Agency selection
A B2B marketing agency RFP template that gets useful answers
Write an agency RFP around the business problem, working team, evidence and scope. Includes an editable brief and a practical comparison rubric.
The short answer
A useful B2B agency RFP explains the business problem, the audience, the work in scope and how the decision will be made. Ask agencies to show relevant evidence, the people doing the work and clear commercial assumptions.
Ask for thinking you can actually compare.
An RFP can reveal how an agency understands your problem. It can also reward the team that is best at filling a template. The difference starts with the brief.
Explain the business situation and the decision behind the assignment. “We need a campaign” names an output. “We need a new audience to understand a capability we are known for elsewhere” gives an agency something useful to think about.
Share what you know, where the evidence comes from and what remains uncertain. You do not need to solve the problem before asking for help, but you do need to let agencies see it clearly.
Put these seven things in the brief.
- Business contextWhat you do, who you serve and what has changed.
- The problemThe audience, the constraint and the evidence behind it.
- ScopeRequired work, exclusions, internal contributions and dependencies.
- SuccessThe outcome, available baseline and who owns the data.
- Practical detailsBudget context, milestones, approvals and decision process.
- Response requirementsRelevant work, working team, approach and commercial clarity.
- EvaluationThe criteria and questions that will shape the decision.
The editable template includes space for each. Leave room for an agency to question an assumption or suggest a better route. A brief that dictates every answer can make it harder to see how a team thinks.
Ask about the role behind the result.
A familiar client logo is a conversation starter. Ask what the agency actually did, who was involved and which result the work can support. A media reach figure, a website launch and a revenue outcome are different kinds of evidence.
Then ask to meet the people who would do your work. Understand who owns strategy, creative, media, technology and the day-to-day relationship. The chemistry in the pitch only helps if it reflects the working relationship.
Carbon’s agency selection guide includes a practical checklist for these conversations.
Agree on the comparison before the proposals arrive.
| Criterion | Look for | Follow-up question |
|---|---|---|
| Business understanding | A clear interpretation of the problem | What would you validate first? |
| Relevant experience | A defined role and supported result | Which part is most relevant to our situation? |
| Working team | Named responsibilities and access to the people doing the work | Who makes decisions with us? |
| Measurement | Useful definitions, sources and limits | How will we know what to change? |
| Commercial clarity | Scope, dependencies, fees and exclusions | What could change the estimate or timing? |
Use a consistent scoring scale if it helps, but record the evidence behind the score. A weighted total should organize judgment, not replace it.
Leave room for a useful next conversation.
Give agencies a fair way to ask questions, and share material clarifications consistently. Be clear about what you expect in the proposal versus what belongs in paid discovery or strategy work.
Compare scope before comparing the headline fee. Ask how research, production, media, tools and internal responsibilities are treated. The right relationship should make sense in the proposal and in the way the teams will work together.
Download the full brief below, adapt it to your business and remove sections that do not help your decision.
Put it to work
B2B marketing agency RFP template
Download the editable text file and use it with your team. No form needed.
Download the worksheet