Request for information (RFI)
A request for information (RFI) asks suppliers for information that helps a buyer understand the market, available solutions or delivery constraints. It normally happens before a formal tender and does not, by itself, request a priced offer or award a contract.
Reviewed
Before a formal tender, a buyer may ask for a written view of available solutions, capability, capacity or delivery constraints through a request for information (RFI). It is usually part of preliminary market engagement, not a tender requiring a final offer.
How to respond
Read the stated purpose and answer the questions in the requested format. Mark genuinely confidential information clearly, but do not assume the authority can keep every detail confidential. Explain assumptions and distinguish current capability from development plans. If the buyer asks for indicative costs, state what is included and what would change the price; an indicative figure is not necessarily a quotation.
Watch the formal procurement
The buyer should run engagement fairly and avoid giving a participating supplier an unfair advantage. Under current UK guidance, authorities should consider how information will be recorded and shared, and a preliminary market engagement notice may be required when the Procurement Act 2023 applies. Suppliers should monitor later tender notices because the final scope and evaluation method may differ from the RFI.
For example, an authority planning a digital identity service might ask whether suppliers support certain standards and what implementation dependencies exist. A useful answer can influence the specification, but it does not reserve the work or guarantee an ITT invitation.
Do not reuse an RFI response as a tender without checking the final requirements, contract and submission instructions.