Your manager has approached you regarding her desire to outsource certain functions to an external firm. She would like for you to create a document to send to three vendors asking them for…

A Request for Proposal (RFP) is used when an organization describes a problem or operational need and invites vendors to propose how they would address it, including their methodology, qualifications, and pricing. This is the correct document here because the manager wants vendors to suggest solutions for the outsourced functions - not simply quote a fully specified requirement - giving vendors flexibility in how they propose to meet the need.

A Request for Quote (RFQ) is used when the organization has already fully defined its requirements and needs only a price from vendors, not a proposed solution or methodology.

An Invitation for Bid (IFB) is used in formal competitive bidding where specifications are completely defined in advance and contract award is based primarily on lowest price, not on proposed approaches.

A Request for Information (RFI) is used to gather general market information before requirements are formalized, and does not ask vendors to commit to or propose a specific solution.