---
title: Respond to an RFP
description: Here's how to respond to an RFP that you've received through Bionic for Ad Sales.
---

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2. [Bionic for Ad Sales](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/bionic-for-ad-sales?hsLang=en)
3. [Respond to an RFP](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/bionic-for-ad-sales?hsLang=en#respond-to-an-rfp)

# Respond to an RFP

## Here's how to respond to an RFP that you've received through Bionic for Ad Sales.

![](https://fast.wistia.com/embed/medias/arn8rmdi2c/swatch)

### Table of Contents

1. [Respond to an RFP](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#Respond) 
     1. [Review the RFP](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#review)
     2. [Decline the RFP](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#decline)
     3. [Undecline the RFP](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#undecline)
2. [Submit a Proposal](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#submit-a-proposal) 
     1. [Go to Proposals Tab](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#proposals)
     2. [Create a Proposal](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#create)
     3. [Build Your Proposal](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#build)
     4. [Provide Your Rationale](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#rationale)
     5. [Attach Documents](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#Attach-Documents)
     6. [Add Line Items](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#add-lines)
     7. [Clone Line Items](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#clone)
     8. [Submit Your Proposal](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#submit)
3. [Monitor Proposal Status on RFP](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#monitor)

### Respond to an RFP:

1. [Review the RFP](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#review).
2. [Decline RFP](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#decline) or [Submit a Proposal](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#submit-a-proposal).

#### Review the RFP

The first step in submitting a proposal is to create a proposal:

1. [See Your RFPs](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/see-your-rfps?hsLang=en).
2. If you don't see the RFP, ask your teammate to [invite you](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/invite-teammates-to-rfp?hsLang=en) or give you an [RFP activation code](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/add-rfp-using-activation-code?hsLang=en).
3. Open the RFP by clicking its name.
4. Review the RFP requirements on the RFP Overview Tab
5. If you don't want to respond, [Decline the RFP](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#decline).
6. To respond, [Submit a Proposal](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#submit-a-proposal).

[![Screenshot of the overview screen of an RFP. Arrows are indicating to the 2 ways you can go to Proposals](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/undefined-May-24-2023-11-44-54-7912-PM.png)](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Screenshots/Bionic%20for%20Ad%20Sales/Respond%20to%20an%20RFP/Proposals%20Buttons.png?hsLang=en)

#### Decline the RFP

If you feel an RFP is not a good fit for whatever reason, you can opt to decline. This will notify the planner so they can move forward with other options and avoid the need to follow up with you later.

To decline an RFP:

1. Press the **Decline** button on the RFP Overview page.

**Note:** Declining an RFP is not permanent. You can [Undecline the RFP](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#undecline) to reverse this action

[![Screenshot of the RFP overview screen. The "Decline" button has an arrow pointing to it.](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/image-png-Nov-20-2022-12-26-14-8457-PM.png)](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Screenshots/Bionic%20for%20Ad%20Sales/Respond%20to%20an%20RFP/Decline.png?hsLang=en)

#### Undecline the RFP

If you've [Declined the RFP](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#decline) by mistake or have changed your mind, you can easily reverse this:

1. Click the **Undecline** button on the RFP Overview page.

[![Screenshot of the RFP overview screen. The "Undecline" button has an arrow pointing to it.](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/image-png-Nov-20-2022-12-27-45-6412-PM.png)](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Screenshots/Bionic%20for%20Ad%20Sales/Respond%20to%20an%20RFP/Undecline.png?hsLang=en)

 

### Submit a Proposal

To submit a proposal:

1. [Go to Proposals Tab](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#proposals).
2. [Create a Proposal](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#create).
3. [Build Your Proposal](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#build).
4. [Submit Your Proposal](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#submit).
5. [Monitor Proposal Status](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#monitor).

#### Go to Proposals Tab

Your first step is to go to the Proposals tab:

1. Either click the **Next Step: Proposals** button or click the **Proposals** tab.

[![Screenshot of the Overview tab in an RFP. The 2 options for going to Proposals have been pointed to](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/image-png-Nov-20-2022-12-53-58-2726-PM.png)](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Screenshots/Bionic%20for%20Ad%20Sales/Respond%20to%20an%20RFP/Next%20Step%20Proposals.png?hsLang=en)

#### Create a Proposal

On the Proposals tab, you'll see a list of the proposals you've previously submitted on this RFP. If you've not yet submitted a proposal, you'll see a "No Proposals Yet" indicator.

