RFP compliance matrix template

Every must, kept where the tender put it.

Try the builder

The film: the builder in 25 seconds. An illustrative example on an invented tender; nothing is sent.

What the film shows, in words

Every must, kept where the tender put it.
841 characters. Nine obligations.
5 must. 2 must not. 2 should.
A new clause with “must”: a tenth mark, at character 846.
Reworded to “are to”: the mark goes. The duty stays. Nine found.
It finds the wording. You read the tender.

The demo: the worked example, one input at a time

ExampleAn invented evaluation tender

Include “should” and “may” statements as desirable: on

1. Instructions to bidders 1.1 Proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF format no later than 15 November 2026, 12:00 GMT. Late submissions will not be considered. 1.2 The technical proposal shall not exceed 20 pages, excluding annexes. 2. Eligibility 2.1 Bidders must be legally registered and provide a certificate of incorporation. 2.2 The bidder should have at least three years of experience in programme evaluation. 3. Technical requirements 3.1 The consultant shall propose a mixed-methods design and a sampling strategy. 3.2 The team leader must hold a postgraduate degree in a relevant field. 3.3 Data collection tools should be piloted before use. 3.4 The consultant shall not share raw data with third parties without written approval. 4. Financial proposal 4.1 Prices must be quoted in US dollars, inclusive of all taxes.

Mandatory
Prohibition
Desirable
Bare rail: text the rules passed over

Step 1 of 4

The worked example

Nine obligations in 841 characters.

9 requirements found: 5 mandatory, 2 prohibitions, 2 desirable.

Requirements found: 9
Mandatory: 5
Prohibitions: 2
Desirable: 2

Submission rules foundDate in the text: 15 November 2026. Length limit: 20 pages. Format requirements: electronically, pdf.

Now your own tender, measured.

Paste tender text; the matrix rebuilds as you type. It finds obligations by the wording of each sentence. It does not read a tender as a person does.

What you paste stays in this browser, so it is here when you come back. A tender can be confidential and a computer shared: “Clear it” removes your text and puts the worked example back. Email delivery is not connected, so today nothing you paste is sent anywhere.

Paste the requirements sections

Only paste text you are allowed to use. Nothing is sent anywhere unless you ask for the matrix by email.

841 charactersThe box grows with your text.

Include “should” and “may” statements as desirable

Mandatory
Prohibition
Desirable
Bare rail: text the rules passed over

Your review

Each requirement stays open until you have read it against the sentence itself. Press Review beside a requirement in the matrix and its sentence is quoted here for you. Then say whether the evidence is missing or held, and where it is.

Review against the text

A review counts only when it quotes the requirement word for word.

Compliance matrix

Live

Requirements found: 9
Mandatory: 5
Prohibitions: 2
Desirable: 2

Submission rules found

Date in the text: 15 November 2026.Check whether this is the submission deadline, and its time zone.
Length limit: 20 pages.Page limits are often grounds for rejection.
Format requirements: electronically, pdf.

Rule-based matching can miss requirements. Requirements phrased without these words (for example in tables or annexes) will not be found. Read the whole tender.

Review check

7 of 7 mandatory requirements and prohibitions are open: not reviewed against the text.Read each against the sentence itself, then record whether you hold the evidence.
2 of 2 desirable statements are open.
A status is what you recorded.This tool reads no evidence and confirms no compliance.

Compliance matrix: 841 characters. 9 requirements found: 5 mandatory, 2 prohibitions, 2 desirable.
Clause	Requirement	Type	Position	Evidence
Clause 1.1	Proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF format no later than 15 November 2026, 12:00 GMT.	Mandatory	character 31	Opennot reviewed
Clause 1.2	The technical proposal shall not exceed 20 pages, excluding annexes.	Prohibition	character 176	Opennot reviewed
Clause 2.1	Bidders must be legally registered and provide a certificate of incorporation.	Mandatory	character 264	Opennot reviewed
Clause 2.2	The bidder should have at least three years of experience in programme evaluation.	Desirable	character 347	Opennot reviewed
Clause 3.1	The consultant shall propose a mixed-methods design and a sampling strategy.	Mandatory	character 460	Opennot reviewed
Clause 3.2	The team leader must hold a postgraduate degree in a relevant field.	Mandatory	character 541	Opennot reviewed
Clause 3.3	Data collection tools should be piloted before use.	Desirable	character 614	Opennot reviewed
Clause 3.4	The consultant shall not share raw data with third parties without written approval.	Prohibition	character 670	Opennot reviewed
Clause 4.1	Prices must be quoted in US dollars, inclusive of all taxes.	Mandatory	character 781	Opennot reviewed

Owner and Evidence are yours. Each requirement stays open until you review it against its own sentence: press Review. The tool fills in nothing for you, and a status is your record, not a check of the evidence. Identifiers follow the order in your text: a sentence added or removed above renumbers those below. Position counts characters in the text you pasted, not pages or lines of the original document.

