RFPs are infamous inside sales teams. They are long, complex, and unpredictable. Teams sink dozens (sometimes hundreds) of hours into chasing opportunities with no guarantee of a return. It is no wonder many sales leaders ask: are RFPs really worth it?

The truth is complicated. RFPs can feel like a drain, but they also unlock some of the biggest growth opportunities available to mid-market and enterprise sales teams. The real question is not whether RFPs are worth it, but whether your process makes them worth it.

Let’s break it down.

The Case Against RFPs

Talk to any account executive or proposal manager, and you will hear the same pain points:

• Time sink. A single RFP can take 20 to 40 hours of team effort. For larger deals, the number skyrockets.

• Low win rates. Across industries, average RFP win rates hover around 40 to 45 percent, with shortlist advancement at about 54 percent (RFP Benchmark Report, 2024).

• Internal friction. Chasing subject-matter experts, waiting for approvals, and juggling deadlines create bottlenecks.

• Team burnout. Manual RFP work distracts from selling, leaving sales reps frustrated and reactive.

On paper, it can look like RFPs are not worth the squeeze.

Why Companies Still Chase RFPs

And yet, organizations keep responding. Why?

• Enterprise-scale opportunities. McKinsey notes that B2B buyers are increasingly comfortable making remote or digital purchases of 500,000 dollars or more (McKinsey, 2023). RFPs are often the only path to those deals.

• Volume matters. In professional services, teams handle an average of seven RFPs per month, with some reporting over 25 per month (QorusDocs, 2024). That is a massive channel for new business.

• Industry requirement. In regulated spaces such as finance, healthcare, and construction, RFPs are non-negotiable. If you do not play, you do not win.

• Credibility and visibility. Even if you lose the first RFP, submitting a strong proposal can get you invited to the next one. Over time, RFPs build pipeline momentum.

For most mid-size SaaS and sales-driven companies, the stakes are too high to ignore RFPs altogether.

The Real ROI of RFPs

So are RFPs worth it? The answer depends on how you measure ROI.

• Direct ROI: A single won RFP can cover the cost of responding to dozens of losses. Deals worth hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars are increasingly common.

• Opportunity cost: Without an efficient process, RFPs eat away at time that could be spent prospecting or closing other deals.

• Strategic ROI: Even a “loss” can yield brand exposure and open doors with procurement teams for future cycles.

The bottom line: RFPs can absolutely be worth it, but not if your process is stuck in the manual, spreadsheet-and-email era.

How AI Automation Changes the Equation

This is where modern proposal management comes in. AI-native RFP automation tools like Settle make RFPs far more efficient and impactful:

• Faster response times. Teams can draft high-quality answers in hours, not weeks. Faster turnarounds win deals.

• Centralized knowledge. A single, searchable knowledge base means no more chasing SMEs or rewriting answers.

• Resource efficiency. Do more with the same headcount, freeing reps to focus on selling.

• Higher quality, more consistent responses. AI helps teams maintain accuracy, professionalism, and tone across every submission.

Benchmarks from industry studies show that automation can cut response times by 30 to 40 percent, while win rates rise by 10 to 20 percent when proposal quality and speed improve.

Conclusion: RFPs Are Worth It — If You Automate

On their own, RFPs can feel like a black hole of time and energy. With the right tools, they transform from a burden into a growth engine.

The real question is not are RFPs worth the effort? It is is your RFP process worth the effort?

With AI-powered automation, the answer becomes a clear yes.

Stop wasting cycles on manual proposals. Try Settle, the AI Proposal Manager, and turn RFPs into a growth engine. Book a demo →

Sources / Citations

• McKinsey, Five Fundamental Truths: How B2B Winners Keep Growing (2023) – https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/five-fundamental-truths-how-b2b-winners-keep-growing

• QorusDocs, Professional Services RFP Trends Report (2024) – https://www.qorusdocs.com/blog/professional-services-rfp-trends