A campus marketing RFP is a written request to agencies that sets out your objective, scope, budget band and timeline, tells them exactly what format to answer in, and states how you will score the replies. Use one when the spend is large, several stakeholders must agree, or you are comparing more than three agencies. The template below is ready to copy, followed by a weighted scoring sheet and the checks that separate real networks from resellers.
This guide is for procurement leads, marketing heads and brand managers buying campus marketing at scale. For a small pilot, a brief is enough; see the campus marketing brief template. An RFP is the heavier tool: it asks for evidence, fixes the answer format and makes the decision defensible. Read it alongside the overview of a campus marketing agency so you know what a good response contains.
When an RFP is worth the effort
| Situation | Brief only | RFP |
|---|---|---|
| Single-city pilot, 2 to 3 agencies | Yes | Not needed |
| Multi-city programme, ₹5 to 15 lakh | Usually | Optional |
| National programme across 50+ colleges, ₹15 to 50 lakh and above | No | Yes |
| Procurement or finance needs a documented process | No | Yes |
| You want to replace an agency without losing a semester | No | Yes |
An RFP costs you about a week to write and a week to evaluate. Responses take agencies several working days. The college calendar is tight, with orientation in July to August and fests October to March, so set the timetable early, and publish deadlines in the document.
The RFP template
Copy the text in the box and replace anything in square brackets. Keep the section order, because it makes the answers easy to compare.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL: CAMPUS MARKETING PROGRAMME
A. ABOUT US
Company: [name, website]
Product: [one paragraph]
Contact for this RFP: [name, email, phone]
B. WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE
Objective: [installs / registrations / trials / footfall / content]
Primary success metric: [number, and how it is counted]
Timeline: [start date to end date]
C. SCOPE
Cities: [priority list]
Number of colleges: [for example 30 across 4 cities]
Activities: [ambassador program / activations / sampling / student creators / UGC / meme pages / app acquisition]
Out of scope: [list]
D. BUDGET
Budget band, before GST: [for example 15 to 25 lakh]
Please quote fee, pass-through costs and exclusions separately.
E. WHAT YOUR RESPONSE MUST CONTAIN (maximum 15 pages)
1. Approach and plan by city and phase
2. College list for our priority cities, with the contact route for each
3. Team: named account lead, city leads, on-ground roles
4. Ambassador model: recruitment, screening, training, rewards
5. Permissions process for each college type in our list, with lead times
6. Timeline with milestones and exam and fest weeks marked
7. Reporting: weekly sample report with college-level rows
8. Two relevant case studies with figures and what was counted
9. Pricing, line by line, and payment schedule
10. Compliance: how students are briefed on ASCI disclosure labels (#ad, #collab)
11. Exit terms and pilot option
F. DECLARATIONS
Which parts of the work are delivered by your own staff or network, and which by partners? Name the partners and the cities they cover.
G. HOW WE WILL EVALUATE
Weights are listed in Section H. We may shortlist two agencies for a presentation and ask for a paid pilot.
H. TIMETABLE
RFP issued: [date]
Questions due: [date]
Responses due: [date]
Presentations: [date range]
Decision: [date]
Programme start: [date]
I. CONFIDENTIALITY
All information in this RFP is confidential and to be used only for responding.Annotations: what to change
- Section B: one primary metric only. If you list five, agencies will promise all five and none will be tested.
- Section C: a college count with a city list is more useful than “pan-India”. Ask agencies to propose the college list in their answer.
- Section D: share a band. Ask for pass-through costs, such as rewards, merchandise, product units and logistics, to be shown separately so that quotes compare cleanly. See campus marketing agency cost.
- Section E, item 2: the college list with contact routes is your best test of a real network.
- Section F: the declaration is what separates a transparent partner model from a hidden resale. Do not skip it.
- Section G: publish weights so agencies know what you value.
The scoring sheet
Score each response from 1 to 5 per criterion. Weights add up to 100. Adjust them to the campaign: a sampling programme should raise permissions and operations; an app acquisition programme should raise measurement.
| Criterion | Weight | What earns a 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Network and college list | 20 | Named colleges and contact routes for our cities, structure of city and campus leads |
| Ambassador model | 15 | Task-based screening, written missions, defined rewards, backup plan |
| Permissions and operations | 15 | Process by college type, lead times, fallback plan, on-site roles |
| Measurement and reporting | 15 | College-level sample report, unique codes or links, proof of work |
| Relevant case figures | 10 | Two similar cases with counts and what was measured |
| Plan quality and fit | 10 | Specific to our product and audience, not a template |
| Commercial clarity | 10 | Line-by-line pricing, milestones, exit terms |
| Compliance | 5 | ASCI disclosure process, content checks |
Have two or three people score independently, then discuss only the criteria where scores differ by two points or more. Presentations tend to bias scores toward the best speaker, so score the written response before the presentation.
Questions that separate real networks from resellers
Resellers and operators can write equally good plans. These checks show the difference.
| Check | A real operator | A reseller |
|---|---|---|
| Name three people on the ground in our top city | Gives roles and, with consent, names | Cannot, or names an Instagram page |
| When was the last campaign in that city? | Recent and specific | General |
| Who signs the permission for a stall in college X? | A named role | “We coordinate” |
| What does an ambassador receive and when? | A clear reward structure | “It depends on the partner” |
| Can we speak to a city lead before signing? | Yes | Delays or declines |
| What part of the work is subcontracted? | A direct answer | Evasive |
Ask for two of these in writing within the RFP, and test the rest on the presentation call. For more probing, use the questions to ask a campus marketing agency and check each response against campus marketing agency red flags.
From RFP to a pilot
Even after a good RFP, a paid pilot is wise for large programmes. Choose one city and 10 to 15 colleges, agree on a six to eight week window and a review date, and use the same scoring criteria on the actual results. A single-city pilot starts from about ₹2 lakh, a small fraction of a national budget. If the pilot works, sign the wider programme with the same reporting format. If it does not, you learn before committing.
If you want to include Youthfluence in your RFP, send it through contact. We reply within 2 working hours and send a campaign plan with an indicative budget within 48 hours. Our scope is described across campus ambassador programs and campus activations, and the full method for shortlisting is in how to choose a campus marketing agency.
Questions people ask
What is a campus marketing RFP?
It is a written request sent to agencies that states your objective, scope, budget band and timeline, specifies the format of their answers and explains how they will be scored. It makes responses comparable and the final decision easier to justify to finance or leadership.
How long should a campus marketing RFP response be?
About 15 pages is enough: approach, college list, team, ambassador model, permissions, timeline, reporting sample, two case studies and pricing. Cap the length in the RFP so agencies answer the questions rather than rewriting their credentials deck.
How many agencies should receive the RFP?
Send it to three to five. Fewer limits choice, more creates evaluation work during a short college calendar window. Give everyone the same deadline, the same answers to their questions and the same scoring weights.
How do I score campus marketing agency proposals fairly?
Fix weights before you read responses, score each criterion from 1 to 5, and use two or three independent scorers. Discuss only the criteria with big gaps. Score the written answer before the presentation to avoid favouring the best presenter.
Should the RFP include my budget?
Yes, as a band, before GST. It lets agencies design to scale and makes quotes comparable. Ask for fees, pass-through costs and exclusions separately, so that the totals mean the same thing across agencies.
How do I spot a reseller in an RFP response?
Ask for named roles on the ground, the last campaign in your top city, who signs permissions and how students are paid. Add the declaration of partners in Section F. Operators answer with specifics; resellers answer in generalities or delay.
