accepted state indicates the winning proposal.
The Lost state indicates a rejected proposal.
Click on an individual recipient to examine their proposal in detail.
The law firm's proposal is then displayed, along with any supporting documents they have attached. The conversations panel on the right allows for communication between yourself and the law firm.
If you agree to the terms of the proposal, click the Accept button.
As per the example below, a warning will be issued if a) the proposal exceeds the RFP budget, or b) there is a proposal submitted with a lower cost than the one being accepted. In both these cases, you are still free to accept.
The winning law firm then becomes the Matter Manager for that matter and work can now commence.
Required permissions for utilizing RFPs in LawVu
To create an RFP, a user must have the Send Matters Externally permission enabled in their profile.
Access to an RFP is governed by the Members tab on the RFP
When an RFP is created, the owner and the delegates from the originating matter are added as RFP members by default. Those members can then add additional members as needed.
To accept an RFP, a user must be a member of the matter.
To see the complete list of their organization's current RFPs, a user must be added to the RFP Administrators Security Group. This is accessed via Settings > User Management > Security Groups.
How to delete an RFP
To be able to delete an RFP, you need to be a member of the RFP Administrators Security Group. You can delete an existing RFP by going to the originating matter or directly from the RFP module.
