16RFP / RFI Support – Calculators, Architecture, Documentation
Role: Solution Architect (Bid Support)
Executive summary
Drove the architecture and technical-writing portions of major RFP/RFI responses—designing solution architectures, building cost estimates, and writing proposals that advanced bids to final stages.
- Azure Databricks
- Microsoft Fabric
- Microsoft Purview
- Azure Pricing Calculator
- Visio / PowerPoint
Since August 2024 I have heavily supported RFP/RFI responses for major Financial Services accounts, often driving the architecture design and technical-writing portions alongside sales and bid teams.
- Solution architecture: read requirements and design a solution diagram mapping all components to Azure services, differentiating our solution.
- Estimations & calculators: build/validate pricing estimates (Databricks units, Fabric capacities) and competitor cost comparisons.
- Proposal writing: draft technical approach, requirement-by-requirement responses, SLA compliance and project plan in clear, professional language.
- Internal review & iteration: collaborate with account execs, PMs and partners to incorporate feedback.
I typically start with a pursuit-team workshop, then produce deliverables. For a mid-size bank's data-platform RFP, I designed an Azure architecture migrating Cloudera to Azure Databricks + Fabric, created diagrams of pipelines, zones and tooling, wrote how the solution meets security and performance needs with a phased timeline, and built an Azure Pricing Calculator cost breakdown highlighting TCO benefits. A final internal red-team review tightened messaging before submission.
Strong responses often earn the next stage or a win. Several scored top technical marks and reached shortlisting for orals; one banking data-platform RFP progressed to final negotiation thanks to clear architecture and cost breakdown. Materials frequently became reusable assets that accelerate future proposals, and the work sharpened my ability to articulate complex solutions convincingly on paper.
The RFP process taught structured communication under constraints, focusing on what the client cares about rather than just showcasing tech. Coordinating many contributors improved my project management under pressure, and accuracy in costing is crucial—minor oversights erode trust.