What are RFP templates?
Templates let you start an RFP with a standard set of sections and questions.
Go to the RFP viewing page and select the Templates tab. It lists Brightflag-provided templates and your organization's own templates. You never see another customer's templates.
Each row shows:
Template name and matter category (blank if none is set)
Number of questions and sections
How many of your organization's RFPs were created from it
Who created it (Brightflag templates show "Brightflag")
You can sort and page through the list. If there are no templates, you'll see an empty state and can still create a new template.
How do I create an RFP from a template?
Do one of the following:
In the Templates tab, select Use Template on a template.
Select Create RFP and choose a template from the picker (you can also choose Create Blank RFP).
Select a matter, or continue without one.
The RFP builder opens with the template's sections and questions already in place. You can add, change, reorder or remove them.
Save the RFP.
Note:
Nothing is saved until you save the RFP. If you close the builder or matter prompt first, no RFP is created.
Editing the RFP never changes the template.
If the template can't be loaded, you can retry or build the RFP from scratch.
How do I edit or delete an RFP template?
You can only edit or delete your organization's own templates. Brightflag-provided templates can't be edited or deleted. On those, use Use Template instead.
Edit
Select the three-dot menu beside your template.
Select Edit.
Change the name, matter category, sections, questions or choices.
Select Save.
Important: Saving fully replaces the template. Any section or question you removed is deleted.
Delete
Select the three-dot menu beside your template.
Select Delete.
Confirm in the dialog. This can't be undone.
The template is removed right away and its name can be reused. RFPs already created from it are not affected.
How do I create an RFP?
Step 1: Basic Info
Go to the RFP viewing page and select Create RFP.
Select a matter, or select Continue Without Selecting a Matter. Only matters without an existing RFP can be selected.
Complete the details:
RFP Name – defaults to the matter name if one is linked
Related Parties (required) – so firms can run conflict checks
Due Date (required) – firms can't submit after this date
Upload Questions (optional)
Scope Question (optional)
Matter Background Question (optional)
Note: Everything you enter, including pricing, is exactly what firms see on the law firm portal.
About matters
You can link a matter later from the RFP's page.
You must link a matter before you can award the RFP.
You can't change the matter once it's selected.
Step 2: Select vendors and contacts
Search and select the firms to invite from your vendor directory (up to 4 per RFP).
For each vendor, choose one contact. Pick an existing RFP contact, or create one by entering a name and email.
Select Confirm and Send.
Each contact gets an email invitation with a link to the RFP. If they're new to Brightflag, they create an account linked to their law firm that is scoped to responding to RFPs.
Note: You need at least one vendor with a contact before you can send. Firms can't see which other firms were invited or each other's responses.
How do I build the questions in an RFP?
Organize your RFP into sections, each with one or more questions.
Add a section, then add questions inside it.
Mark each question mandatory or optional. Firms must answer all mandatory questions before submitting.
Drag to reorder questions within a section, or move a question to another section, while the RFP is in Draft. Sections stay in the order they were created.
Delete questions or sections at any point while building.
Answer formats
Format | What the firm sees |
Short text | Single-line input, up to 1,000 characters |
Long text | Multi-line input, up to 4,000 characters |
Multi-select (single choice) | Picks one option from a list you define |
Multi-select (multiple choice) | Can pick more than one option from a list you define |
Date | Date picker |
Numeric | A validated number |
File upload | Attaches a document |
No response | Display-only text, no answer needed |
Important: Once an RFP is sent, the answer format of each question is locked. Reordering is also disabled once the RFP is no longer in Draft.
How does pricing work in an RFP?
Every RFP includes a pricing section. At minimum, a budget estimate is required.
Fee arrangement types
Budget estimate (default, always required)
Capped fee
Collared fee
Fixed fee
Contingency
Let the law firm choose (the firm selects their own fee arrangement in their response)
Rules
Only one fee arrangement type applies per RFP. Types can't be mixed.
You choose whether firms can submit more than one fee arrangement.
Firms quote in the linked matter's currency, not your account's base currency. This is stated to firms on the RFP, so link a matter before finalizing pricing.
How do rate sheets work in an RFP?
A Rate Sheet is a downloadable template that firms complete offline and upload with their proposal.
You can add one to the RFP's pricing section.
If you include one, firms must complete and upload it before they can submit.
Firms upload it as an Excel or CSV file. They can remove or replace it any time before submitting.
One rate sheet file per firm, per RFP.
Rate sheet content is included in Brightflag's AI comparison.
How do I save an RFP as a draft?
Select Save Draft at any point while creating an RFP. Your details, questions, pricing settings and vendor selections are saved.
To come back to it, open it from the RFP list page, where it shows as Draft.
Drafts are never visible to firms, and no emails are sent until you select Confirm and Send.
How do I clone an RFP?
