Responding to RFPs used to feel like running a marathon (it’s just as painful as being on the RFP assessment team) – days of effort, multiple people, and thousands in costs. Recently, I asked myself: Could AI make this easier? What started as an experiment (we are always experimenting with the edge of this technology) with Microsoft’s Agent Framework on a local setup evolved into a multi-agent orchestration system that drafts RFP responses in under 15 minutes.
What is it?
This approach uses the Microsoft Agent Framework combined with gpt-5.2 or local models, MCP and A2A to create a multi-agent workflow. Instead of relying on a single prompt or a basic copilot, an orchestration agent coordinates five other specialised agents, each handling a distinct part of the process:
- Requirement Extraction: Converts RFP requirements into structured JSON.
- Knowledge Integration: Pulls company and client data into Chroma for context.
- Draft Development: Generates tailored responses for each requirement.
- Quality Assurance: Scores drafts against customer data industry profiles and suggests improvements.
- Revision & Polishing: Produces a refined draft based on the QA.
The result? A 50%+ draft in 15 minutes for $1.25 in compute costs ($1.10 for tokens and $0.25 – compared to 2+ days and thousands of dollars using traditional methods. The savings are still dramatic compared to using a GenAI Copilot (happy to share the analysis spreadsheet for anyone interested).
What does it mean from a business perspective?
- Massive Time Savings: Reduce effort from 2,700 minutes (or 337 minutes for a human plus GenAI) to 15 minutes – a 99.4% reduction.
- Cost Efficiency: $1.25 vs $2,632.50 for a small RFP response – virtually a 100% cost reduction.
- Scalability: Handle multiple RFPs without adding headcount.
- Consistency & Quality: Agents apply structured QA and persona-based checks, reducing downstream review time.
- Focus on Strategy: Free up teams to concentrate on high-value activities, improving the overall quality of the response (this is a high risk, high friction activity that requires humans) instead of repetitive drafting.
What do I do with it?
- Start with GenAI as a Copilot: If you are not using GenAI in your RFP response process start with this step – you will realise significant gains.
- Identify High-Impact Use Cases: RFPs or proposals any process with repetitive drafting will benefit.
- Prototype Quickly: If you are going down the agent route, begin with a single-agent PoC, then expand to multi-agent workflows.
- Measure ROI: Track time and cost savings to build a business case for further adoption.
- Plan for Governance: Ensure ethical and transparent AI use aligned with organisational values.
Unlike 2025, Agents and multi-agent orchestration is likely to be more than a tech trend in 2026 – it’s a practical solution to a real business pain point. If you’re curious about how this could fit into your workflow, drop a comment or reach out. Happy to explore how agentic AI can transform your processes.