Open-source guide to help organizations compare Online Brand Protection (OBP) vendors. Built from community expertise, it offers an adaptable RFP template, promotes transparency, and encourages collaboration to address shared challenges in safeguarding brands online.

I initiated this project to assist organizations in comparing Online Brand Protection (OBP) vendors.

After receiving requests from several organizations for help in evaluating OBP vendors, I decided to open source the project. In fact, in the inherently fragmented landscape of the internet, safeguarding brands requires collaborative efforts to tackle common challenges that are too significant for individual organizations to overcome alone. By emphasizing transparency and cooperation, the benefits of open source include increased innovation, shared knowledge, and community-driven enhancements. These principles have inspired the creation of this RFP guide, which draws on the experiences of several practitioners and seeks constructive feedback from the brand protection (BP) community.

In this guide, you will find a solid foundation for your RFP plan to compare and evaluate different OBP providers. The document allows for customization and adaptation to meet your organization's specific needs. It also outlines reasonable conditions for potential vendors to fulfill regarding their expertise and technical capabilities in online brand protection. While the BP community behind this project cannot provide any assurances, a vendor that meets the outlined conditions is likely to be a strong technical partner for your project.

• Identify OBP service providers that possess technical expertise and have experience in online intellectual property enforcement.
• Conduct an objective comparison of competing vendors.
• Implement a transparent and standardized process that considers all significant factors for evaluating and comparing multiple vendors.

This repository includes two documents: Instructions for Vendor Proposal Preparation and Submission and Terms Of Reference. You can leave comments to provide feedback or download them for use in setting up your RFP. You are welcome to:

• Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, for any purpose, including commercial use.
• Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, including commercial use.

Below are a few guidelines on how to use these files:

• Find and replace: Information you need to fill in or customize for your organization and project is in square brackets and marked with two asterisks in the document. Search for ** and fill in the appropriate necessary information.
  • You are the “ORGANIZATION” requesting proposals from vendors to provide you with digital project and website-building services.
  • You need to fill in the project name, dates, timelines, and other specifics of your project.
• RFP(?) Depending on your location and the nature of your organization and project, Requests for Proposals (RFP) may be called different things, such as Request for Information (RFI), tender, or bid. Search for “RFP” in this document and “Request for Proposal” and replace as appropriate.
• “We” in the instructions refers to the organization looking for help with a project—you, the reader!
• “You” in the instructions refers to vendors who want to bid to be your vendor. Logo: Replace the “your logo here” images with your logo.