Send the same vague brief to three production companies and you get back three proposals you can’t compare. One quotes a lump sum, one leaves out rigging and power, one priced a bigger screen than the others. You end up guessing, and the surprises land on the final invoice.
A good AV and production RFP fixes that. Spell out the date, the room, the screen sizes, the power, and the load-in window, and every bidder prices the same event, so you can line the proposals up side by side. For high-stakes events where there is no second take, that clarity is worth the hour it takes to write.
Download the free RFP template
Why a detailed RFP gets you better bids
Estimators price what you give them. Leave a detail blank and a bidder either pads the number to cover the unknown or leaves it out and bills you later as a change order. Neither helps you compare. Specificity removes the guesswork, and it signals that you know how production works, which tends to get you sharper crews and more honest pricing. Send the RFP to three to five companies, and keep the order an estimator reads in: the show first, then the room, then the money.
Why the details matter, even the ones you’re missing
You don’t need every answer to send the RFP, and a missing detail is no reason to wait. Most planners don’t know the final screen size, the exact power draw, or the ceiling height early on. Give bidders everything you do know: the date, the room, the audience, the schedule, and you’ve removed most of the guesswork even if a few fields are still open. For the gaps, don’t leave the line blank; write “please recommend.” Give the room size and audience and let the vendor size the screens and the PA. What you can fill in makes the bids comparable; what you can’t becomes a test of the vendor’s judgment: how a company handles the open questions here is a good preview of how it will handle the ones that come up on show day.
What to include in your AV & production RFP
Group the RFP into seven sections, and make each one as concrete as you can:
- Event overview: organization and contact, event name and format, dates and a day-by-day schedule with rehearsals, in-person and remote attendance, and one line on the event’s purpose.
- Venue and access: venue and rooms, indoor or outdoor, dimensions and ceiling height, available power, load-in and load-out windows, dock and parking, union rules, and any in-house AV. Attach the venue’s vendor rulebook.
- Scope by discipline: audio, video, LED and projection, lighting and staging, and streaming and hybrid, each broken out with exactly what you need.
- Crew and show management: a staffing plan by role, a named on-site project manager, crew continuity, and who calls the show.
- Budget and pricing: an itemized quote (equipment, labor, logistics), day and overtime terms, venue-driven costs as their own lines, and deposit and cancellation terms.
- Compliance and insurance: certificate of insurance, additional insureds, venue-rules compliance, and content ownership.
- Evaluation and timeline: how you’ll score bids, two questions for every finalist, and the proposal and decision dates with a site visit.
The Word template above lays all seven out as fill-in-the-blank fields you can send as-is.
Red flags in the proposals you get back
A few things should make you look twice:
- A lump-sum total with no line items.
- No mention of power, rigging, or venue labor.
- Vague “miscellaneous” or “handling” fees.
- No named crew or backup-equipment plan.
- Reluctance to share references or insurance, or no site visit offered.
- Pricing far below the rest of the field, usually scope that resurfaces later as change orders.
What the winning bid should show
The strongest proposal reads like the company has produced your exact event before. Look for a single accountable team handling audio, video, lighting, and streaming in-house rather than subcontractors pointing at each other on show day, owned equipment with a written backup plan, a named show caller, and references you can call. For events in Washington, DC and the surrounding area: government meetings, galas, conferences, and rallies on the National Mall, ask about permit knowledge, nonpartisan handling, and NDA work. That is how Prime AV bids across its AV services.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AV RFP template?+
A standard form you send to every AV company so their bids come back on the same terms and are easy to compare. Give each company the same scope and you can read the quotes line by line.
Why do AV quotes come back so different?+
Because each company scopes the job differently. One may leave out crew hours, power, or backups that another includes. A shared RFP fixes that. See our audio visual services for what a full scope covers.
Can I send this RFP template to other companies?+
Yes. It is a free template you can send to any AV company, including us. When the bids come back, request a quote from us on the same terms.
Building your event RFP?
Download the template, fill in what you know, and email it to sales@goprimeav.com. We’ll help you build the scope. Or send us your requirements for a quote.