Deal or no deal? Hand turns a cube and changes the word “no” to “yes”.
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The time‑tested request-for-proposal (RFP) model that has underpinned enterprise buying for six decades now feels outmoded. It is a the deepening mistrust between buyers and vendors that drives the dysfunction, and procurement technology alone can’t fill that gap.
According to Loopio’s 2025 RFP Trends Report, an average RFP response devours twenty to twenty‑eight hours. WebinarCare’s deep‑dive shows that even the highest‑performing teams still allocate about twenty‑five hours per reply, and a 2024 survey of 1,650 organizations by the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) revealed that, on average, RFPs account for about 38 % of a company’s yearly revenue.
It’s no wonder that buyers and vendors have grown weary of the procurement process. Nevertheless, vendors spend thousands of dollars to navigate opaque evaluation processes. Many vendors feel the outcomes are already predetermined, seeing RFPs as nothing more than compliance exercises meant to justify sticking with incumbent suppliers or provide “column fodder.” Consequently, an increasing number of smaller vendors are choosing to sidestep the process entirely.
“The breakdown has to do with trust,” says Tonya Turrell, founder and CEO of TechnologyMatch.com (formerly known as The Launchpad), which ranked #123 on the 2023 Inc 5000 with 3,900% growth. “Buyers doubt vendors’ claims, and vendors doubt they will be evaluated fairly. That dysfunction has been eroding this process for years.”
When Procurement Algorithms Meet Sales Fiction
The RFP software market will expand from $2.6 billion in 2024 to $7.5 billion by 2031, according to Cognitive Market Research. The platforms deliver vendor-matching results within days rather than months. The implementation of pure automation technology leads to increased distrust between parties.
The same tactics vendors used to manipulate RFPs now apply to algorithmic systems. The vendors use keyword manipulation to enhance their profiles while exaggerating their capabilities to achieve algorithm-based selection rather than finding suitable matches. The “ideal” matches buyers select through algorithms prove ineffective when operational challenges related to cultural differences and customization requirements, and leadership changes become apparent. The essential elements that determine success remain absent from all available data.
Research by Responsive demonstrates that organizations with advanced strategic response management operations generate 55% of their revenue from response activities, while laggard companies generate only 41%. The win rate for RFPs across all industries remains at 45%, according to Loopio’s evaluation of 1500+ teams. The failure rate of more than half of all proposals persists despite technological progress.
The algorithms demonstrate expertise in handling requirements documentation and performing price comparisons. The systems fail to detect when vendors present exaggerated capabilities and they cannot assess team collaboration or project challenge management.
The Hybrid Procurement Approach
Increasingly, organizations enable trust through technology while maintaining human oversight for essential decision-making processes.
TechnologyMatch.com demonstrates this method through its work with major companies such as Disney, Microsoft, IBM, Verizon, HP, Dell, and Apple. The platform uses AI to evaluate thousands of vendors based on their capabilities, budget ranges, and requirements. The trust-building process remains under human supervision.
The platform maintains buyer anonymity until they choose to start discussions, which prevents traditional procurement sales pressure. The vendor selection process on the platform bases its matches on actual capabilities rather than marketing claims. The platform performs pattern detection and filtering, enabling both parties to start discussions with mutual understanding rather than following predefined scripts.
The company achieved its growth through establishing genuine communication between users. The platform allows buyers to initiate contact at their preferred time while they evaluate vendors without feeling pressured. Vendors understand clients’ actual needs, so they can present their genuine capabilities and limitations during discussions.
In the end, people evaluate and decide on team compatibility and vendor delivery performance. Relationship development remains challenging to highly automate.
Overcoming Procurement Resentment
Most respondents report spending less than five hours per request on vendor communication, while the inability to ask clarifying questions or receive a post-RFP debrief frustrates vendors, according to Art of Procurement and RFP360’s joint research. Poor communication directly undermines trust and leads to mismatched expectations.
Progressive companies foster collaboration over competition, whereby vendors engage in controlled dialogues and authenticity replaces performance. Buyers hear honest assessments of capabilities and limitations, and vendors understand needs beyond generic requirements.
With 72% of organizations now using go/no-go frameworks before starting proposals, and 69% of top performers using RFP response software, per WebinarCare’s 2024 statistics, the industry has shifted toward selective, strategic engagement. In these cases, implementations typically succeed because both parties start with accurate expectations rather than discovering incompatibilities months into deployment.
For IT executives, this means rethinking a procurement strategy focused on technical specifications and price comparisons. Successful implementations today require cultural alignment, collaborative problem-solving, and genuine partnership. Business leaders should consider several adjustments:
- Restructure evaluation criteria. Weight cultural fit and communication style equally with technical capabilities. Ask vendors for specific examples of failed implementations and lessons learned, not just success stories.
- Invest in relationship building. Allocate time for meaningful vendor interactions beyond scripted demos. Schedule working sessions where teams solve actual problems together before signing contracts.
- Leverage technology strategically. Use AI for initial filtering and compliance checking, but preserve human judgment for final selection. Platforms that maintain buyer anonymity while enabling controlled engagement offer the best balance.
- Measure beyond cost savings. Track implementation success rates, time to value, and vendor relationship longevity. Companies reporting the highest satisfaction focus on partnership quality over transaction efficiency.
From Bankruptcy To Building A Procurement Tech Future
Turrell rebuilt from bankruptcy following the 2008 financial crisis to create a fast-growing company. She closed her first business on a Friday and launched her second business the following Monday, eventually building Leads On Demand to a multimillion-dollar exit. After a five-year non-compete expired in 2020, she formed The Launchpad, which has since rebranded as TechnologyMatch.com. And within two weeks of announcing the new venture, the company claims it generated over $1.5 million in business.
“Those using traditional RFPs are already behind, but pure automation ignores how B2B actually works,” said Turrell. “Companies were aching for a process like ours that eliminates the waste which prevents relationships from forming.”
The RFP transformation centers on trust, not algorithms. As Infosys BPM and SAP research shows, the adoption of Gen AI and procurement technology continues to accelerate, yet the temptation to fully automate should be throttled.
Technology should create transparency and authentic engagement, not replace human judgment. Companies that grasp this distinction build lasting vendor relationships that drive innovation. Those chasing pure automation simply digitize existing problems.
Procurement technologies should also amplify the human expertise rather than replace it. The future of procurement belongs to organizations that combine algorithmic efficiency with relationship intelligence. McKinsey research shows that despite external spend, typically accounting for 50% to 80% of a company’s cost base, it often receives less attention than sales or productivity improvements. Getting the balance right between technology and human judgment determines competitive advantage.
The traditional RFP process has been largely unchanged for decades. Its likely replacement will be faster, more transparent, and decidedly human-centered—yet with sophisticated automation, analytics, and AI at its core. Companies recognizing this shift and adapt accordingly will thrive cooperatively with vendors. Those clinging to antiquated procurement approaches or entirely mechanized processes will find themselves increasingly isolated from the ideal vendors and partnerships.
