In any procurement process, there are two major pain points which affect buyers and suppliers equally: lack of clear communication and time requirements.
Here is how buyers and suppliers feel the effects of these pain points:
Lack of clear communication
Buyer:
Vague instructions from internal stakeholders
Ambiguous responses from suppliers
Supplier:
Vague questions/requests from the buyer
Complicated format and structure
Time Consuming
Buyer:
Creating the documentation for the RFP
Clarifying different questions with suppliers
Centralizing the responses from suppliers in a matrix
Chasing suppliers to reply
Supplier:
Building up the documentation for the RFP Response
Clarifying different information with Buyers
Fine-tuning the response, trying to be concise but not incomplete
Chasing the buyer to find out why they are not the selected supplier