TL;DR
A video production RFP is the document that gets you comparable proposals from 3–5 studios instead of wildly mismatched quotes. A good RFP names the business goal, budget band, deliverables, timeline, evaluation criteria, and decision deadline. A bad RFP asks for "a corporate video" with no budget and collects quotes ranging £3K to £80K that you can't meaningfully compare. This guide gives you the template, the sections that matter, and the 6 mistakes that sink most briefs.
Why most video RFPs fail
Procurement teams often write video RFPs the same way they write software RFPs: maximal specification, locked budget withheld, vendor-neutral wording. Video doesn't work that way. Studios need creative latitude to propose the best approach, and they price based on ambition. Withhold the budget and you get either lowball quotes (studio guessing small) or strategic bloat (studio guessing large). Either way, proposals become uncomparable.
The 9 sections every video RFP needs
1. Business goal (2–3 sentences)
Not "we need a video for our website." Instead: "We're launching a new enterprise product in Q3 and need a 90-second brand film to anchor the homepage and drive demo requests from mid-market buyers."
2. Primary audience
Who must be convinced? "Head of HR at UK companies with 500–5,000 employees" is usable. "Everyone" is not.
3. Deliverables (specific)
- Hero film — duration, aspect ratio, resolution
- Cutdowns — social lengths and formats (9:16, 1:1, 16:9)
- Captions — languages required
- Stills/thumbnails — quantity and use
- Source files — what the studio hands over at end
4. Budget band (this is not optional)
Give a range, e.g., £25K–£40K all-in. Studios will propose within this band. If you genuinely don't know the budget, give the business goal and ask 3 studios for a scoping call first, then write the RFP with a real number.
5. Timeline with key dates
Brief issued, questions deadline, proposal deadline, decision date, kickoff, shoot window, delivery date. Specific dates, not "Q3."
6. Must-haves and nice-to-haves
Must: English-speaking crew, insurance ≥ £5M public liability, case studies in your industry. Nice: experience with employer-brand film, studio based in London, existing talent pool.
7. Evaluation criteria (weighted)
State how you'll score. Example weighting:
- Creative approach — 35%
- Relevant experience — 25%
- Budget fit — 20%
- Timeline confidence — 10%
- Cultural/team fit — 10%
8. What you want in the response
- Creative treatment (max 4 pages)
- Relevant case studies (3 max)
- Team bios for key creatives
- Line-item budget
- Timeline with milestones
- Rights and usage proposal
- References (2 recent clients)
9. Decision process and contacts
Who decides, when, how studios will be notified, whether there's a pitch call after shortlist, and a single named contact for questions.
Budget ranges to cite in RFPs
| Format | 2026 UK budget |
|---|---|
| Brand film 60–90 sec | £12K–£40K |
| Explainer / product video | £8K–£25K |
| Recruitment / employer brand | £8K–£80K+ |
| Event film / conference recap | £3K–£15K |
| Property / architectural film | £2K–£60K+ |
| Campaign film (full suite) | £40K–£200K+ |
The 6 mistakes that sink most RFPs
- No budget. Every proposal becomes a guess; comparison breaks down.
- Too many rounds of revisions specified. "Unlimited revisions" makes serious studios drop out. Specify 2 rounds of feedback at offline edit and 1 at final; anything extra is a change order.
- Kitchen-sink deliverables. Asking for 20 cutdowns, 6 languages, 3 aspect ratios without a realistic budget forces studios to either lie or walk.
- No creative latitude. Dictating every shot before the studio is hired kills the proposal stage. Ask for their interpretation of the brief, not compliance with yours.
- Hidden decision criteria. If the CEO will veto anything that isn't "very corporate," say so.
- Unrealistic timelines. "Brief Monday, delivery in 2 weeks" will either get rush-premium quotes or exclude the good studios. Give at least 5–8 weeks for anything non-trivial.
What studios look for in your RFP
Serious studios read RFPs for these signals before deciding whether to respond:
- Is there a budget? (If no, 60% skip.)
- Is the timeline realistic?
- Is the brief coming from a real decision-maker, or committee-by-committee?
- Will there be a pitch fee for treatments? (Industry-standard pitch fees: £500–£2,000 for shortlisted studios on commercial briefs above £30K.)
- Is the brand/company one they can use in case studies later?
Sample RFP structure (template)
1. Introduction and company background 2. Project overview and business goals 3. Audience 4. Deliverables (itemised) 5. Creative direction notes (if any) 6. Budget range 7. Timeline with key dates 8. Must-have requirements 9. Evaluation criteria (weighted) 10. Response format and submission details 11. Contact and questions process 12. Appendix: brand guidelines, previous assets, reference films
How to shortlist from proposals
- Eliminate wildly off-budget responses first. If your band was £25K–£40K and a studio quotes £75K with no explanation, they didn't read the brief.
- Score the creative treatment, not the deck design. Beautiful decks hide thin thinking. Read the treatment: is it specific to you or generic?
- Call 2 references. Ask the reference: "What surprised you about working with them?" The answer tells you more than the case study.
- Meet the director or producer who will actually deliver. Many studios pitch with senior creatives and deliver with juniors. Confirm the team.
- Ask for a phased commitment. Break the contract into pre-pro, production, post. Off-ramp at each stage reduces risk.
Rights and usage — the clause to read carefully
Ask every shortlisted studio to clarify:
- Ownership — who owns the final master file and raw footage
- Usage term — perpetual, 3 years, renewable?
- Territories — global, UK-only, EU?
- Media — organic only, or paid/broadcast included?
- Talent renewals — are cast/actors paid again at year 2 for extended use?
A cheaper quote that gives you 3 years UK-only may be more expensive over time than a higher quote with perpetual worldwide rights.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should an RFP be?
5–10 pages. Long enough to give context; short enough that studios will read it. Any RFP over 20 pages gets skimmed and responded to defensively.
Should we share the budget in the RFP?
Yes. A budget band (not an exact number) keeps proposals comparable. Procurement fears lowballing; in video, withholding budget produces worse outcomes, not better ones.
How many studios should we invite?
3–5 is ideal. More than 5 and good studios feel the process is a lottery; fewer than 3 and you don't have real comparison. Many brands do a pre-qualification call before formal RFP.
Should we pay a pitch fee?
For briefs above £30K with significant creative work required, yes — £500–£2,000 per shortlisted studio. Pitch fees attract the best studios who otherwise decline on-spec work.
How long should studios have to respond?
2–3 weeks minimum for a proper creative response. Shorter windows only attract studios that copy-paste previous proposals.
What if our budget is undefined?
Don't issue an RFP. Instead, run 2–3 scoping calls with trusted studios. They'll quote rough ranges against your goal. Then write the RFP with a real band.
Can we negotiate the proposal after shortlist?
Yes, once the winner is chosen. Don't Dutch-auction proposals against each other during the RFP — studios drop out and word spreads.