{"id":6074,"date":"2026-06-21T09:50:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T07:50:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/?p=6074"},"modified":"2026-06-21T11:07:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T09:07:10","slug":"marketing-automation-rfp-template","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\/","title":{"rendered":"Marketing Automation RFP Template: 299 Criteria to evaluate without vendor spin"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>A marketing automation RFP template is a prioritized criteria grid, organized by functional family, that lets you put multiple vendors in head-to-head competition on the same basis \u2014 instead of comparing one set of sales decks against another.<\/strong> Ours covers 299 requirements across 18 categories. It&#8217;s free, Excel format, and ready to send to your shortlisted vendors.<\/p>\n<p>Any organization that puts its marketing automation platform back out to bid hits the same wall: how do you rigorously compare several solutions across twenty topics and three hundred features, without getting steamrolled by the demos? Online comparators (Gartner, G2) give you direction, never the detail you need to sign. Vendors, for their part, lead with what they do \u2014 not what they don&#8217;t.<\/p>\n<p>This template was built to fill that gap. It gives you the structure, the prioritization, and the scoring grid. Your vendors only have to answer. You only have to score.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>The kit is free: Excel template (299 criteria) + Word context brief.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"custombutton button trigger-form\" href=\"#\">Download the RFP template\u00a0!<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Where this grid comes from<\/h2>\n<p>This grid draws on <strong>15 years of hands-on marketing automation expertise<\/strong> \u2014 deployments, redesigns, migrations, RFPs from both the client side and the vendor side. It&#8217;s our <strong>internal reference<\/strong>, continuously enriched across engagements, that we share with the organizations we support to frame their vendor selection.<\/p>\n<p>An earlier version covered 181 requirements across 12 categories. We&#8217;ve since expanded it with the capabilities that have become non-negotiable: buying group, social publishing, native integrations, advanced CRM sync, AI and agents. Current version: <strong>299 requirements, 18 categories<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>What&#8217;s in the template<\/h2>\n<p>The Excel file has four tabs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tab 1 \u2014 Instructions.<\/strong> A recap of the 7-value scoring scale, the priority weighting, and the 4-step evaluation method. Read this first.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tab 2 \u2014 Summary.<\/strong> Completeness and score calculated automatically, category by category, from your answers in the Full grid tab. Point scale and priority weighting are editable at the bottom.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tab 3 \u2014 Full grid.<\/strong> One row per criterion. Columns the vendor fills in:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Response<\/strong> \u2014 7-value dropdown (see below)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Comment<\/strong> \u2014 free text, the vendor elaborates<\/li>\n<li><strong>Proof (doc)<\/strong> and <strong>Proof (video \/ screenshot)<\/strong> \u2014 link to the documentation or demo supporting the answer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The columns <em>Category \u00b7 Function \u00b7 Need \u00b7 Priority<\/em> are pre-filled. Priority-based color coding is automatic. Duplicate the file once per vendor on your shortlist.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tab 4 \u2014 Paminga prefilled.<\/strong> The same criteria, each with a pre-written Merlin\/Leonard comment. A working baseline to customize for your shortlist.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Included in the download: the context brief.<\/strong> A Word document to fill in on your side \u2014 organization, current stack, target state, integrations, security expectations. The template structures the comparison; the brief gives vendors the context they need to answer accurately. Together, they make a complete RFP package.<\/p>\n<h2>The scoring scale: 7 values, one key rule<\/h2>\n<p>Most RFP grids in circulation settle for a &#8220;Yes \/ No&#8221; binary, sometimes enriched with a &#8220;Partly.&#8221; That&#8217;s not enough. A vendor can answer &#8220;Yes&#8221; and then require a paid module, a custom development, or a tier upgrade. You end up buying theoretical coverage, not real coverage.