Ecommerce RFP Template for Adobe Commerce Projects

A good ecommerce RFP gives agencies enough detail to quote the same scope: your business context, the functional requirements ranked by priority, the non-functional requirements (performance, security, hosting, support), every integration with its data flows, your data and migration scope, and how you will judge the answers. Vague RFPs produce quotes that cannot be compared. The outline below is built for Adobe Commerce and Magento projects, but most of it applies to any platform.

How to use this template

• Keep the RFP focused on outcomes and requirements, not on a solution you have already designed.
• Mark each requirement as must-have, should-have or nice-to-have. Agencies price must-haves; they can offer options for the rest.
• Attach real data samples: a product export, an order export, your current extension list. They answer questions before they are asked.
• Give agencies a question window and share every answer with all bidders.

The RFP outline, section by section

1. Company and project overview

• What you sell, to whom (B2C, B2B or both) and in which countries and languages
• Current platform, version, hosting and the main reason for the project
• Goals in measurable terms, for example faster pages, B2B self-service or lower running effort
• Key dates that are fixed, such as a trading season or contract end, and what is flexible
• Decision makers and the internal team available to the project

2. Scope summary

State whether this is a new build, a replatforming, an upgrade, a redesign or ongoing support, and which edition you plan to use: Magento Open Source, Adobe Commerce on-premises or cloud, or Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service. If you are unsure, ask agencies to recommend one and explain why. If you are moving from another platform, our ecommerce replatforming guide explains what to decide before you write the RFP.

3. Catalog and content

• Number of SKUs, product types (simple, configurable, bundle, custom options) and attributes
• Number of store views, currencies and languages
• Where product data comes from (ERP, PIM, spreadsheets) and how often it changes
• Content needs: CMS pages, blog, landing pages, who edits them and how often

4. Functional requirements

Group these by customer journey and back office. A table keeps them comparable.

5. Integrations

Integrations are where quotes differ most. For each system, give:

• System name and version (ERP, PIM, CRM, OMS, WMS, payment, tax, shipping, marketing, search)
• Direction and data: products, prices, stock, customers, orders, invoices, shipments
• Frequency: real time, every few minutes, nightly
• Available connector or API, and who owns the other side
• Volumes, such as orders per day at peak and SKUs updated per sync

6. Design and front end

• Whether design is included or supplied, and whether a design system exists
• Front-end preference, if any: Luma-based, Hyvä, Breeze, headless or Adobe's Edge Delivery storefront, or ask for a recommendation
• Number of unique templates and key responsive behaviors

7. Non-functional requirements

These are often missing, and they drive hosting and effort.

8. Data migration

• What moves: products, customers, orders (how many years), reviews, CMS content, URL redirects
• Password handling for customers and whether resets are acceptable
• Data quality issues you already know about

9. Testing, launch and support

• Your role in user acceptance testing and who signs off
• Launch support expectations and hypercare period
• Ongoing support model: hours, response times, security patching, upgrades

10. Commercials and response format

• Preferred pricing model (fixed price, time and materials, phased) and payment milestones
• Required response structure, so answers are comparable
• Requested evidence: relevant examples, team roles, approach to quality, references
• Timeline for questions, responses, presentations and decision

What helps agencies quote accurately

From the agency side, these details remove the most guesswork:

• Your current extension list with what each one is used for
• Sample exports of products and orders, anonymized
• API documentation or a contact for each integrated system
• Traffic and order volumes, including the busiest day of the year
• A list of the customizations in your current store

Without them, agencies add contingency or narrow their assumptions, which makes quotes look different for reasons that have nothing to do with quality. Our guide to Adobe Commerce website cost explains which of these factors move effort the most.

How to evaluate responses

Adjust the weights to your priorities. For more on assessing agencies themselves, read how to choose a Magento agency.

Frequently asked questions

How long should an ecommerce RFP be?

Long enough to cover the sections above with real numbers. Clarity matters more than page count; a short RFP with data samples beats a long one without.

Should I include a budget range?

Sharing a range helps agencies propose the right scope instead of guessing. Without it, responses may differ widely in ambition.

How many agencies should I invite?

Three to five is usually enough to compare approaches without overwhelming your team.

Next step

If you are preparing an RFP for an Adobe Commerce build or a move to Magento, Mistri's Adobe Commerce development and Magento migration teams are happy to answer scoping questions before you send it.

Sources

Adobe Commerce lifecycle policy (Adobe Experience League); Web Vitals (web.dev); PCI Security Standards Council document library.