Frequently Asked Questions

Light RFP is an all-in-one procurement platform for commercial real estate and construction. Owners and property managers use it to create RFPs (Requests for Proposal) with AI, source vetted vendors, compare bids side by side, and add surety bonds, insurance, and payments — all on one record.

Vendors and contractors use the same platform to find and bid on real, scoped projects for free, get bonded and insured, and get paid without chasing checks. In short, Light RFP runs the entire RFP process — from drafting the scope to signing the winner — in one place.

An RFP, or "Request for Proposal," is a formal document an organization uses to describe a project and invite qualified vendors to submit competitive bids. It lays out the scope of work, requirements, timeline, and evaluation criteria so every vendor bids on the same basis.

On Light RFP, AI drafts the RFP from a plain-English description, vendors submit proposals and ask questions through a built-in RFI system, and the owner compares the bids and selects a winner — all on the platform.

The traditional RFP process runs over email and spreadsheets: you write the scope by hand, chase vendors for bids, and line up mismatched proposals manually. Light RFP replaces that — AI drafts the scope, vetted vendors bid in one place, and AI levels the bids apples-to-apples, with surety bonds, insurance, and payments built in. What used to take weeks of coordination happens on a single record.

Light RFP serves both sides of a construction project. On the buy side, owners, operators, property managers, and developers use it to post RFPs, source vendors, level bids, and manage bonds, insurance, and payments. On the sell side, vendors, contractors, and subcontractors use it to find work, bid, get bonded, get insured, and get paid.

Light RFP's mission is to eliminate the administrative drudgery of running an RFP and to connect property managers with the right vendors for their projects. The platform simplifies procurement so owners can discover, trust, and sign with commercial services vendors without endless manual back-and-forth.

Contracts are directly between the owner and the vendor. Light RFP is the software platform and marketplace that connects the two sides and provides bonding, insurance, and payment tools — it is not a party to the underlying construction contract.

Light RFP, Inc. is incorporated in Delaware and headquartered at 69 Charlton St, New York, NY 10014. Its licensed insurance entity is Light RFP Risk Management Services LLC.

Light RFP operates across all 50 U.S. states and federal projects. Surety bonds, business insurance, and contractor insurance are available nationwide, and procurement services can extend to Canada and Mexico as needed.

Posting RFPs, sourcing vendors, leveling bids, and managing projects are free for owners and property managers. You pay only when you choose to add bonding or pay vendors through Light RFP: credit-card payments carry a standard 3% processing fee, and in some cases owners pay a small SaaS fee to pay vendors by ACH.

Minutes. Describe the job in plain English and Light RFP's AI drafts a complete, sendable RFP — scope, budget range, and timeline — that you can edit and post the same day.

Light RFP's AI reads every submitted bid, lines up scope and pricing apples-to-apples, and flags underscoped items and outlier prices. You see each bid's inclusions, exclusions, and pricing side by side, so you can choose the best value rather than just the lowest number.

Vendors come from Light RFP's marketplace of vetted, bond-ready contractors, matched to your trade and service area. You can also invite your own vendors by email — they bid in the same place and are leveled the same way.

Yes. Add their emails when you create the RFP and they're notified automatically when it posts. Invited vendors bid alongside marketplace vendors and are compared on the same terms.

Yes. Light RFP is built for multiple rounds of bidding — run another round to sharpen pricing or refine scope, and every invited vendor is notified of the update automatically.

Yes. Manage every property in one place and give regional managers, ownership, and outside partners exactly the access they need — view, edit, or approve. Approvals and activity stay on each project's record instead of scattered across email.

Yes. Enter the information you have, save the RFP as a draft, and finish it later; teammates can fill in details too. You can attach PDFs, Excel files, and other document formats as supporting materials.

Yes. Browsing the marketplace and bidding on projects are completely free for vendors. You only ever pay if you choose to add bonding or use Light RFP's payment tools — finding and winning work costs you nothing.

Yes. They are scoped RFPs from owners, property managers, developers, and government agencies, posted to collect competitive bids. You see the full specification before spending a minute on a bid.

You get paid on the same record as the job. Owners pay by credit card or ACH through Light RFP, so you're not chasing a check after the work is done.

Find the project in the marketplace, open it to read the full scope, and click "Submit Bid." Attach your proposal and documents — such as your certificate of insurance and W-9 — and use the RFI system if you need to ask the owner a question first.

Use the RFI (Request for Information) system on the project. You can ask under your name and company — visible only to the poster — or anonymously. The poster's answer is shared with all bidders so everyone works from the same information.

Only if the project requires it. Light RFP includes free bid bonds and flat-3% performance & payment bonds, so bonding never costs you the job. Your bid bond application also doubles as prequalification for the performance & payment bond on the awarded job.

Most projects require proof of insurance. Submit your certificate of insurance (COI) with your bid. Light RFP can also read a project's insurance requirements, match your coverage to them, and issue an ACORD 25 certificate in seconds.

You may be bound by bids you submit through Light RFP. Use the RFI system and direct communication with the owner to clarify scope and terms before and after you bid.

Yes. Multiple bids can present options or different scopes at different price points. Coordinate with the owner when you plan to submit more than one.

The Light RFP marketplace is a searchable directory of construction opportunities — private RFPs from owners and developers plus public government bids — browsable by trade, location, and due date. It's free, with no login or paywall to browse.

On the Light RFP marketplace, which aggregates public bids from 30+ government agencies across many states alongside private RFPs. You can browse by trade and location for free, with no login, and set alerts for new matching opportunities.

