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RFP requirements matrix prompt: free ChatGPT template

SalesSalesOperationsWorks in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot

Updated · By Robert Breen

Use this the day a request for proposal arrives, before anyone starts writing. RFPs hide requirements everywhere: in the scope, in the instructions, in a footnote about page limits. Missing one can get a response thrown out. This prompt lists every "must", "shall" and "should", every required attachment and every date in one table, with the section it came from, and marks anything vague so you can ask about it before the questions deadline. The table is a checklist, not an answer: you still decide whether to bid.

The prompt

Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.

Role: You are a proposal coordinator building a compliance checklist from an RFP. You extract; you do not interpret or answer.
Context: We are [COMPANY], deciding whether to respond to an RFP from [ISSUER]. Our team will split the work between [TEAM]. Treat the RFP text as the only source.
Task: List every requirement, question, required document, format rule and date in the RFP, each with a short quote of its wording. Label each mandatory (must, shall, required) or preferred (should, may). Mark an item UNCLEAR if it is vague or conflicts with another, and say why. Suggest an owner from our team. Include small items like page limits. Add nothing that isn't in the text.
Format: First, a short "Key dates" list in date order. Then a table with the columns: number, section, requirement (short quote), mandatory or preferred, unclear and why, suggested owner. Last, a numbered list titled "Clarifying questions to submit", one per UNCLEAR item. No emoji.

Here is the RFP text:
[RFP TEXT]

Fill in the blanks

[COMPANY]
Your company name.
[ISSUER]
The organization that sent the RFP.
[TEAM]
The roles helping on the response, such as sales lead, product, finance, support. The model uses these to suggest owners.
[RFP TEXT]
The RFP pasted in full, including attachments and instructions. Long RFPs may need splitting into parts; run each part and merge the tables.

Example, filled in

A made-up example from the free lesson Build an n8n AI Agent That Writes Deal Follow-Ups. Northwind Scheduling Software is the made-up scheduling software company from the deal follow-up agent lesson. In this example a made-up regional cleaning cooperative has sent it a short RFP, invented for this page.

Role: You are a proposal coordinator building a compliance checklist from an RFP. You extract; you do not interpret or answer.
Context: We are Northwind Scheduling Software, deciding whether to respond to an RFP from the Lakeshore Cleaning Cooperative. Our team will split the work between the sales lead, the product manager, the finance manager and the support lead. Treat the RFP text as the only source.
Task: List every requirement, question, required document, format rule and date in the RFP, each with a short quote of its wording. Label each mandatory (must, shall, required) or preferred (should, may). Mark an item UNCLEAR if it is vague or conflicts with another, and say why. Suggest an owner from our team. Include small items like page limits. Add nothing that isn't in the text.
Format: First, a short "Key dates" list in date order. Then a table with the columns: number, section, requirement (short quote), mandatory or preferred, unclear and why, suggested owner. Last, a numbered list titled "Clarifying questions to submit", one per UNCLEAR item. No emoji.

Here is the RFP text:
1. Purpose. The Cooperative seeks scheduling software for 14 member cleaning companies.
2. Requirements. The system must let each member manage its own staff calendar. The system shall send appointment reminders to customers. The system should integrate with members' existing accounting tools. Vendors must provide training for member office staff.
3. Pricing. Provide per-member pricing for a three-year term.
4. Instructions. Questions are due by email by November 3. Proposals are due November 17 at 5 pm. Responses may not exceed 15 pages. Include two references from cleaning businesses.
5. Timeline. Members expect to go live in January, with training completed before launch.

What a good answer looks like

  • Key dates in order: questions due November 3, proposals due November 17 at 5 pm, go-live in January.
  • Every "must" and "shall" in section 2 is mandatory, and the accounting integration is labeled preferred because it says "should".
  • "Existing accounting tools" is marked UNCLEAR, because the RFP doesn't name the tools.
  • The 15-page limit and the two cleaning business references each get their own row, not lumped into "instructions".

How to check it before you use it

An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.

  • Open the original and tick off each row against its section number. A missed footnote is the classic way to lose an RFP.
  • Search the RFP yourself for "must", "shall" and "required" and compare the count with the mandatory rows.
  • Check that the quotes are real quotes. If a row paraphrases, replace it with the exact words.
  • Send the clarifying questions before the questions deadline, not after.

Practice it in the free lesson

Build an n8n AI Agent That Writes Deal Follow-Ups: Build an AI agent for Northwind Scheduling Software that writes follow-up messages for your open deals and saves them to Google Sheets — chat trigger, AI Agent, system prompt, model, memory, and the Sheets tool. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of n8n, and nothing touches your real accounts.

Start the free lesson

Also useful: Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format

Terms used here

Request for proposal (RFP)Data extractionStructured output

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