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Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation

Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation

Overview

What is Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation?

Proposal management and RFP response software

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

Qvidian is a powerful tool used by multiple departments within organizations for centralized content management and proposal automation. …
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I propose Qvidian

9 out of 10
March 13, 2015
Qvidian Proposal Automation is used by the Proposals Department, so that we can answer complex RFP's and Sole Source requests. The …
Continue reading

Makes my job easier!

9 out of 10
February 25, 2015
Qvidian is a key tool used in our Business Development process to respond to customer RFQs (Request for Quotes). We use Qvidian to create …
Continue reading
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Pricing

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What is Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation?

Proposal management and RFP response software

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  • Setup fee optional
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  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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Product Details

What is Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation?

Create stand out proposals and RFP responses quickly, shorten sales cycles, track results, and score more wins.

Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation Features

Proposal Creation & Organization Features

  • Supported: Proposal branding
  • Supported: Proposal templates
  • Supported: Proposal content library updates
  • Supported: Guided proposal creation
  • Supported: Searchable proposal database

Proposal Collaboration & Workflow Features

  • Supported: RFP management & response
  • Supported: Proposal collaboration & approval
  • Supported: User permissions/proposal editing controls
  • Supported: Sales proposal workflow
  • Supported: Proposal automation user interface

Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation Screenshots

Screenshot of Accelerate responses to RFPs, DDQs, and other docs with automatic content suggestions from AutoFill.Screenshot of In one click, SMEs can view all pending review jobs from a single dashboard.Screenshot of Access answers to FAQs and step-by-step tutorials in the Help Center.Screenshot of Tailor the home screen to streamline access to the tools and information.Screenshot of Build complete RFP packages that are brand compliantScreenshot of Simplify content reviews and approvals, and build audit trails, with automated workflowsScreenshot of Store all approved proposal content in a central, searchable libraryScreenshot of Identify top projects, workflow bottlenecks, expiring content, and more with custom analytics

Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation Integrations

Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation Competitors

Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation Technical Details

Deployment TypesSoftware as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo
Supported LanguagesEnglish

Frequently Asked Questions

Proposal management and RFP response software

Loopio, Responsive, and Proposal Management and Production System (PMAPS) are common alternatives for Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation.

Reviewers rate Proposal templates and Proposal content library updates and Proposal collaboration & approval highest, with a score of 8.

The most common users of Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation are from Enterprises (1,001+ employees).

Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation Customer Size Distribution

Consumers0%
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)0%
Mid-Size Companies (51-500 employees)30%
Enterprises (more than 500 employees)70%
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(40)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Qvidian is a powerful tool used by multiple departments within organizations for centralized content management and proposal automation. It is primarily utilized by the Business Development and Marketing departments to streamline the process of responding to customer RFQs, creating business proposals, and answering customer questionnaires. Qvidian provides a centralized location for all proposal content, ensuring the use of the most relevant information and easy management. With its Proposal Automation feature, users can generate semi-custom proposals in less than thirty minutes, saving valuable time. The software also offers easy and fast searching capabilities to find content and answers for tender questions. Qvidian is also used by the legal/compliance team for content organization, maintaining consistency in responses, and periodic review and updates by the legal team. Overall, Qvidian serves as a comprehensive solution to effectively manage and automate the proposal response process companywide, ensuring consistency, efficiency, and streamlined collaboration across departments.

Range of Features: Many users have stated that Qvidian offers a wide range of features that enhance content management, proposal automation, and RFP management. The availability of various features allows users to effectively manage their content, automate the proposal process, and streamline RFP management.

Efficient Searching Capability: Several reviewers have praised the easy and efficient searching capability in Qvidian. The system uses a Google-like approach for quick access to information. This feature enables users to locate specific content quickly, saving time and improving productivity.

Integration with Microsoft Word: Numerous customers highly regard Qvidian's integration with Microsoft Word. This integration allows for seamless editing of records and corresponding metadata within the familiar Word interface. Users appreciate the convenience of editing multiple records in one document, enhancing efficiency in managing their content.

Confusing User Interface: Users have found the user interface of Qvidian to be confusing, particularly in terms of editing records from the library. The overall layout could also have better flow, and navigating the drop-down menus has been challenging for some reviewers.

Performance Issues: Some users have experienced performance issues with Qvidian, including slow editing processes and occasional search failures. Additionally, Qvidian's servers are not always equipped to handle multiple large proposals simultaneously.