On the RFP list or an RFP's detail page, select Clone. You can clone an RFP with any status.
The clone is created right away as a new Draft, named the same as the original with [CLONE] added. It isn't linked to a matter.
Open the clone and select a matter, or continue without one.
What's copied: name, scope, matter background, currency, fee arrangement type and settings, related parties, all sections, questions and answer choices, and any documents you uploaded to the original.
What's not copied: the due date (left empty), and anything a vendor submitted (proposals, rate sheets, answers).
The clone then works like any other Draft RFP.
How do I delete an RFP?
You can delete an RFP only while it's in Draft. Delete isn't available once it's Active, In Review or Completed.
Select delete on the RFP.
Confirm. (Cancelling leaves the RFP unchanged.)
The RFP and all its data (sections, questions, invited vendors and documents you uploaded) are permanently removed. If it was linked to a matter, the matter is not affected and can be linked to a new RFP.
How do I see the status of my RFPs?
Go to Menu > Vendors > Request for Proposal. The list shows:
Linked matter (click to open the matter summary; shows "unlinked" if none)
Status: Draft, Active, Evaluating or Awarded
Responses (for example, 2/4 firms have submitted)
Created date, RFP deadline and RFP owner
You're notified when a firm submits a response. Firms can save drafts until the deadline. After it passes, firms that haven't submitted are locked out.
How do I review and compare RFP responses?
Open the RFP to see all submitted responses side by side, including each firm's pricing against the fee arrangement you set. You can also open each response individually and download attached documents, including uploaded rate sheets.
AI comparison highlights:
Pricing differences (including from uploaded rate sheets)
Response completeness
Key differences across scope and background answers and uploaded documents
Note: AI comparison runs in the background once responses are in, so it may take a moment to appear.
How do I award an RFP?
Open the RFP and select the winning response.
Award the RFP. If no matter is linked, you must select one first.
What happens next:
The winning firm's pricing proposal becomes the budget on the linked matter.
The full RFP record (questions, all responses and the decision) is saved to the matter.
The winning firm's response document is saved on the matter's emails and files tab.
All participating firms are emailed automatically: the winner is told they were awarded, the others that the RFP closed and they weren't selected. You don't need to contact them.
The RFP status changes to Awarded.
How do I respond to an RFP? (For law firms)
Getting started
Open the email titled "[Client Name]: Request For Proposal" and select Go to RFP.
First time in Brightflag: create your account (it's automatically linked to your law firm). Returning users: log in as normal.
Note: Your access may be limited to RFPs. If you don't see invoicing or matter features your colleagues have, that's expected.
Important: Check the deadline right away. Responses can't be submitted after it passes.
What you'll see: matter background, scope, related parties (run your conflict check first), due date, questions in sections, an attached questions document if provided, and the pricing requirement in the currency stated.
Building your response
Answer each section in order. Mandatory questions must be answered before you can submit.
Short answers allow up to 1,000 characters and long answers up to 4,000. The limit is shown on each question.
Attach supporting documents if you like (for example CVs or capability statements). The client can open and download them.
If there's a rate sheet, download the template, complete it offline and upload it as an Excel or CSV file. You can remove or replace it before submitting. Uploads are scanned, and oversized or unsupported files are rejected with an explanation. If the client marked it required, you can't submit without it.
Save a draft and come back any time before the deadline. The client can't see drafts.
Submitting
Complete all mandatory questions, pricing, and the rate sheet if required.
Review everything.
Select Submit.
The client is notified by email right away.
Important: If the deadline passes while your response is still a draft, you're locked out and it won't reach the client.
Tip: If your firm is awarded, your pricing proposal becomes the budget on the client's matter, so quote what you intend to bill.
After you submit: The client reviews all responses. When they decide, every firm gets an email. If you're awarded, your pricing is linked to the client's matter as its budget and your response is saved to the matter.
What is Vendor Comparison?
When you create a matter with outside counsel, the Vendors tab shows a Vendor Comparison view. It shows eight metrics based on your own spend and performance history:
Average Timekeepers per Matter
Timekeepers Billing
Active Matters
Average Matter Cost
Leverage Benchmark
Leverage Ratio
Matters Instructed
Blended Rate
What you see depends on your role. Results are always for the matter category of the matter you're creating. You can't filter by a different category.
Admin, Super and Overview users: all eight metrics across every matter in that category, system-wide.
Department users: matters in that category in their department, or where they're an involved matter lead (IML) or matter participant.
Ordinary users: matters in that category where they're an IML or matter participant.
If no matters are visible to you, every metric shows a zero or empty state, not an error.
Which RFP fields are available in Report Builder?
Once AVM is enabled, these fields appear under a Request for Proposal category in Report Builder:
RFP External ID
RFP Name
RFP Proposed Cost
You can add them to new Matter Spend, All Matters and Invoice reports. They appear automatically, so there's nothing to configure.