Cloud & VMware Migration RFP Template Builder

1. Introduction and purpose

[Organisation name] is inviting proposals from suitably qualified suppliers for the delivery of a migration from VMware vSphere (on-premises) to VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF). This document sets out the background, scope, requirements, response format and evaluation approach for this procurement (reference RFP-2026-001).

The purpose of this exercise is to select a delivery partner who can plan and execute the migration with minimal disruption to services, transfer knowledge to our own teams, and leave the organisation with a supportable, documented platform.

Responses will be evaluated on the criteria set out in section 10. This document is not an offer or a commitment to contract, and [Organisation name] reserves the right to cancel or amend the process at any stage.

2. Organisation background

All communication regarding this request must be directed through the primary contact above. Suppliers must not approach other members of staff in connection with this procurement.

3. Current environment

The figures below describe the estate as currently understood. They are indicative and will be confirmed during discovery. Suppliers should state clearly any assumptions their pricing depends on.

Questions for suppliers

1. Describe how you would validate these figures during discovery, and what you would need from us to do so.
2. State any element of the environment above that you would consider out of scope, and why.

4. Scope of work

The following workstreams are in scope for this engagement.

• Discovery & assessment - Application dependency mapping, estate audit, migration readiness.
• Target platform design - Low-level design for compute, storage, networking and management.
• Platform build & validation - Deploy and prove the target platform before any workload moves.
• Workload migration - Wave planning, migration execution, rollback and validation.
• Networking & security - L2/L3 extension, firewall policy, micro-segmentation, load balancing.
• Legacy decommission - Safe shutdown, licence recovery and asset disposal.

Suppliers may propose additional workstreams where they believe scope is missing. Any such proposal must be priced separately so it can be evaluated on its own merits.

Questions for suppliers

1. Set out your proposed approach to each workstream above, including the sequence you would follow.
2. Identify the workstreams you would deliver yourself and any you would subcontract, naming the subcontractor.

5. Migration requirements

The migration must be delivered in waves, with each wave validated before the next begins. Short agreed outage windows are acceptable, typically evenings and weekends, subject to change approval.

Mandatory delivery requirements

• A wave plan grouped by application dependency, not by hypervisor or storage layout.
• A documented rollback position for every wave, tested before the first production move.
• Application owner sign-off criteria agreed before migration begins.
• A hypercare period of at least 4 weeks after the final wave, with named engineers.
• As-built documentation and runbooks handed over before project closure.

Recovery objectives

Questions for suppliers

1. Describe how you size and sequence migration waves, and what limits the number of waves per week.
2. Describe your rollback approach and give an example where you have used it on a live migration.
3. State what you require from our application owners, and how much of their time you expect to consume.

6. Deliverables and acceptance

Payment milestones must be aligned to the deliverables above. Suppliers should state their proposed milestone schedule in their commercial response.

7. Security, compliance and data protection

The supplier must comply with the following frameworks and standards for the duration of the engagement.

• ISO 27001
• Cyber Essentials Plus
• UK GDPR / Data Protection Act 2018

Questions for suppliers

1. Provide evidence of current certification against each framework listed above.
2. Describe how personnel are vetted and how access to our systems will be controlled, logged and revoked.
3. Confirm where any of our data would be stored, processed or accessed from, including by subcontractors.
4. Describe your security incident notification process and the timescales you commit to.

8. Service levels and support

Support requirements apply during the project and hypercare period only. Any ongoing managed service should be priced as an option.

Questions for suppliers

1. Confirm your ability to meet the service levels above, or propose alternatives with justification.
2. Describe your escalation path and name the roles involved at each level.
3. State your service credit regime for missed service levels.

9. Commercial requirements

Pricing must be submitted on the basis of a firm fixed price for the defined scope, with a separate day rate card for agreed changes. All prices are to be quoted in GBP, excluding VAT, and must remain valid for 90 days from the response deadline.

Questions for suppliers

1. Provide a day rate card for every role you would deploy, including any subcontracted roles.
2. State your assumptions and any circumstances under which the price would change.
3. Confirm your invoicing schedule and payment terms.

10. Evaluation criteria

Compliant responses will be scored against the criteria below. Each criterion is scored from 0 (no response or unacceptable) to 5 (excellent, fully evidenced), then weighted.

[Organisation name] reserves the right to invite shortlisted suppliers to a clarification session or presentation before award. Any scores derived from that session will be applied to the technical and delivery criteria above.

11. Procurement timetable

These dates are indicative and may change. Any change will be notified to all suppliers who have registered an interest.

12. Response format and instructions

Responses must be submitted by email to [contact email] no later than the deadline in section 11. Late responses will not be considered.

1. Executive summary - no more than two pages.
2. Responses to every numbered question in this document, in order, referencing the question number.
3. Proposed team, including named individuals, CVs and percentage availability.
4. Delivery plan with milestones, dependencies and assumptions.
5. Completed pricing schedule from section 9.
6. Three references for comparable migrations completed in the last three years.
7. Certification evidence for section 7.

Marketing material in place of a direct answer will be scored as no response. Where a question does not apply, say so and explain why.

13. Terms and conditions of this request

• [Organisation name] will not reimburse any cost incurred in preparing a response.
• This document and any attachments are confidential and must not be shared outside the responding organisation.
• The organisation is not bound to accept the lowest priced or any response.
• Any conflict of interest must be declared with the response.