Brightflag's Advanced Vendor Management module is where your firm responds to RFPs from clients who manage their legal spend on Brightflag. When a client invites you to participate, you'll receive everything in one place: the matter background, the questions they need answered, and the fee structure they're asking you to propose against. You respond directly in Brightflag — no email attachments, no spreadsheets, no version confusion. Because your client already manages your matters and billing on Brightflag, your response isn't a one-off document, it's the start of a record that carries through engagement, delivery and outcomes.
The Invitation Email
When a client invites your firm, you'll receive an email titled “[Client Name]: Request For Proposal.” It tells you who at the client sent the RFP, that your firm has been invited to participate, and the response deadline. Select Go to RFP to get started.
Important: Note the deadline immediately. Responses cannot be submitted after the deadline passes — there is no late submission.
Logging In
First time in Brightflag: after selecting Go to RFP, you'll be prompted to create an account, automatically linked to your law firm, with no setup or verification steps beyond creating your login. You'll land directly on the RFP. Returning user: log in as normal and you'll be taken straight to the RFP.
Note: Your access may be scoped to RFPs only. If you don't see invoicing or matter features that colleagues at your firm use, that's expected — your account was created specifically to respond to RFPs.
Reviewing the RFP
The RFP page shows everything the client has shared:
Matter background — context on the matter being sourced.
Scope — the client's description of the work.
Related parties — so you can run your conflict checks before investing time in a response.
Due date — the submission deadline.
Questions — organized into sections in the order the client wants you to work through them. Mandatory questions must be answered before you can submit.
Questions document — if attached, download it; your response should address it too.
Pricing requirement — every RFP asks for a pricing proposal, quoted in the currency the RFP states.
Tip: Run your conflict check against the related parties before drafting anything.
Building Your Response
Depending on how the client configured the RFP, you'll respond to the scope question, the matter background question, the client's questions organized into sections, any attached questions document, and the pricing proposal.
Answering the Client's Questions
Work through each section in order.
Answers are text based: short answers up to 1,000 characters and long answers up to 4,000 characters. The character limit is shown on each question.
Multi-select (single choice)
Multi-select (multiple choice)
Date
Numeric
File upload
No response
Mandatory questions must be answered before you can submit; optional questions can be left blank.
Tip: Lead with your answer, not your credentials. If you draft in Word first, check length against the limit shown on the question before pasting.
Attaching Documents
You can attach supporting documents to your response — for example, your response to the client's questions document, team CVs, or capability statements. The client can open and download anything you attach.
Uploading a Rate Sheet
If the client's pricing section includes a rate sheet, you'll see an Upload Rate Sheet area within the pricing proposal. Download the template, complete it offline, and upload it as an Excel or CSV file — you can view instructions for completing it from the same section. You can remove or replace the file any time before you submit. Your upload is scanned before it's accepted, and an oversized or unsupported file is rejected with an explanation. If the client has marked the rate sheet as required, you won't be able to submit your proposal without it.
Pricing
Tip: If your firm is awarded, your pricing proposal becomes the budget on the client's matter — the number the client tracks your billing against. Quote what you intend to bill.
Saving Drafts
You don't need to complete your response in one session. Save it as a draft and return to it any time before the deadline — your draft is never visible to the client. They only see your response once you submit it.
Submitting and the Deadline
Complete your response, including all mandatory questions, the pricing proposal, and the rate sheet if one is required.
Review everything in full.
Select Submit.
Your submission updates the client's view immediately; they receive an email notification and can see your firm has responded.
Important: The deadline is enforced automatically. If it passes while your response is still in draft, you are locked out and the response will not reach the client.
What Happens After You Submit
The client reviews all submitted responses in Brightflag, side by side, and each firm's response individually, including any documents you attached.
When the client decides, every participating firm is notified by email: the winner that they've been awarded, the others that the RFP has closed and they weren't selected.
If awarded, your pricing proposal is linked to the client's matter as its budget, and your response is saved to the matter in Brightflag — the starting point for the engagement.