RFPs And Open Source Projects?

An Anonymous Coward writes: "My company is currently sending out RFPs to various real-time collaboration software vendors. One of the packages we would like to persue is Jabber (the open-source IM/chat software at www.jabber.org). However, for open source projects, where should the RFP be sent? For Jabber, we may use Jabber.com as our reference. But, as my company possibly pursues other open source alternatives, how do we answer this question?"

Comments

Definition of RFP

[JimTheta]

I thought others would appreciate a definition, so they wouldn't have to look it up, like I just did.

Taken from Everything2.com:

(thing) by daglo (print)

RFP: Request for proposal. A long boring document filled with legalese which is supposed to be the equivalent of asking a vendor for a bid for service. In actuallity it is a demand for a bid which requires that said bid include and be subject to certain requirements. One could say it is akin to Satan's "Proposal for Bennefit in Exchange for Soul" which is hailed as a great masterpiece of legalese.

This is a copy/paste; all typos are property of the author.

It's probably not the best definition, but it answered all I wanted to know.

-Grant/JimTheta

Post to Developer Email Lists or Jabber Room

[ReuabLeahcim]

SourceXchange was great until it went dark. We got some great proposals to some Jabber open source development RFPs there. Collab.net has picked up the slack so that's an option too.

In general, I'd recommend trying to find the associated developer email lists for open source projects (or, of course, the Jabber conference rooms if they have them!) and post there. Can't think that would upset people.

For Jabber, send your RFP to the JDEV email list. Go to http://mailman.jabber.org/listinfo/jdev for info.

. I've actually managed a number of Jabber open source projects so talk to me too! (bauer@michaelbauer.com)