Why We Don’t Respond to RFPs — and What We Do Instead

We don’t respond to RFPs.

Not because we’re trying to be difficult. We do it because we know how to deliver real value—and most RFP processes are designed to prevent that. If you’re looking for a partner to check boxes, we’re not it. But if you want to improve how you sell complex products through smart configuration, pricing, and quoting, we’ll gladly show you how we work instead.

Here are seven reasons—four classic warning signs, and three specific to how cpq.se works and delivers CPQ success—that explain our stance.

1. If You Weren’t Involved Before the RFP Dropped, You’ve Already Lost

By the time most RFPs hit your inbox, the real decisions have already been made. Specs are fixed, priorities are assumed, and the process is narrowed. Without early involvement, you're left guessing. At cpq.se, we don’t believe in guessing.

We believe in being part of the discovery—so we can challenge, guide, and tailor a solution that actually works.

2. If You Can’t Talk to Decision-Makers, You’re Selling Blindfolded

Procurement-only RFPs remove the most critical factor in any CPQ project: understanding the real pain and goals of the business. If we can’t speak to the people driving the transformation, we can’t shape a solution worth delivering. CPQ isn’t off-the-shelf software—it’s a strategic enabler.

And strategy starts with real conversations.

3. A Rigid Timeline Is Often a Dead Giveaway

When an RFP comes with a rushed and non-negotiable deadline, it’s rarely a true opportunity. It often means a vendor is already chosen and others are being invited just to tick boxes. CPQ projects involve deep collaboration, modeling, and integration. They can’t—and shouldn’t—be squeezed into artificial schedules.

At cpq.se, we prefer to work with companies who value planning and readiness over speed for the sake of speed.

4. If It’s Just a Feature Checklist, You’re Shopping for the Wrong Thing

A CPQ project is not a feature hunt—it’s a business transformation. If the RFP reads like a shopping list, it’s already missing the point. CPQ is about enabling faster, more accurate, and more scalable selling. That takes understanding your business model, your product logic, and your quoting process.

A list of checkboxes can’t capture that.

5. We Don’t Win by Outbidding—We Win by Understanding

At cpq.se, we don’t compete on price. We compete on insight. Our team of CPQ experts like Ingemar Lindström, Patrik Skjelfoss, Ida Sjöstedt, and Kalle Brunö knows how to ask the right questions, challenge your assumptions, and design a CPQ setup that lasts.

RFPs don’t leave room for that. But our CPQ Analysis Workshop does.

6. We Need to See the Whole Picture to Deliver Results

A successful CPQ project touches sales, engineering, pricing, and IT. When we can see the full picture, we know how to guide prioritization, deliver fast wins, and plan long-term success. If the process walls us off from that context, we’re not doing you any favors by submitting a quote.

We’d rather say no than say yes to the wrong setup.

7. We Deliver with Focus, Not Formalities

We’ve helped companies like HMF and Swift Lifts use CPQ to bring clarity to complex sales processes. That success didn’t start with an RFP—it started with a conversation. Our typical projects run 500 manhours over 4–5 months.

That’s only possible because we focus on what matters: outcomes, clarity, and execution. Not paperwork.

So What Should You Do Instead?

If you’re serious about exploring CPQ — whether you’re using Tacton or not — skip the RFP. Instead, talk to us about running a CPQ Analysis Workshop. It’s five sessions, remote, and tailored to manufacturing companies.

It’s how we align strategy, sales, and solution design before anyone writes a single line of code.