RFP response software for UK bid teams: what vendor pages prove and what to ask in writing

What to take away

Every product statement here is taken from a vendor's public web page as it stood in October 2026. Those pages change often, so use this article as a way of working and get each point you rely on confirmed by the vendor in writing. Legal points refer to the UK only.

What this kind of software is for

An RFP response tool keeps approved answers in one place, drafts replies to long questionnaires from that library, hands questions to subject experts, tracks review and produces the finished response in the buyer's format. A proposal builder, such as the tools in our supplier comparison, is aimed at sales documents and quotes. Both sit in the same market, but the buying questions differ.

Public sector bidding in the UK is one place where long, repeated questionnaires turn up. Our guide to Find a Tender and CCS frameworks shows how that work can be organised before any tool is chosen.

Editorial suggestion: the case for a response library is strongest where the same questions come back. If your team answers only a few long questionnaires a year, test whether a well-kept shared folder and a quote tool already cover the need before paying for a platform.

What two vendors' pages show

Responsive and Qvidian (sold by Upland Software) both appear in our cost guide, which advises asking such vendors for a written rate card. The table records only what each page said when read.

Two details stand out. Responsive's integrations page gives counts by category, including six CRM connectors, four single sign-on options and five cloud storage connectors, yet among the connectors it displays it names only Zoho as a CRM and none of the sign-on or storage options. If your firm runs a different CRM, or needs sign-on through its own identity provider, the page does not settle the question. Qvidian's page names Salesforce and says a proposal can be started from the Salesforce record. That helps a Salesforce user and says nothing about other CRMs.

Both vendors also describe generative drafting: producing and revising answers, adjusting tone and length, and starting from prepared prompts. Responsive's pricing page lists a "Flexible custom" option for these features only on the Enterprise plan. The practical test is the same for both. Put four questions to each vendor: which service handles your content, whether that content feeds the vendor's own models, in which country the work is done, and whether the feature can be turned off for a confidential bid. Whatever they answer should end up in the contract.

Reading security and compliance labels

Responsive's security page marks GDPR and SOC 2 as "Compliant" and ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and ISO 42001 as "Certified". It also shows CCPA and Cloud Security Alliance STAR Level 1 as "Compliant", and it points to a Trust Center. The page does not mention a hosting location, data residency or sub-processors. Separately, the pricing page lists "Flexible hosting options" under the Growth plan, so hosting choice may depend on the plan.

The Qvidian page read for this article describes audit tracking and custom permissions but contains no certification list, although its menu has a Security section and its footer links to a Third-Party Subprocessors page. A missing list is not evidence of a gap. It means this page cannot serve as proof, and you should ask Upland Software for its current security documentation.

Editorial suggestion: treat "Certified" as a claim that an outside body assessed a defined scope, and "Compliant" as a statement that may rest on the vendor's own assessment. Neither replaces the document itself. Ask for:

Our vendor due diligence checklist sets out the wider supplier checks, including company filings and exit terms.

UK data protection terms to settle before signing

A response library holds personal data: the names, job titles and contact details of colleagues, customers and referees, and sometimes bid team notes. Where the vendor processes that data on your behalf, you will usually be the controller and the vendor a processor under UK GDPR.

The processor contract. Article 28 of the UK GDPR says that processing by a processor must be governed by a contract, and that a processor may not take on another processor without your prior specific or general written authorisation. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) sets out what that contract must contain at a minimum. The processor must:

The ICO states that these are minimums and the parties may agree additional terms. Editorial suggestion: check that the vendor's standard data processing terms cover every item and refer to UK GDPR, not only to the EU regime. Our note on UK GDPR and ICO rules for proposal software vendors goes further on retention and sub-processor clauses.

Transfers outside the UK. The ICO's test has three parts: UK GDPR applies to your processing, you are initiating the transfer, and the recipient is a separate organisation outside the UK. Making data accessible to such an organisation counts as a transfer. A restricted transfer needs one of three routes: UK adequacy regulations, appropriate safeguards such as the international data transfer agreement or the UK addendum, or one of the narrow exceptions. Where you rely on a safeguard, the ICO says you must also complete a transfer risk assessment. If a vendor supports UK customers from outside the UK, ask it to name the mechanism it relies on. The ICO pages are guidance, not legal advice, so for a contract of real value ask a legal adviser to review the terms.

Price and contract structure

On its pricing page Responsive splits every deployment into three parts: a platform fee, described as an annual subscription, then user licences, then add-ons and services. The page also says the platform supports unlimited projects and responses, so that answering more questionnaires does not bring incremental costs. A separate Professional Services panel offers APMP-certified experts for onboarding, training and consulting, and it is worth asking whether those hours are billed on top. The only price shown has a dollar sign and no billing detail beyond the annual subscription wording, so a sterling budget needs either a written sterling quote or a currency clause. Headings in the page's FAQ cover contract length, free trials and upgrades during the term, but the answers did not appear in the page text, so raise them in your own questions.

Whatever you are quoted, turn it into a total for the full term. Ask the vendor to itemise:

Our cost guide explains why a written rate card matters when prices are not published.

A written evidence list for the shortlist

Use the same list for every vendor so that you compare like with like. Editorial suggestion: score each line from 1 to 5 on the evidence you hold, not on the demonstration.

Keep the completed sheet with dates and sources. A score with nothing behind it is only an opinion, and the sheet is what you will want to hand over at renewal.

Sources

• Responsive: Strategic Response Management platform
• Responsive pricing
• Responsive integrations
• Responsive security
• Qvidian proposal management and RFP software (Upland Software)
• ICO: What needs to be included in the contract
• ICO: A brief guide to international transfers
• UK GDPR Article 28, legislation.gov.uk