<\/p>\n<p>Our template enforces a <strong>7-value<\/strong> scale:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Native \u2014 included at no extra cost<\/strong> \u2014 the capability ships with the platform in the proposed perimeter<\/li>\n<li><strong>Paid module \/ option<\/strong> \u2014 the capability exists, but requires an additional license, a higher pricing tier, or an add-on<\/li>\n<li><strong>Available via development<\/strong> \u2014 the platform doesn&#8217;t do the work, but exposes the necessary APIs or hooks<\/li>\n<li><strong>On roadmap<\/strong> \u2014 vendor-announced with a documented horizon (check the contractual commitment)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Not covered<\/strong> \u2014 the capability doesn&#8217;t exist and isn&#8217;t planned<\/li>\n<li><strong>Partial \u2014 native but limited<\/strong> \u2014 the capability exists natively but with material restrictions (volume, types, depth)<\/li>\n<li><strong>To verify \/ Not provided<\/strong> \u2014 the vendor couldn&#8217;t answer, or the answer needs a verification demo<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Key rule:<\/strong> a &#8220;Yes&#8221; is worth nothing until it&#8217;s qualified. The distinction <em>native included<\/em> vs <em>paid module<\/em> is what drives real <strong>total cost of ownership<\/strong> \u2014 and it&#8217;s exactly what vendor demos tend to obscure.<\/p>\n<h2>How to weight priorities<\/h2>\n<p>Each requirement carries a priority \u2014 set <strong>before<\/strong> you look at vendors (otherwise you rewrite the need to fit the offer, and lose the value of structured evaluation).<\/p>\n<p>Three levels:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Must have<\/strong> \u2014 non-negotiable. A vendor that misses a Must have with &#8220;Not covered&#8221; leaves the shortlist, period.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Should have<\/strong> \u2014 important. Score it, weight it, count it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nice to have<\/strong> \u2014 bonus. Carries little weight in the final decision, but can break a tie between two close candidates.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Recommended weighting:<\/strong> Must = 3 \u00b7 Should = 2 \u00b7 Nice = 0.5. You get a total score per vendor that reflects your real priorities, not the theoretical breadth of each platform.<\/p>\n<h2>The 18 categories covered<\/h2>\n<div class=\"su-table su-table-responsive su-table-alternate\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>#<\/th>\n<th>Category<\/th>\n<th>What you&#8217;re evaluating<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>1<\/td>\n<td>General &amp; platform<\/td>\n<td>UX, support, CSM, training, documentation, SLA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>Compliance, security &amp; contractual<\/td>\n<td>GDPR, hosting, SOC 2 \/ ISO 27001, consent management, DPA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<td>Tracking &amp; Data Capture<\/td>\n<td>Web tracking, ad blockers, UTM, forms, pre-fill<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>Data Management &amp; Governance<\/td>\n<td>Fields, deduplication, quality, CRM sync (volume, latency)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>5<\/td>\n<td>Segmentation, Scoring &amp; Personalization<\/td>\n<td>Smart lists, tokens, dynamic content, behavioral + ICP scoring<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>6<\/td>\n<td>Marketing Activation \u2013 Assets<\/td>\n<td>Email, landing pages, forms, CTAs, brand kit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>7<\/td>\n<td>Marketing Activation \u2013 Orchestration<\/td>\n<td>Journey builder, A\/B testing, SMS, WhatsApp, push<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>8<\/td>\n<td>Sales Activation<\/td>\n<td>CRM-embedded Sales Insight, real-time alerts, Slack, meeting scheduling<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>9<\/td>\n<td>Automation &amp; Lead Management<\/td>\n<td>Workflows, triggers, lead lifecycle, SLA, technical debt management<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>10<\/td>\n<td>Reporting &amp; Performance<\/td>\n<td>Native reports, custom dashboards, multi-touch attribution, BI<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>11<\/td>\n<td>Technical &amp; Infra<\/td>\n<td>DKIM\/DMARC\/SPF, SSO, granular permissions, domain branding<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>12<\/td>\n<td>Buying Group Management<\/td>\n<td>Account-based, buying signals, buying committee, intent data<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>13<\/td>\n<td>Social Publishing<\/td>\n<td>Scheduling, editorial calendar, social attribution<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>14<\/td>\n<td>Ads Integrations<\/td>\n<td>Ad audience sync, retargeting, attribution<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>15.1<\/td>\n<td>Events (in-person &amp; field)<\/td>\n<td>Trade shows, field events: registration, badges, lead capture, CRM sync<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>15.2<\/td>\n<td>Webinars (virtual)<\/td>\n<td>Native webinar platform, registration sync, post-event<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>16<\/td>\n<td>Native integrations (catalog)<\/td>\n<td>Available connectors, depth, maintenance<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>17<\/td>\n<td>CRM sync (Salesforce)<\/td>\n<td>Account \/ Opportunity write-back, custom objects, mapping<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>18<\/td>\n<td>AI &amp; Agents<\/td>\n<td>Predictive scoring, content generation, conversational agents<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Each category breaks down into 4 to 65 criteria depending on density. Categories \u00a712, \u00a713, \u00a714, \u00a717, \u00a718 have moved the most over the past 18 months \u2014 a vendor that hasn&#8217;t shipped meaningfully there since 2024 deserves a direct question in the demo.<\/p>\n<h2>How to use it: 4-step workflow<\/h2>\n<p><strong>1. Adapt (half a day).<\/strong> Walk through the 299 criteria. Cut the ones that don&#8217;t apply to your context (e.g., no ABM motion \u2192 drop \u00a712). <strong>Reset the priority level (Must have \/ Should have \/ Nice to have) to your actual needs<\/strong> \u2014 the default prioritization is a starting baseline, not gospel; what&#8217;s a Must for an industrial player isn&#8217;t necessarily one for a SaaS vendor. Tighten down to 150 to 200 lines: an RFP that nobody fills in is worth nothing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Send (1-week response window).<\/strong> Duplicate the template, one file per shortlisted vendor. Ask for the written response <strong>before<\/strong> the demo, not after. A demo trains a sales rep to dodge the hard questions; an RFP filled out beforehand puts all of them on the table.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Score (half a day per vendor).<\/strong> Cross-check the answers. Mark anything vague as &#8220;To verify.&#8221; Weight the scores (Must = 3, Should = 2, Nice = 0.5). You get a quantified, board-defensible ranking.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Decide.<\/strong> The final score is a starting point, not a verdict. At this stage, two variables make the difference in practice: <strong>real TCO<\/strong> (add-ons, tiers, hidden licenses) and <strong>CRM sync depth<\/strong> (read-only vs native write-back on Account and Opportunity). Decide on those two, not on theoretical catalog breadth.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"custombutton button trigger-form\" href=\"#\">Download the RFP template\u00a0!<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Why this template beats a Magic Quadrant or a G2 review<\/h2>\n<p>Gartner&#8217;s Magic Quadrant and G2 reviews are useful for <strong>building<\/strong> a shortlist: they screen out unstable or marginal vendors. They aren&#8217;t enough to choose between two serious candidates. A Magic Quadrant reasons in quadrants; a MAP decision is won or lost on 50 specific features. A G2 review reflects someone else&#8217;s setup; you&#8217;re buying the platform for five years, not to validate their experience.<\/p>\n<p>The only way to choose without regret is to <strong>put the vendors against your specific requirements<\/strong>, in the order you set, with a scoring scale that prevents unqualified &#8220;yeses.&#8221; That&#8217;s exactly what this template produces.<\/p>\n<h2>FAQ<\/h2>\n<div class=\"su-spoiler su-spoiler-style-default su-spoiler-icon-plus su-spoiler-closed\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"no\"><div class=\"su-spoiler-title\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"su-spoiler-icon\"><\/span>Who is this template for?<\/div><div class=\"su-spoiler-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">Organizations that are considering switching marketing automation platforms, or selecting one for the first time \u2014 typically mid-market and enterprise with an ops team, ABM or multi-channel ambitions, and an annual MAP budget in six figures.<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"su-spoiler su-spoiler-style-default su-spoiler-icon-plus su-spoiler-closed\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"no\"><div class=\"su-spoiler-title\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"su-spoiler-icon\"><\/span>How long does a serious MAP RFP take with this template?<\/div><div class=\"su-spoiler-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">Plan for 1 to 3 months between kickoff and final decision: 2 weeks of adaptation and sending, 4 to 6 weeks of vendor response, 2 to 4 weeks of comparison, validation demos, and negotiation. For 3 to 5 shortlisted vendors.<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"su-spoiler su-spoiler-style-default su-spoiler-icon-plus su-spoiler-closed\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"no\"><div class=\"su-spoiler-title\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"su-spoiler-icon\"><\/span>Is the template vendor-neutral?