To create a proposal:

1. Click the **Create New Proposal** button.

[![Screenshot of the Proposals tab in an RFP. Arrows are pointing to the 2 buttons that will create a new proposal.](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/undefined-May-24-2023-11-44-55-2214-PM.png)](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Screenshots/Bionic%20for%20Ad%20Sales/Respond%20to%20an%20RFP/Creating%20Proposal%20link.png?hsLang=en)

#### Name Your Proposal

From the "Create New Proposal" Dialog:

1. Give your proposal a descriptive name.
2. Choose the associated budget level.
3. Click the **Create** button.

**Tip:** Giving your proposal a unique name will help you to find it in a long list of proposals. Your future self says "thank you" for doing this.

**Note:** The budget levels are set by the media planner/buyer. If only one budget level, it will simply display the budget. If more than one, you can choose from a drop-down.

**Note:** If there are multiple budgets, you will need to create a separate proposal for each budget level. There is a clone feature to streamline your workflow.

[![Screenshot of the pop-up allowing a user to create a new proposal. Arrows with numbers point to the fields correlating with the steps listed above.](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/image-png-Nov-20-2022-01-11-11-2504-PM.png)](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Screenshots/Bionic%20for%20Ad%20Sales/Respond%20to%20an%20RFP/Name%20and%20Budget.png?hsLang=en)

#### Build Your Proposal

Now it's time to build your proposal:

1. [Provide Your Rationale](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#rationale).
2. [Add Line Items](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#add-lines).
3. [Attach Documents](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#Attach-Documents).
4. When finished, don't forget to [Submit Your Proposal](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#submit).

[![Screenshot of the Proposal overview. Arrows are pointing to the "Rational" field, "Line Items" tab, and the "Add Document" button.](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/undefined-May-24-2023-11-44-54-6581-PM.png)](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Screenshots/Bionic%20for%20Ad%20Sales/Respond%20to%20an%20RFP/Overview%20of%20Proposal.png?hsLang=en)

#### Provide Your Rationale

As an ad salesperson, it's your job to demonstrate why your advertising inventory is better than all the other alternatives. The rationale field gives you this opportunity.

You can use the rationale field to:

1. Explain why you included the ad inventory you did.
2. Explain why your ad programs are the perfect fit.
3. Hyperlink to content on your website.
4. Paste in images, screenshots, photos.
5. Embed videos or audio.

[![Screenshot of the "Rationale" box zoomed in. There are numbers indicating the different fields that match the list above this image.](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hs-fs/hubfs/undefined-May-24-2023-11-44-55-4033-PM.png?width=670&height=724&name=undefined-May-24-2023-11-44-55-4033-PM.png)](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Screenshots/Bionic%20for%20Ad%20Sales/Respond%20to%20an%20RFP/Rationale.png?hsLang=en)

#### Attach Documents

1. From the Overview tab on your Proposal, click **Add Document**
2. Choose the file from your computer
3. Click **Upload**

[![Screenshot of the Overview tab of a Proposal. The "Add Document" link has been pressed, showing the dialog box for selecting and uploading a file.](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/undefined-May-24-2023-11-44-54-9397-PM.png)](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Screenshots/Bionic%20for%20Ad%20Sales/Respond%20to%20an%20RFP/Uploading%20doc.png?hsLang=en)

**Note:** If you upload a Proposal XML file using the Add Document button on the Overview tab, Bionic will automatically import the line items from the XML into the proposal in addition to attaching the file as a document.

 

#### Add Line Items

The core of your proposal are your line items. This presents the inventory you want to include in your proposal.

To add lines to your proposal:

1. [Add Lines](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/build-placements-on-proposal?hsLang=en) with Proposal Builder
2. [Upload Line Items](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/upload-xml-files?hsLang=en)
3. [Clone Line Items](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#clone)
4. Add [Flights](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/build-proposal-flighting?hsLang=en)

**Tip:** For detailed instructions, see: [Build Proposal - Enter Placement Basics](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/build-proposal-enter-placement-basics?hsLang=en)

[![Screenshot of the Line Items tab in a Proposal. Numbered arrows are pointing to steps 1 & 2 above.](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/undefined-May-24-2023-11-44-54-5218-PM.png)](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Screenshots/Bionic%20for%20Ad%20Sales/Respond%20to%20an%20RFP/Adding%20Line%20Items.png?hsLang=en)

