Composing an RFP
Drafting your tender document set with the AI compose agent.
The Compose feature lets you create RFP documents from scratch with AI assistance, instead of uploading existing ones. Describe what you need to procure, pick a collaboration style, and the agent drafts a full set of professional documents for you.
Creating a compose procurement
When you create a new procurement, choose Compose RFP as the purpose. This switches the workflow from analysis mode (where you upload existing documents and review bids) to compose mode (where the AI drafts your RFP).
Give your procurement a descriptive name — something like "Office Renovation 2026" or "IT Infrastructure Upgrade" — so you can find it later.
Choosing a compose mode
Before starting, you pick how much involvement you want during drafting:
| Mode | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Autopilot | Agent runs straight through and produces the full draft. You review the result at the end. | When you know exactly what you need and want a fast first draft. |
| Guided | Agent drafts each section, then pauses for your feedback before continuing. | When you want oversight without micromanaging every detail. |
| Interview | Agent asks clarifying questions throughout, builds documents from your answers, and pauses for review like Guided mode. | When you're not sure about all the requirements yet, or the procurement is complex. |
You can always edit the generated documents after the agent finishes, regardless of which mode you choose. The mode only affects how the drafting process runs.
Two starting points
There are two ways to launch RFP composition. The right one depends on how much shape your idea already has.
- Direct draft — fastest path. You write a description on the welcome screen and click Start drafting. The agent picks an artifact set itself and drafts each one. Use this when you have a clear idea and just want a draft to react to.
- Plan-driven draft — slower upfront, more control. You first run a setup interview on the procurement. The interview produces a compose plan — a list of artifacts (sections / documents) the agent will draft, plus the chosen mode, tone, and output formats. You review and edit the plan, then approve it to launch composition. This is the same pattern used for bid composition. Use this when the procurement is complex or you want to lock down scope before drafting.
The rest of this page covers the direct draft. For the plan-driven flow, follow the same steps but start from the setup interview screen instead.
Starting the draft
Describe your requirements
On the welcome screen, enter a description of what you're procuring. The more context you give, the better the output. Include things like:
- What goods or services you need
- Key technical requirements or specifications
- Timeline and delivery expectations
- Budget constraints or evaluation criteria
- Any regulatory or compliance requirements
This description is optional (especially in Interview mode where the agent will ask you), but giving the agent a solid starting point produces better results faster.
Click Start drafting
The agent starts working immediately. The page splits into two panels:
- Left side — document viewer/editor (or clarification panel when the agent needs input)
- Right side — agent activity feed showing what the agent is doing in real time
You can watch the progress or navigate away. The agent runs in the background — its sandbox keeps state, so closing the tab won't interrupt it.
Respond to clarifications (Guided and Interview modes)
In Guided or Interview mode, the agent pauses and asks you questions. You'll see a text area on the left with the agent's question. Type your answer and click Submit to continue.
The agent picks up exactly where it left off, incorporating your response into the draft.
Review the finished documents
When the agent completes, the sidebar shows a green checkmark. Your documents appear in the sidebar under the procurement — click any document to open it in the editor.
Working with composed documents
The editor
Each document opens in a rich text editor with a full toolbar:
Text formatting — bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, inline code, highlight
Structure — headings (H1–H3), bullet lists, numbered lists, blockquotes, code blocks, horizontal rules
Tables — insert tables with header rows. Click inside a table to see the floating toolbar for adding/removing rows and columns.
Links — insert hyperlinks to external resources
Alignment — left, center, or right text alignment
Changes are auto-saved as you type (with a short delay). The save indicator in the toolbar shows the current status.
Placeholders
The agent may leave yellow-highlighted placeholders in documents where it needs you to fill in specific details — dates, amounts, contact information, etc. A badge next to each document name in the sidebar shows how many placeholders remain.
Review all placeholders before finalizing your RFP.
Adding and removing documents
Use the + button in the sidebar to create additional documents manually. You can also delete documents you don't need from the sidebar.
Exporting to DOCX
Click the export button in the editor toolbar to download the current document as a Word file (.docx). The export preserves all formatting: headings, lists, tables, bold/italic text, links, and highlights.
Each document exports individually. The filename is based on the document title.
Quality and integrity checks
Two separate AI checks are available after composition:
- RFP quality review — flags clarity, completeness, and consistency issues. Run it from the Run Quality Check button in the sidebar after composition completes.
- RFP integrity check — flags fairness and integrity risks (vendor-specific language, overly narrow specs). Run it from the procurement page.
Both produce a separate review with findings and an overall recommendation.
If you used the plan-driven draft path, compose validation runs automatically when composition finishes — it checks that the planned artifacts cover the requirements and reviews the content of each section. The quality check above is still useful as a second-opinion pass on the writing.
Using reference materials
The compose agent can draw on your organization's existing documents:
- Library documents — templates, standard clauses, and reference materials you've uploaded to your organization's library
- Previous procurements — RFPs from past procurements in your organization
The agent searches these automatically when relevant. If you have good templates in your library, the agent will adapt them rather than starting from scratch.
Credit cost
Composing an RFP uses credits based on the amount of AI processing required. Typical ranges:
| Scenario | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Simple procurement, Autopilot mode | 1–5 credits |
| Medium complexity, Guided mode | 5–10 credits |
| Complex procurement, Interview mode | 5–15 credits |
| Plan-driven draft (setup interview + composition + validator) | 8–20 credits |
Credits are charged as the AI runs. If the agent fails mid-run, you're only charged for what it completed.
Make sure your organization has enough credits before starting. You can check your balance in the top bar.
When things go wrong
If the compose agent seems stuck:
- Check if there's a clarification waiting for your response.
- Refresh the page — the agent runs server-side, so your browser just needs to reconnect.
- If the agent fails, you'll see an error message with a Continue button. Click it to retry from where the agent left off — no need to start over. Your documents up to that point are preserved.
- If problems persist, contact support.
Any documents the agent created before a failure are saved and editable. You don't lose work.