Difficult Content Management: Reviewers have mentioned that getting content into Qvidian is laborious and time-consuming. They have also found it difficult to move content within Qvidian after the drag and drop feature was removed.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-25 of 34)
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January 05, 2022

Professionnel Service

Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Putting together statements of work and proposals, managing the content.
  • Content management
  • Proposal automation
  • RFP management
  • RFP automation
  • Interface
  • Content governance
[A] good content management system [helps to] build quality documents pretty quickly.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Our entire consulting group is using Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation. It addresses the main problem of responding to RFPs/RFIs/proposals. Historically each individual team within my organization was in charge or handling their own responses (most often proctored in Microsoft Excel and Word). Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation has enabled our teams to have access to a system where you can store content which can then be reused and customized for future RFPs. Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation offers an intuitive search function for content, making the information you require easy to find and implement.

  • Ease of use
  • Increased productivity in creating RFPs
  • Centralized system to find and utilize stored data
  • Slow integration between Microsoft Word and Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation
  • System sometimes lags
  • Overall layout could have better flow
Historically our team would work off of Excel sheets and Word documents, but now with Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation, we are able to breeze through RFPs, saving invaluable time and energy that was historically wasted on data collection and submission.

Nancy Bergantzel CF APMP | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We currently use Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation software to support our knowledge base of canned answers and marketing materials. We use it to keep a source of truth when responding to RFPs. Within Qvidian we also manage our RFP projects by uploading the questions received from a client and use the Qvidian software to answer questions more rapidly than a manual lookup, cut & paste process. Document automation is something we have also used Qvidian for. We have the ability to create templated materials that would be used in support of proactive proposals and solution design documents for our clients.
  • Organizes reusable content well.
  • Allows for search, autosearch and autofill abilities when responding to RFPS.
  • Document automation is very valuable to get a shell document together that will require some edits before being delivered.
  • Keeps your documents consistent.
  • The functionality with Excel needs some improvement when using some of the advanced search and fill tools.
  • Ability to search within an RFP you are working on.
  • Word count of your responses.
We are very happy with the software and recommend it internally to other teams. I have personally recommended it to other people in the industry looking for RFP and Proposal management software.
Gerald Thompson | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Qvidian is the proposal automation software for Blackboard's global RFP Team and it is used to respond to all strategic Sales proposals that have been approved via internal stakeholders. It addresses the need of generating quality responses for multiple product offerings in the most efficient amount of time thereby boosting revenue potential and supporting a scalable Sales pipeline.

It addresses the business problem of not having a centralized RFP content repository that is easily searchable, scalable, and maintainable. It also enables a stronger market brand by allowing customizable templates to be utilized easily within the drafting process. Without it, the RFP Team bandwidth would not be able to keep up with the company's growth.
  • Search Capabilities: Qvidian's search interface is one of its biggest sellers with our Proposal Writers. If you've ever done a web search, you know how to search for content in Qvidian's Library. You can Browse, Search, or be as specific as you need with an Advanced Search. Boolean logic is built right in so there is no need to understand coding. New functionality also allows you to save your favorite searches so you don't have to reapply the same filters in the future.
  • Content Maintenance: Qvidian has incorporated content maintenance into every aspect of the interface. Edits can be made directly to a folder's content or while searching for an answer when you are working on a project. Content is editable wherever it may be encountered. Also, best new CM feature: Jobs. You are now able to create bundles of content from various folder locations within the Library and generate a Job; a link that is sent to Subject Matter Experts, regardless of whether or not they have a license. You can control what they are able to edit and you can monitor the Job status. Finally, you can review the SME edits and tailor them before accepting them back into the Library.
  • 100% Hosted Customer Environment: This gives our team the ability to be results-oriented in our structure. No one is tied to an office in order to execute a project. The team can work wherever there is a secure internet connection. This not only facilitates better uptime, upkeep, and the most efficient upgrade release rollouts, it also facilitates a better work-life balance.
  • Tablet-friendly interface: While most significant projects are executed on either a desktop or laptop computer due to the multiple applications that may be in use and the processing power needed, I can foresee an option for a tablet-friendly interface to be utilized in simpler browsing and/or retrieval of minor standard information. I have already seen this need met within Qvidian's Sales Playbooks offering.
  • Real-time collaboration. While one can build and draft projects within Qvidian, the writer/project manager is still adding and tracking all contributions. Further, the strongest collaboration functionality is met by procuring licenses for every contributor.
This software is very well-suited to companies who find themselves expanding their footprint, the number of their Sales representatives, their territories, and/or their products and services and need to maximize their ability to both keep up with those demands whilst streamlining their proposal resources.

Further, this is a very powerful tool with a lot of features and functionality including CRM plug-in and reporting. Thus, it may be less appropriate for a very small organization with only one product and that is also blessed with lengthy cradle-to-grave turnaround windows.

In addition, to better the odds for success an investment in upfront personnel training and either a dedicated periodic window of time and/or dedicated person(s) for content upkeep are prudent.