 

#### Clone Line Items

If you want to add new line items to your proposal that are similar to line items you've already added, the clone function accelerates this process:

1. Select the lines you want to clone.
2. Click the **Clone** button.

[![Screenshot of Line Items tab. 2 lines have been selected and the clone button is being pointed to.](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hs-fs/hubfs/undefined-May-24-2023-11-44-55-5674-PM.png?width=670&height=654&name=undefined-May-24-2023-11-44-55-5674-PM.png)](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Screenshots/Bionic%20for%20Ad%20Sales/Respond%20to%20an%20RFP/Clone.png?hsLang=en)

#### Indicate Number of Copies

On the Clone Items dialog:

1. Indicate the number of copies you want to create.
2. Optionally choose a color to fill the background of these lines.
3. Click the **Clone** button.

[![Screenshot of the "Clone" pop-up dialog box. Numbers corresponding to the list above are pointing to the different options to choose.](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/image-png-Nov-20-2022-02-59-49-9747-PM.png)](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Screenshots/Bionic%20for%20Ad%20Sales/Respond%20to%20an%20RFP/Clone%20Function.png?hsLang=en)

 

#### Submit Your Proposal

Once your proposal has been completed, to submit your proposal:

1. Go back to the **Overview** Tab.
2. Click the **Submit Proposal** button.
3. The media planner/buyer will be [immediately notified](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/respond-to-an-rfp#notification).
4. You can then monitor your proposal status.

[![Screenshot of the Overview page of a Proposal. Numbered arrows are pointing to the "Overview" tab and "Submit Proposal" button](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hs-fs/hubfs/undefined-May-24-2023-11-44-54-3646-PM.png?width=670&height=254&name=undefined-May-24-2023-11-44-54-3646-PM.png)](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Screenshots/Bionic%20for%20Ad%20Sales/Respond%20to%20an%20RFP/Submitting.png?hsLang=en)

 

#### Email Notification

The media planner/buyer that sent you the RFP will be immediately notified via email when you submit your proposal.

[![Screenshot of the email a media buyer would see when a Proposal is sent.](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/image-png-Nov-20-2022-03-11-40-4140-PM.png)](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Screenshots/Bionic%20for%20Ad%20Sales/Respond%20to%20an%20RFP/Email%20Notification.png?hsLang=en)

 

### Monitor Proposal Status on a RFP

You will be notified if the planner has questions, needs adjustments, or has accepted the proposal for their consideration set.

In the meantime, you can monitor the status of your proposals:

1. Go to the RFP.
2. Click the **Proposals** tab on the RFP.
3. See the status.

**Tip:** To monitor the status of all of your proposals across all RFPs, see [Monitor Your Proposals](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/monitor-your-proposals?hsLang=en).

[![Screenshot of the Proposals tab in an RFP. Numbered arrows correlate with the list above this image.](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/image-png-Nov-20-2022-03-22-13-1284-PM.png)](https://help.bionic-ads.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Screenshots/Bionic%20for%20Ad%20Sales/Respond%20to%20an%20RFP/Monitor%20Status.png?hsLang=en)

 

**Tip:** First time? Have questions? [Get Help With Bionic for Ad Sales](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/get-help-with-bionic-for-ad-sales?hsLang=en)

 

### Previous Step:

- [Invite Teammates to an RFP](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/invite-teammates-to-rfp?hsLang=en)

### Next Step:

- [Build Proposal - Enter Placement Basics](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/build-proposal-enter-placement-basics?hsLang=en)

 

 

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    - [Introduction to Bionic](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/bionic-for-agencies?hsLang=en#introduction-to-bionic)
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    - [Automate Ad Server Trafficking](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/bionic-for-agencies?hsLang=en#automate-ad-server-trafficking)
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    - [Get Started](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/bionic-for-ad-sales?hsLang=en#get-started)
    - [Respond to an RFP](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/bionic-for-ad-sales?hsLang=en#respond-to-an-rfp)
    - [Manage Your Programs](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/bionic-for-ad-sales?hsLang=en#manage-your-programs)
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    - [Manage Campaign for Advertisers](https://help.bionic-ads.com/knowledge/bionic-for-advertisers?hsLang=en#manage-campaign-for-advertisers)
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