What is RFP software?

Your sales engineers are spending 100 to 300 hours per RFP response. That's 12 to 37 full workdays per deal. Multiply that across 8 to 12 active RFPs in Q4, and you've got a capacity crisis: one that pulls your most expensive talent away from high-leverage work like discovery calls, technical demos, and strategic account planning.

‍

Most revenue teams treat RFPs as a necessary evil: a compliance exercise where someone copies and pastes from last quarter's response document, hoping the answers are still accurate. The result? Low win rates, burned-out subject matter experts (SMEs), and sales cycles that stretch into the triple digits.

‍

But here's the strategic shift: RFP software is no longer a mere content library. It's a competitive weapon. The modern definition centers on automation, accuracy, and speed, powered by next-generation AI that transforms how your team responds to Requests for Proposals, security questionnaires, and due diligence documents.

‍

This guide will walk you through everything revenue leaders need to know: the core definition of RFP software, the four pillars that separate good platforms from great ones, realistic pricing expectations, and (most importantly) the strategic framework for choosing between legacy tools and AI-native platforms that redefine what's possible.

‍

If you're evaluating RFP software, this is your definitive resource.

‍

Definition: What is RFP software?

‍

RFP software (also called RFP response software or RFP automation software) is a specialized platform designed to streamline and automate the process of responding to Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Information (RFIs), security questionnaires, and other complex procurement documents.
‍

At its simplest, RFP software solves a deceptively hard problem: How do you consistently deliver accurate, on-brand, and compliant responses to documents containing 50 to 500+ questions without rebuilding the wheel every single time?
‍

The typical enterprise RFP is a beast. It contains 200+ questions covering product specifications, security protocols, compliance certifications, implementation timelines, SLA commitments, and pricing structures. Answering these manually means:

• Digging through scattered documentation across Google Drive, Confluence, Notion, SharePoint, and legacy folders.
• Chasing down SMEs in Legal, IT, Security, Product, and Customer Success who are already overloaded.
• Coordinating multi-stakeholder reviews across time zones, with version control chaos and deadline pressure.
• Praying the answers are still accurate after your product launched three new features and updated its SOC 2 certification.

‍

RFP software centralizes this chaos into a single workflow, automating repetitive tasks and ensuring every response is grounded in up-to-date, verified information.

‍

But not all RFP software is created equal. The difference between an RFP tool based on a content library of question and answer pairs, and an AI-native automation platform is the difference between saving 20% of your time and reclaiming 80% of it.

‍

Why companies are looking beyond legacy RFP tools in 2025

‍

The RFP software category has evolved from simple content management systems to sophisticated AI-powered automation tools.The core challenge with many legacy platforms is that they were built for a pre-AI world.

‍

Today's question isn't just "what is the leading RFP tool?" but rather "which platforms are leveraging AI RFP software capabilities to deliver a true competitive advantage?"

‍

The modern revenue leader needs a platform that can solve three critical problems that older tools often fail to address:

1. The knowledge silo problem: Most tools require you to manually upload and maintain a dedicated Q&A library. This creates a new silo that is instantly outdated the moment a product spec changes or a new security audit is completed. You need a platform that connects directly to your existing knowledge (CRM, Slack, Confluence, Google Drive) and uses that as the single source of truth.
2. The accuracy and trust gap: When an AI drafts a response, how do you know it's not hallucinating? Enterprise-grade AI RFP response software must ground every answer in verifiable, cited sources from your internal knowledge base. If your team has to spend hours fact-checking the AI's work, you haven't saved any time.
3. The workflow bottleneck: The RFP process is multi-step: qualification, content drafting, SME review, legal sign-off, and final formatting. True RFP response automation software must automate the entire workflow, not just the drafting phase, by using AI agents that can execute complex, multi-step tasks autonomously.

‍

The best AI software for RFP management on this list is designed to solve these problems, giving your team the speed, accuracy, and consistency required to win in a competitive market.

‍

RFP software pricing: What should you expect?
‍

One of the first questions on your mind is probably: "What does this actually cost?"The answer: It depends, but here's the realistic breakdown.

‍

3 alternative pricing models
‍

1. Per-user licensing

‍

This is the traditional SaaS model, common with older platforms. It works well for small teams (5 to 10 users), but it becomes prohibitively expensive as your organization scales. If you have 30 people who need occasional access to the RFP platform (sales reps, SEs, legal reviewers, security SMEs), you could be paying $54,000 to $108,000 annually just for seat licenses.

2. Platform licensing

‍

Most modern RFP platforms use a flat annual fee based on company size, RFP volume, and feature tier (e.g., Basic, Professional, Enterprise). This model aligns better with enterprise budgets because it doesn't penalize you for giving access to more stakeholders. Unlimited users means your entire GTM team can contribute without worrying about per-seat costs.

3. Consumption-based pricing

‍

Some AI-native platforms like Realm charge based on consumption: how many RFPs you process, how many questions the AI answers, or how many knowledge sources you integrate. This model is cost-effective for teams with variable RFP volume (e.g., seasonal buying cycles) but requires careful alignment to avoid budget surprises.
‍

ROI: Justifying the the investment

‍

Here's the math that gets budget approval: If your sales engineers cost $150,000 per year (fully loaded), and they spend 20% of their time on RFP work (400 hours annually), that's $30,000 of labor cost per SE. If you have 10 SEs, you're spending $300,000 per year on manual RFP work.

‍

An $80,000 RFP platform that automates up to 70% of that work saves you $210,000 annually in reclaimed capacity, before you even factor in the value of faster deal cycles and higher win rates.

‍

If you ask me, the question isn't whether you can afford RFP software. It's whether you can afford not to adopt it. And as you can see based on Realm pricing, you can get started for far less.

