Page 32 - CCCA62_2009

CCCA_V3No2_RFP-FIN.qxd:CCCA_V1No1_DriversSeat-FIN.qxd 4/27/09 5:39 PM Page 32 Feature alternative is to allow anybody in the company to pick up a phone and call a lawyer whenever they like and incur charges without any kind of coordination or oversight.”That, he says, is “just bad management.” An RFP explosion Victoria Prince,a partner in the corporate commer- cial group of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP inToronto, says her firm has seen a 40 percent increase in the use of RFPs over the past three years.And the requests con- tinue to arrive despite the economic downturn. “I think RFPs give in-house counsel an opportunity to level the playing field and get the same information from a variety of firms all at one time,” says Prince.“They let people focus on the things they care about most and compare apples with apples.” From a firm’s perspective, says Prince, an RFP from an existing client is a chance for the firm to refresh its relationship with that client. From a new prospect, it’s an open door invit- ing her firm to introduce and promote itself. It’s a good thing there are so many benefits, because RFPs have the potential to create “an incredible quantity of work” for both sides, says Pierre-André Themens, managing partner with Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg LLP in Montreal. Themens says his firm responds to “dozens and dozens” of RFPs every year. “The simplest one can easily take 15 hours, but we’ve done some where we’ve invested 150 to 200 man hours.”The average RFP takes about 50 hours to complete, he says, and can cost between $25,000 and $50,000. It’s an investment that pays off over time, or law firms would stop responding. Both Prince and Themens see the positive side of RFPs and under- stand why companies like them — andThemens is satisfied that most companies take the task of eval- “The simplest RFP can easily uating the responses seriously. take 15 hours, but we’ve done That’s not to say that everybody loves them, or some where we’ve invested 150 that every RFP merits a response. Themens says that in his experience, about two-thirds of RFPs to 200 man hours.” are very well done, which is to say it’s clear the Pierre-André Themens company has conducted enough research to be Managing Partner sure the RFP is going out to a small selection of Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg appropriate companies. In short, it’s not a tire- Montreal kicking exercise. SPYROS BOURBOULIS “We had a situation recently where they didn’t blind copy all the firms on the email list, and we 32