<\/div><div class=\"su-spoiler-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">Yes. The grid is fully generic: no vendor name in the <em>Function<\/em> or <em>Need<\/em> columns. The third parties referenced as illustrations (CRM, webinar, iPaaS) are intentionally categories, not brands.<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"su-spoiler su-spoiler-style-default su-spoiler-icon-plus su-spoiler-closed\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"no\"><div class=\"su-spoiler-title\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"su-spoiler-icon\"><\/span>How do you build GDPR constraints in?<\/div><div class=\"su-spoiler-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">Compliance is its own category (\u00a72). Verify legal basis and multi-channel consent management, data hosting and localization, cookie placement via CMP, reversibility (full export), and security certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001). For platforms hosted outside the EU, require contractual GDPR guarantees before validating this section.<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"su-spoiler su-spoiler-style-default su-spoiler-icon-plus su-spoiler-closed\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"no\"><div class=\"su-spoiler-title\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"su-spoiler-icon\"><\/span>Spoiler title<\/div><div class=\"su-spoiler-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">It becomes a focus point in the demo. If a vendor can&#8217;t answer 30% of your Must have criteria in writing, that&#8217;s a signal \u2014 either their pre-sales team is under-resourced, or the capability isn&#8217;t mature. Either way, dig in.<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"su-spoiler su-spoiler-style-default su-spoiler-icon-plus su-spoiler-closed\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"no\"><div class=\"su-spoiler-title\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"su-spoiler-icon\"><\/span>Is there a Marketo vs Paminga pre-scored version?<\/div><div class=\"su-spoiler-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">Yes \u2014 we publish the head-to-head Marketo \/ Paminga analysis separately, with a verdict per category. See our dedicated article: <a href=\"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/grille-evaluation-marketing-automation-template-rfp\/\">Marketo vs Paminga \u2014 complete evaluation grid<\/a>.<\/div><\/div>\n<h2>Want a hand framing your RFP?<\/h2>\n<p>Running this evaluation in-house is entirely possible \u2014 that&#8217;s exactly what the template is for. If you want to move faster, or you&#8217;ve reached a tight shortlist and want an external view to challenge vendor answers, we step in at three moments: framing the grid against your business priorities, challenging vendor responses (beyond the marketing), and securing migration if you switch platforms.<\/p>\n<p>For organizations that select Paminga, <strong>Merlin\/Leonard gives its French clients a 35% discount on the platform in 2026<\/strong> \u2014 an advantage reserved for going through M\/L.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/contact\/\">Let&#8217;s talk \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A marketing automation RFP template is a prioritized criteria grid, organized by functional family,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":72,"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":90,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[42,43,44],"technology":[],"class_list":["post-6074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-e-books","tag-marketing-automation","tag-marketing-stack","tag-marketing-strategy"],"acf":{"rsrc_module":null,"meta_duration":15,"meta_difficulty":"dif-medium","modules_bottom":null,"post_or_page":"","agenda_shortcode":"<div data-form-id=\"d036833e-bfb3-4633-853a-c68e66618739\" class=\"paminga-form\">\r\n  <script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/renderer.merlinleonard.com\/form.js\" data-api-domain=\"paminga-api.merlinleonard.com\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<\/div>","post_featured_image_style":"normal","ressources_video":"","post_subtitle":"Ready-to-use tool \u00b7 8 min read","modules":[{"acf_fc_layout":"mod_banner","image":6077}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Marketing Automation RFP Template: 299 Excel Criteria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Free marketing automation RFP kit: 299-criteria Excel template (18 categories, 7-value scoring) + Word context brief. Ready to send to your shortlist.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Marketing Automation RFP Template: 299 Criteria to evaluate without vendor spin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Free marketing automation RFP kit: 299-criteria Excel template (18 categories, 7-value scoring) + Word context brief. Ready to send to your shortlist.