‍

‍

How to choose the right RFP automation software

‍

The decision to invest in new automated RFP response software is a strategic one. The right choice hinges on three core factors.

‍

1. Your knowledge strategy: silo vs. graph

‍

Do you want to maintain a separate, dedicated Q&A library, or do you want to leverage the knowledge your company already uses every day?

• Legacy approach (silo): Requires manual content migration and constant upkeep of a separate Q&A database. This is a maintenance burden and a risk for accuracy.
• Modern approach (knowledge graph): Platforms like Realm connect directly to your existing systems (CRM, Slack, Confluence, Google Drive). This means your RFP responses are always grounded in the most current, verified information, eliminating the need for a manual library and ensuring consistency across all customer-facing teams.

‍

2. Your AI maturity: matching vs. agentic

‍

The term "AI" is used loosely in this market. When evaluating AI-driven RFP response software and RFP AI software options, you must distinguish between basic content matching and true AI agents.

• Content matching: This is the old way. The tool finds a keyword match in your library and suggests a pre-written answer. It requires heavy human review and tailoring.
• Agentic AI: This is the future. Platforms like Realm and RohanRFP use AI agents that can execute multi-step workflows, make decisions, and synthesize information from multiple sources to generate a net-new, tailored response. This allows for automation of complex tasks like security questionnaires or compliance checks, not just simple Q&A.

‍

3. Enterprise requirements: security and scalability

‍

For B2B enterprises, security is non-negotiable. You are dealing with sensitive prospect and product data.

• Permission-awareness: Does the platform respect your existing user permissions? An enterprise solution must ensure that a user or AI agent can only access data they are already authorized to see in the source application.
• Compliance and data handling: Look for ISO-27001 certification, GDPR compliance, and a clear policy on data usage. The gold standard is a platform that uses secure, zero-retention endpoints, guaranteeing your data is never used to train models. For government contractors and highly regulated industries, customer-hosted deployment options (like those offered by RohanRFP) provide an additional layer of data sovereignty.
  ‍

Best RFP software in 2025

‍

The next question on your mind must be: "What is the best RFP software?" The honest answer: It depends. Based on these factors, here's how the top RFP response software stack up.
‍

1. Realm

• Key Advantage: Realm moves beyond the Q&A library model entirely. It connects directly to your entire tech stack (25+ apps including Salesforce, Slack, Confluence, Google Drive, Notion, SharePoint, and more), treating your existing knowledge as the single source of truth.
• AI approach: Realm's agentic AI automates up to 80% of RFP responses by synthesizing information from multiple sources and generating tailored, cited answers. Every response is grounded in verified knowledge, with citations linking back to source documents, eliminating the hallucination problem that plagues generic AI tools.
• Best for: B2B companies who need a secure, scalable, and highly accurate AI platform to accelerate deal cycles, reduce SME fatigue, and streamline all go-to-market work (not just RFPs but also customer support, sales enablement, and internal knowledge management).
• Why choose Realm: Because it eliminates the manual library burden, integrates with your existing workflows, and delivers the highest automation rate in the market (70-80% vs. 20-30% for legacy tools).

2. Loopio

• Key advantage: Loopio is a well-established platform with a strong reputation for content quality and long-term knowledge management. It excels at helping teams build and maintain a robust Q&A library, with automated review cycles, content expiration alerts, and collaborative workflows.
• AI approach: Loopio's AI features use generative AI to suggest answers and accelerate drafting, though the core architecture still relies on a dedicated content library.
• Best for: Teams that are committed to maintaining a traditional Q&A library structure and prioritize content hygiene, governance, and a mature all-in-one bid management process.
• Why choose Loopio: Because it's a proven, feature-rich platform with strong customer support and a focus on long-term content stewardship.
  ‍

3. Responsive

• Key advantage: Responsive (formerly RFPIO) is a mature, cloud-based platform recognized as a leader in the enterprise RFP space. It offers a comprehensive Answer Library, strong integrations with major enterprise systems (Salesforce, Microsoft Office 365, Slack), and AI-powered response automation.
• AI approach: Responsive's AI features use natural language processing to match questions with library content and suggest answers, with a growing emphasis on generative AI capabilities.
• Best for: Large enterprises and established RFP teams that prioritize a mature, feature-rich platform with a proven track record, strong security and compliance features, and robust integrations.
• Why choose Responsive: Because it's an enterprise-grade platform with the depth and scalability to support high-volume RFP operations and complex approval workflows.
  ‍

Final thoughts on RFP software

‍

The RFP software market is at an inflection point, defined by the rise of agentic AI and knowledge graph architectures. The competitive advantage belongs to teams that treat company knowledge as a strategic asset, not a static library that needs constant manual upkeep.

‍

Here's the mandate: Don't settle for a tool that simply automates the chaos. Choose the one that eliminates it.

‍

The right RFP platform should:

• Accelerate your deal cycles
• Free up your SMEs to focus on strategic, high-leverage work
• Scale your capacity to pursue more opportunities without adding headcount
• Improve win rates by delivering consistent, accurate, and tailored responses that signal operational maturity

‍

And here's the uncomfortable truth: The window for competitive advantage is closing.

‍

Every quarter you spend on manual RFP processes is a quarter your competitors spend winning deals faster, scaling their teams more efficiently, and building a reputation for responsiveness and competence. The question isn't whether to adopt AI-native RFP software. It's whether you can afford to wait.

‍

If your goal is to accelerate deal cycles, boost win rates, and eliminate the SME fatigue that's killing your team's capacity, explore Realm's AI agent platform. It's built for revenue leaders who refuse to treat RFPs as a compliance exercise and demand a platform that turns company knowledge into a competitive weapon.