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A vague specification produces quotes that can't be compared, schedules that slip and costly misunderstandings. This article distinguishes between a brief, a project specification and a request for proposals (RFP), details what each document should contain, and provides a grid to objectively evaluate the proposals you receive.
- A brief, a project specification and an RFP are not synonyms
- Always share a budget range, never keep it to yourself
- Consulting 3 agencies is enough in the vast majority of cases
- Add a GEO/AI criterion to your evaluation grid in 2026
A successful website redesign isn't won in Figma or in Webflow. It's won beforehand, when you put on paper what you really expect from the project. A vague document produces vague quotes, schedules that slip and misunderstandings that cost dearly midway through.
At Norry, every month we receive briefs and project specifications of all sizes, for Webflow redesigns, migrations or AEO architecture projects. And we can tell very quickly whether a document was seriously thought through or filled in hastily. This article gives you our method for building that document, launching your consultation and choosing the right agency, without spending three weeks on it.
Brief, project specification, request for proposals: they are not synonyms
These three terms are often used interchangeably, yet they refer to three different things.
The brief is a short document (two to three pages maximum) that you send to a handful of agencies you've already shortlisted. Its goal isn't to detail everything, but to give an agency enough material to understand your context and propose a first approach.
The project specification is the in-depth version. It covers the functional scope, technical constraints, budget, schedule and selection criteria. It's a document that can then serve as a contractual reference throughout the project.
The request for proposals, unlike the first two, is not a document but a process: you consult several agencies in parallel on the basis of the same project specification, so you can compare their responses objectively.
| Brief | Project specification | Request for proposals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature | Concise scoping document | Detailed, contract-ready document | Competitive bidding process |
| Typical length | 2-3 pages | 8-15 pages | / |
| When to use it | You're already targeting 1 to 3 agencies | The project is scoped, you're formalizing it | You're consulting several providers |
One important clarification: public tenders follow a strict regulatory framework (tender documents, technical proposal, dematerialized submission platform). What we describe here concerns private consultations, the kind a company runs to choose its web agency.
Why this document really changes the game
Spending a day writing a brief or a project specification isn't an administrative formality. It's what allows you to:
- Get truly comparable proposals, priced on the same scope, rather than three quotes that don't talk about the same thing.
- Bring unspoken issues to the surface internally, before the project starts. It's common for a scoping meeting to reveal that the marketing department and the IT department don't share the same vision of the project.
- Reduce friction along the way. Most tensions between client and agency come from something that “wasn't planned”, and which, most of the time, could have been anticipated.
What your brief should contain
The brief is addressed to an agency you already have in mind. It should remain readable in ten minutes. Here are the points to cover:
Your company, on one page. Business, market (B2B/B2C, France or international), team size, positioning, and two or three competitors you have in mind.
The reason for the redesign. A site that no longer converts, an image that has become dated, a team that can't change anything without going through a developer, a change in positioning, an international expansion. Be specific: “the site no longer reflects our current offering” doesn't help as much as a concrete example of what's not working.
The objectives, ranked by importance. Generating more contact requests, gaining credibility with investors, being better understood by Google and by AI engines, giving the marketing team more autonomy. An agency needs to know what takes priority in order to weigh its recommendations.
Your users. Who comes to the site, with what intent, at what point in their thinking. If you have personas or an ICP already formalized, share them.
The expected features and integrations. CMS, multilingual, CRM or ERP connections, advanced forms, customer portal, cookie management.
Examples of websites, yours or others', that you love or hate, with the reasons why. This is often what helps an agency most to visualize your intent.
Budget and timeline. A range is more than enough (we come back to this below), but not giving any budget at all is rarely in your interest.
What to add for a complete project specification
If you're launching a genuine consultation among several agencies, the project specification takes up the whole brief and goes further:
The functional detail, from the user's point of view. Rather than listing modules, describe the expected uses page by page: “the visitor must be able to filter the catalog by industry”, “the prospect must be able to book a meeting without leaving the page”. This level of detail is what makes an accurate estimate possible.
Technical and security constraints. Current and target environment, chosen or recommended CMS, targeted accessibility level, role and access management, GDPR compliance, hosting.
Site structure and content strategy. Who writes the content, what happens to existing content, how redirects are handled in case of migration.
The detailed schedule, with validation milestones.
The terms of the consultation itself: response deadline, expected format, contact person for questions, weighting of the selection criteria.
A piece of advice we systematically give our prospects: don't lock down every detail. An agency with no room to challenge your choices can't bring you its expertise, and that expertise is precisely what you're paying for.
Budget: the topic we wrongly avoid
This is probably the point on which we see the most hesitation on the client side. Many people think keeping their budget to themselves protects them. In practice, it has the opposite effect: without a benchmark, a serious agency can't size its proposal, and you receive quotes that have nothing to do with each other.
Giving a range allows the agency to position itself in one of these three cases:
- The budget matches what this type of project costs: the proposal aligns directly with it.
- The budget is tight: a good agency will look for trade-offs (phasing the project, making some elements optional) rather than declining outright.
- The budget is comfortable: this is a chance for the agency to propose going further (AI-ready architecture, automations, training for your teams) rather than simply inflating the price.
Also build in a 15 to 20% margin on your budget. Unforeseen costs aren't the exception, they're the norm on this type of project.
How to evaluate the responses you receive
Once you have the proposals in hand, avoid deciding on price alone. A simple scoring grid, weighted according to your priorities, helps make the decision objective:
| Criterion | What it reveals | Suggested weight |
|---|---|---|
| Understanding of the brief | Did the agency reframe your challenges or send back a generic template? | 25% |
| Methodology | Steps, validation milestones, project management | 20% |
| Comparable references | Similar projects, measured results | 20% |
| Budget/value ratio | Not the cheapest, but the one that brings the most for the price | 20% |
| Dedicated team | Who actually works on the project, and at what level of seniority | 15% |
Three complementary habits:
- Meet the top-scoring agencies. A video call or in-person conversation often reveals more than a document, especially about the quality of the collaboration to come.
- Be wary of a quote clearly below the others. Either the scope was misunderstood, or part of the work will come back to you later, in another form.
- Don't consult fifteen agencies. Three is enough in the vast majority of cases; the most qualified agencies often decline overly broad consultations.
A point we systematically add at Norry
A website redesign in 2026 can no longer be planned for Google alone. A growing share of B2B searches now starts on ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini. A project specification that only mentions classic SEO leaves out a selection criterion that is becoming decisive: does the agency know how to build a content architecture that AI engines can understand and cite, in addition to ranking well on Google?
This is a point we recommend adding to your evaluation grid, on a par with methodology or references: ask each agency how it approaches the semantic structuring of the site, not just its design or its CMS.