9requirements found

5mandatory

2prohibitions

2desirable

Compliance matrix

ID	Clause	Requirement	Type	Position
R01	1.1	Proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF format no later than 15 November 2026, 12:00 GMT.	Mandatory	char 31
R02	1.2	The technical proposal shall not exceed 20 pages, excluding annexes.	Prohibition	char 176
R03	2.1	Bidders must be legally registered and provide a certificate of incorporation.	Mandatory	char 264
R04	2.2	The bidder should have at least three years of experience in programme evaluation.	Desirable	char 347
R05	3.1	The consultant shall propose a mixed-methods design and a sampling strategy.	Mandatory	char 460
R06	3.2	The team leader must hold a postgraduate degree in a relevant field.	Mandatory	char 541
R07	3.3	Data collection tools should be piloted before use.	Desirable	char 614
R08	3.4	The consultant shall not share raw data with third parties without written approval.	Prohibition	char 670
R09	4.1	Prices must be quoted in US dollars, inclusive of all taxes.	Mandatory	char 781

Submission rules found

Check: Date in the text: 15 November 2026.Check whether this is the submission deadline, and its time zone.
Check: Length limit: 20 pages.Page limits are often grounds for rejection.
Check: Format requirements: electronically, pdf.
Note: Rule-based matching can miss requirements.Requirements phrased without these words (for example in tables or annexes) will not be found. Read the whole tender.

Review against the text

Each requirement with the status you recorded for it. A status is your record, not a check of the evidence.
ID	Clause	Type	Status
R01	1.1	Mandatory	Open: not reviewed
R02	1.2	Prohibition	Open: not reviewed
R03	2.1	Mandatory	Open: not reviewed
R04	2.2	Desirable	Open: not reviewed
R05	3.1	Mandatory	Open: not reviewed
R06	3.2	Mandatory	Open: not reviewed
R07	3.3	Desirable	Open: not reviewed
R08	3.4	Prohibition	Open: not reviewed
R09	4.1	Mandatory	Open: not reviewed

Review check

Check: 7 of 7 mandatory requirements and prohibitions are open: not reviewed against the text.Read each against the sentence itself, then record whether you hold the evidence.
Note: 2 of 2 desirable statements are open.
Note: A status is what you recorded.This tool reads no evidence and confirms no compliance.

Your editable templateRFP compliance matrixTry this form

Practice 06: Bids, proposals & intelligenceFree · instant results on this pageTool owner: Prof. Wisdom Gagakuma and Kenneth GagakumaVersion 1.0 · 24 September 2026

Three stepped terrace levels of pale concrete above the sea, one behind the other; the lowest has a ruby glass front edge. — Three levels, in order: the same requirements, sorted by kind.

XLSXCompliance matrixYour organisation

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G
1	ID	Clause	Requirement	Type	Position	Owner	Evidence
2	R01	1.1	Proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF format no later than 15 November 2026, 12:00 GMT.	Mandatory	char 31
3	R02	1.2	The technical proposal shall not exceed 20 pages, excluding annexes.	Prohibition	char 176
4	R03	2.1	Bidders must be legally registered and provide a certificate of incorporation.	Mandatory	char 264
5	R04	2.2	The bidder should have at least three years of experience in programme evaluation.	Desirable	char 347

and 5 more rows, in the order of your text

Your matrix as it stands, laid out as the spreadsheet would be: the tool’s seven columns, Owner and Evidence as you recorded them and blank where you have not. No spreadsheet is produced today.

Your editable template

RFP compliance matrix, by email once delivery is connected.

RFP compliance matrix (spreadsheet) with clause references, owner and evidence columns; not a guarantee of complete compliance

· a free brief, or book the Professor · from USD 150

Tool: RFP compliance matrix
Result: 9 requirements · 5 mandatory
Request: please review the tender and scope bid writing (SVC-068).

Send as a brief

Three rules, and what they miss.

The rules are published so you can check them. They match wording. A duty written without one of these words gets no mark.

01
Lines that start with a clause number (1, 2.1, 3.4.2) set the clause reference for the sentences that follow.
02
Sentences with “shall not”, “must not” or “may not” are prohibitions; “shall”, “must”, “required” or “mandatory” are mandatory; “should”, “may” or “preferred” are desirable (optional).
03
Each requirement keeps its character position in your text, so it can be traced back.
04
A review attaches to a requirement only when it quotes the sentence word for word. The requirement stays open until you record the evidence as held and name it; evidence you record as missing is counted apart.

What it cannot tell you

Not a guarantee of complete compliance: requirements can be phrased in ways no rule catches.
It does not interpret requirements or check your evidence.
Paste only text you are permitted to use.

Quality rulePreserve clause citations; test missed mandatory requirements.

A fixed ruby glass fin held by a steel bracket with two fixings against a ribbed silver wall, the sea beyond. — Each mark keeps its place: a requirement that can be traced back to where it sits in the text.

The words it looks for

Prohibitionshall not, must not, may notChecked first.
Mandatoryshall, must, is required to, are required to, required, mandatoryChecked second.
Desirableshould, may, preferred, desirable, encouragedOnly while the option is on.

How a rule can misread a sentence

“The technical proposal shall not exceed 20 pages” is filed as a prohibition, because it contains “shall not”.
With the option on, any sentence containing “may” is filed as desirable, including a buyer’s right such as “the client may reject any bid”.
The word “required” anywhere in a sentence makes it mandatory.
Sentences are split only after a full stop, semicolon or colon followed by a capital letter, so an unpunctuated list becomes one requirement.