If an oral presentation is required as part of the RFP process, it should be stated in the RFP requirements. The oral presentation can be beneficial for both the proponent and the evaluation panel. It allows proponents to clearly express the ideas in their proposal and to gauge the sentiments of the evaluation panel. And it allows the evaluation panel to ask questions of the potential partners. For this reason, oral presentations are strongly recommended.
If possible, give all potential partners the opportunity to present on the same day. The time allotted for presentations and question-and-answer sessions should be the same for all proponents and will vary depending on the complexity of the project. Generally, if there are more than five shortlisted proponents, it is advisable that the presentations be limited to one hour.
Also, if possible, video-tape the oral presentation and question-and-answer sessions. All verbal agreements or commitments made in the presentation and question-and-answer session become a part of the proposal.