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Merlin\/Leonard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MerlinxLeonard\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-21T07:50:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-21T09:07:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/01\/Bandeau-reseaux-sociaux-ML-EN-1200-x-675-px.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sylvain Davril\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sdavril\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@MerlinxLeonard\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sylvain Davril\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sylvain Davril\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/93183ed8a72e1d4f8f4ca3c5a17f2589\"},\"headline\":\"Marketing Automation RFP Template: 299 Criteria to evaluate without vendor spin\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-21T07:50:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-21T09:07:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1719,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"marketing automation\",\"marketing stack\",\"marketing strategy\"],\"articleSection\":[\"E-books\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\\\/\",\"name\":\"Marketing Automation RFP Template: 299 Excel Criteria\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-21T07:50:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-21T09:07:10+00:00\",\"description\":\"Free marketing automation RFP kit: 299-criteria Excel template (18 categories, 7-value scoring) + Word context brief. Ready to send to your shortlist.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Accueil\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Marketing Automation RFP Template: 299 Criteria to evaluate without vendor spin\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Merlin\\\/Leonard\",\"description\":\"Merlin\\\/Leonard is a marketing consulting firm specializing in the Marketo marketing automation platform. We support you, large groups and ETIs, in the development and implementation of your marketing strategy in order to offer a memorable customer experience.&quot; en &quot;B2B marketing, strategy, automation and ABM: align technology with your objectives.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"M\\\/L\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Merlin\\\/Leonard\",\"alternateName\":\"M\\\/L\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/merlinleonard-logo-court-carre.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/merlinleonard-logo-court-carre.png\",\"width\":139,\"height\":129,\"caption\":\"Merlin\\\/Leonard\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MerlinxLeonard\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/MerlinxLeonard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/merlin-lonard\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/93183ed8a72e1d4f8f4ca3c5a17f2589\",\"name\":\"Sylvain Davril\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/daee0d0b3f96376e69a2a533e43a49afb66b6e96daef3291c38b4d0d20f86cbb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/daee0d0b3f96376e69a2a533e43a49afb66b6e96daef3291c38b4d0d20f86cbb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/daee0d0b3f96376e69a2a533e43a49afb66b6e96daef3291c38b4d0d20f86cbb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Sylvain Davril\"},\"description\":\"For the past 20 years, Sylvain has been choosing and assembling the best technologies for his key account clients, to help them create a successful end-to-end customer experience. Surely the Leonard of the team, he is a fan - and expert - of Marketo! He sits next to his clients, drives them forward and makes Marketing Automation projects succeed with his team.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/merlinleonard.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/sylvaindavril\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/sdavril\",\"https:\\\/\\\/videos.merlinleonard.com\\\/\"],\"gender\":\"homme\",\"knowsAbout\":[\"Marketo\",\"Marketing Automation\"],\"knowsLanguage\":[\"Anglais\",\"Fran\u00e7ais\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Leonard & Marketo Architecte\",\"worksFor\":\"Merlin\\\/Leonard\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Marketing Automation RFP Template: 299 Excel Criteria","description":"Free marketing automation RFP kit: 299-criteria Excel template (18 categories, 7-value scoring) + Word context brief. Ready to send to your shortlist.