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Request for Information (RFI)
An exploratory document asking vendors to describe their capabilities, used early in evaluation to narrow a long list.
RFIs precede RFPs. The RFI gathers structured information from a long list of vendors (often 10 to 30) so the buyer can shortlist 3 to 5 for the RFP. RFIs are useful when the buyer is entering a new category and doesn''t yet know which capabilities matter. They are wasteful when the buyer already knows the category well.