Yes. Owners post for free and vendors browse and bid for free. Government bids are indexed automatically and open to everyone.

Yes. Set your trades and locations and Light RFP emails you a digest of matching new RFPs and bids, so you don't have to check the marketplace manually.

A surety bond is a three-party guarantee that you'll meet a legal or contractual obligation. It protects the project owner or government agency if the bonded party fails to perform: the surety pays the claim, and the bonded party repays the surety.

On Light RFP, bonds are placed through Propeller Bonds, a managing general agency licensed in all 50 states, and written by A-rated (A.M. Best) carriers.

Bid bonds are free in every state. Performance & payment bonds are a flat 3% of the bond amount, with a $275 minimum. It's a single, transparent rate regardless of your credit or underwriting — credit affects approval and capacity, not price.

Yes. Bid bonds cost $0 in all 50 states, with no catch. It's a loss leader: your bid bond application doubles as prequalification for the performance & payment bond on the awarded job, which is priced at a flat 3%.

A traditional bond broker quotes case by case, often with variable rates and paperwork-heavy underwriting. Light RFP offers free bid bonds and a single flat 3% rate ($275 minimum) on performance & payment bonds, qualifies contract bonds up to $3 million on credit alone, and issues many bonds instantly online — with the bond sitting on the same record as your bid and project.

The core offering is contract surety — free bid bonds, flat-3% performance & payment bonds, and lien discharge bonds — available across all 50 states and federal projects. License and permit bonds, such as motor vehicle dealer, home improvement contractor, and public adjuster bonds, are also available.

No. Surety prequalification uses a soft credit pull only, which never affects your credit score. It confirms approval and capacity — it does not set your price — and the fee is covered for you.

No. For construction contract bonds on projects up to $3 million, you qualify on your credit score alone — no audited financials, CPA statements, or tax returns up front. Above $3 million, underwriting reviews company financials.

Many bonds issue instantly after you apply. Bonds that need underwriting — including some performance & payment bonds — get an underwriter's contact within 48 hours, and most are issued in 1–2 business days.

Bonds run on annual terms, with renewal notices at 60 and 30 days and autopay available. The first-year premium is fully earned; if you cancel in a later term, that year's premium can be prorated.

Find your bond on Light RFP's surety bonds directory, enter a few details on the short application, and submit. Simple bonds are issued instantly; others go to an underwriter. Digital, e-signed bonds are standard, and a wet copy with a raised seal can be mailed on request.

Bonds are placed through Propeller Bonds, a managing general agency licensed in all 50 states, and written by A-rated (A.M. Best) carriers. Light RFP's licensed insurance entity is Light RFP Risk Management Services LLC (NY DFS # PC-1978982).

Yes. Light RFP is a licensed insurance brokerage in all 50 states. It offers business insurance for owners and operators and contractor insurance for vendors, alongside the surety bonds construction projects need.

Contractors can get general liability, workers' compensation, commercial auto, tools & equipment, builder's risk, professional liability (errors & omissions), umbrella/excess, and cyber coverage — plus free bid bonds and flat-3% performance & payment bonds.

Owners can get property, general liability, umbrella/excess, builder's risk, loss of rent, flood, and specialty lines like environmental and equipment breakdown — plus surety bonds. Light RFP also tracks and verifies your vendors' certificates of insurance automatically.

Yes. Light RFP reads the insurance requirements off the solicitation — limits, additional insured, waivers of subrogation — and matches your policies to them, so you're qualified before you bid.

In seconds. Issue an ACORD 25 the moment a general contractor or owner asks, add them as additional insured, and it's sent and logged on the project — no waiting on a broker.

Quotes and coverage reviews are free, and there's no platform fee to manage your policies or COIs. Light RFP is paid by the carrier when you bind, like any broker — just transparent, with no hidden markup.

The core workflow is free. Owners post RFPs, source vendors, and level bids for free, and vendors browse and bid for free. You pay only when you add bonding — bid bonds are free and performance & payment bonds are a flat 3% — or when you use Light RFP's payment tools.

Owners pay vendors through Light RFP by credit card or ACH, settled on the same project record, so vendors don't chase checks. Credit-card payments carry a standard 3% processing fee; ACH may involve a small SaaS fee in some cases.

No. Bonding is priced transparently (free bid bonds; a flat 3% with a $275 minimum on performance & payment bonds), insurance is paid by the carrier at bind with no markup, and the only platform charge is the standard 3% on credit-card payments. There is no fee to post RFPs, browse, or bid.

Yes. Sensitive data such as Social Security numbers on bond applications is encrypted at rest using AES-256-GCM and masked (for example, ***-**-1234) in notifications. Access is restricted and every view of sensitive data is audit-logged, and your account password is never stored in plain text.

Yes. Marketplace vendors are vetted and bond-ready, and certificates of insurance are verified before work starts — so both sides know who they're dealing with.

Yes. Light RFP Risk Management Services LLC is a licensed property & casualty insurance producer, NY DFS # PC-1978982, operating in all 50 states through licensed carrier and MGA partnerships. The producer number appears on every bond and insurance page.

Create a free account at platform.lightrfp.com/signup, then click "Create RFP" to describe your project. The AI drafts the scope, you invite your own vendors or open the RFP to the marketplace, and you compare bids in one place. You can also book a demo from any page.

Create a free account at platform.lightrfp.com/vendor-signup, then browse the marketplace or set up trade and location alerts and submit a bid on any project. Adding a free bid bond takes one click and prequalifies you for the performance & payment bond.

Click "Book a Demo" on any page. It opens an instant scheduler that books a time on the team's calendar — no third-party pop-up and no waiting.