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Marketing Automation RFP Template: 299 Criteria to evaluate without vendor spin","og_description":"Free marketing automation RFP kit: 299-criteria Excel template (18 categories, 7-value scoring) + Word context brief. Ready to send to your shortlist.","og_url":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\/","og_site_name":"Merlin\/Leonard","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MerlinxLeonard\/","article_published_time":"2026-06-21T07:50:22+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-21T09:07:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/01\/Bandeau-reseaux-sociaux-ML-EN-1200-x-675-px.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Sylvain Davril","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@sdavril","twitter_site":"@MerlinxLeonard","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sylvain Davril","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\/"},"author":{"name":"Sylvain Davril","@id":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/93183ed8a72e1d4f8f4ca3c5a17f2589"},"headline":"Marketing Automation RFP Template: 299 Criteria to evaluate without vendor spin","datePublished":"2026-06-21T07:50:22+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-21T09:07:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\/"},"wordCount":1719,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/#organization"},"keywords":["marketing automation","marketing stack","marketing strategy"],"articleSection":["E-books"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\/","url":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\/","name":"Marketing Automation RFP Template: 299 Excel Criteria","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-06-21T07:50:22+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-21T09:07:10+00:00","description":"Free marketing automation RFP kit: 299-criteria Excel template (18 categories, 7-value scoring) + Word context brief. Ready to send to your shortlist.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/marketing-automation-rfp-template\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Accueil","item":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Marketing Automation RFP Template: 299 Criteria to evaluate without vendor spin"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/","name":"Merlin\/Leonard","description":"Merlin\/Leonard is a marketing consulting firm specializing in the Marketo marketing automation platform. We support you, large groups and ETIs, in the development and implementation of your marketing strategy in order to offer a memorable customer experience.&quot; en &quot;B2B marketing, strategy, automation and ABM: align technology with your objectives.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/#organization"},"alternateName":"M\/L","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/#organization","name":"Merlin\/Leonard","alternateName":"M\/L","url":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/01\/merlinleonard-logo-court-carre.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/01\/merlinleonard-logo-court-carre.png","width":139,"height":129,"caption":"Merlin\/Leonard"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MerlinxLeonard\/","https:\/\/x.com\/MerlinxLeonard","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/merlin-lonard\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/93183ed8a72e1d4f8f4ca3c5a17f2589","name":"Sylvain Davril","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/daee0d0b3f96376e69a2a533e43a49afb66b6e96daef3291c38b4d0d20f86cbb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/daee0d0b3f96376e69a2a533e43a49afb66b6e96daef3291c38b4d0d20f86cbb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/daee0d0b3f96376e69a2a533e43a49afb66b6e96daef3291c38b4d0d20f86cbb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Sylvain Davril"},"description":"For the past 20 years, Sylvain has been choosing and assembling the best technologies for his key account clients, to help them create a successful end-to-end customer experience. Surely the Leonard of the team, he is a fan - and expert - of Marketo! He sits next to his clients, drives them forward and makes Marketing Automation projects succeed with his team.","sameAs":["https:\/\/merlinleonard.com","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/sylvaindavril\/","https:\/\/x.com\/sdavril","https:\/\/videos.merlinleonard.com\/"],"gender":"homme","knowsAbout":["Marketo","Marketing Automation"],"knowsLanguage":["Anglais","Fran\u00e7ais"],"jobTitle":"Leonard & Marketo Architecte","worksFor":"Merlin\/Leonard"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6074"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6074\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6078,"href":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6074\/revisions\/6078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6074"},{"taxonomy":"technology","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/merlinleonard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/technology?post=6074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}