Picking a custom ecommerce development partner on a sales pitch alone is how projects end up six months late and 40% over budget. This RFP template gives you a structured way to compare vendors on the things that actually predict project success — technical depth, integration experience, security posture, and delivery discipline — instead of whoever demos best.
Who this is for: ecommerce operators, IT directors, and digital leads who are about to launch a custom build, replatform, or major storefront rebuild and need to run a fair, comparable vendor process.
Before You Send the RFP
- [ ] Define your business goals in one paragraph (revenue target, conversion lift, market expansion) — not just "we need a new website"
- [ ] Document your current platform, integrations, and any data you'll need migrated
- [ ] Set a realistic budget range and share it — vendors who won't scope against a range are wasting everyone's time
- [ ] Decide your timeline and flag any hard deadlines (peak season, funding milestones, contract expirations)
- [ ] Identify your internal stakeholders and who has final sign-off
Company & Experience Questions
- How many custom ecommerce builds has your team shipped in the last 24 months, and in what industries?
- Can you share 2–3 references from projects of similar scope and complexity?
- What is your team's composition (in-house vs. subcontracted) for a project like ours?
- Do you hold platform certifications relevant to our stack (Shopify Plus, Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, or custom framework expertise)?
- What happens if our assigned lead engineer leaves mid-project?
Technical & Architecture Questions
| Area | What to ask |
|---|---|
| System integrations | Which ERPs, CRMs, and payment gateways have you integrated with directly (not just "supported in theory")? |
| APIs | Do you build API-first, and can you show a system architecture diagram from a past project? |
| Performance | What Core Web Vitals benchmarks do you commit to, and how do you test under peak load? |
| Security | What's your process for PCI DSS compliance and data encryption at rest and in transit? |
| Mobile checkout | How do you handle mobile-optimized, low-friction checkout and recurring payments? |
| Scalability | How does the architecture handle a 5x traffic spike during a flash sale or holiday peak? |
Process & Delivery Questions
- [ ] What project management methodology do you use, and how often do we get working builds to review?
- [ ] What's your typical timeline from kickoff to launch for a project of our scope?
- [ ] How do you handle scope changes once the SOW is signed?
- [ ] What does your QA and testing process look like before go-live?
- [ ] What post-launch support and SLA do you offer, and what's included vs. billed separately?
Cost & Contract Questions
- Is your quote fixed-price, time-and-materials, or a hybrid — and why?
- What's excluded from the quote that we should expect to pay for separately (hosting, third-party licenses, ongoing maintenance)?
- What are the payment milestones?
- Who owns the code, IP, and any custom modules after project completion?
- What's your process if the project runs over the original estimate?
Vendor Scorecard
Score each vendor 1–5 on the following, then weight by what matters most to your business:
| Criteria | Weight | Vendor A | Vendor B | Vendor C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relevant experience | ||||
| Technical architecture quality | ||||
| Security & compliance posture | ||||
| Communication & transparency | ||||
| Cost clarity & predictability | ||||
| References & portfolio strength |
Red Flags to Watch For
- Vague answers to specific technical questions (integrations, security, scalability)
- Reluctance to share references or a portfolio of comparable work
- A quote significantly below every other vendor with no clear explanation
- No mention of QA, testing, or a post-launch support plan
- Pressure to sign quickly without a proper discovery phase
How to Use This
Send the same RFP to every vendor you're evaluating so answers are directly comparable. Give vendors 1–2 weeks to respond in writing before scheduling live Q&A sessions — written answers are harder to fudge than a confident verbal pitch. Use the scorecard to keep the final decision structured rather than gut-feel, and keep the completed RFP on file; it becomes your baseline for holding the vendor accountable once the contract is signed.