Finally, working with the vendor is a delight as they make every effort to maintain and deliver a product that both meets your needs and on which you can rely.
July 09, 2015

Review of Qvidian

Iesha Mullins | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use it in the capacity of creating RFPs.
  • Ability to communicate with different departments.
  • Ability to hold tons of information and provide easy updates for outdated information.
  • Searching capability is easy to use.
  • More flexibility to move things around once its build out.
  • When you attach word docs the functiont to build out without errors
I think its great tool to use if you need feed back from multiple folks to input into one proposal
Laura Zaremba | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
After much research and due diligence, Travel Leaders Corporate decided to choose Qvidian for our proposal automation. Implementation was very comprehensive and went off without a hitch. Leah, the Qvidian trainer, has been outstanding, holding my hand through the entire process and making sure the tool was customized for our specific needs. I love that I can reach out to Qvidian at any time and there have been no hidden fees. Qvidian has really streamlined the request for proposal (RFP) process and the sharing of information companywide. I highly recommend this outstanding product and the people who stand behind it!
  • Easy and intuitive searching capability
  • Great implementation training
  • Easy updating content functionality
  • Great document repository
  • So far so happy
When researching proposal automation, make sure that support is included in the fee.
Lauren Whiteaker | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Our company is currently using Qvidian as an RFP builder in one of our local government divisions. We are currently getting two other divisions interested in the product. One is in training, and the other has not yet purchased, but is considering.
  • Using Qvidian as an RFP tool has made a difference in our RFP process, turn-around time, and content development. It's helped us streamline our RFP process so that we are able to produce the majority of the document before the kick-off meeting, which means we have more time to customize and refine the document before it goes to print.
  • Additionally, it took several hours before to gather all of the basic data we needed for an RFP, but now we can have the majority of the response ready in under 15 minutes in most cases. We are also able to start projects from our phones (iPhone thru Safari) or on an iPad. This has been extremely helpful while traveling.
  • Finally, our content is centrally located on a searchable database. Previously we had used several free tools to aid in content storage that would allow us access easily via search. It never seemed to do what we wanted, and when we did find something, we weren't sure if it was the most current or usable. The library functions in Qvidian have been a huge help, and has changes the way we collect data, and retrieve it.
  • The library works great, but the process of moving files from one folder to another is extremely tedious. From what I've heard, there used to be a drag and drop feature in the library. I would like to see thy come back.
  • It would be nice to see the final word doc displayed in the project, without having to drill down into it to retrieve it.
  • The reports are great to have, but I would like to see a customer driven reporting tool.
I think this took works really well for most RFPs that people will respond to. If the RFPs you receive are not able to be produced with boilerplate answers, and are answered differently each time, it might not be the tool for you. From my experience in RFPs, I can't say I've seen many of those, though.
Jennifer Waterston | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Qvidian is the software that our firm uses to complete RFPs, RFIs, DDQs and any other ad-hoc requests for information that comes to the organziation from clients, prospects and consultants. We utilize Qvidian as a content library that is accessed by marketers and client service professionals in the company.
  • Qvidian allows for a detailed annotation system for each Question and Answer Pair
  • Qvidian allows you to upload Excel, Powerpoint and Adobe documents as user content
  • Qvidian offers the capability to run customized reports
  • Qvidian allows different levels of access for different users
  • Qvidian doesn't always mesh seamlessly with MS Word
  • Qvidian's interface isn't very attractive
  • Problem shooting isn't always easy or intuitive
Qvidian is well suited for organizations that require a content management system. It is not designed to maintain quantitative data, so if you're looking to store spreadsheets or make numerical data easily accessible, Qvidian is not a fit.
March 13, 2015

I propose Qvidian

Peter Whittam | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Qvidian Proposal Automation is used by the Proposals Department, so that we can answer complex RFP's and Sole Source requests. The database that has been created makes sure we are consistent in our responses. The Qvidian Proposal Automation tool has also streamlines our process.
  • Ease of use
  • The database structure is logical (It looks like MS Explorer so it is familiar)
  • Software updates are automatic
  • Updating responses in Qvidian Proposal Automation is quick and easy
  • Other software I have used allows the automation of a sole source quote more easily
This tool can be used in any size company. The questions you should ask are:
1. How easy will this system be to implement?
2. What training is offered?
3. How does this tool compare with other proposal automation software?
4. What is the initial cost?
5. What is the yearly maintenance fee?
6. Is my company supportive on using cloud technology?
7. How long will this take to implement?
8. Will I need a full-time person to maintain the tool?
9. Is there a local company who uses this that I can visit?
10. Is there a user’s group?
11. How easy is the software to update and how often is it updated?
12. How do users communicate software update recommendations?
13. How does the support work/help desk work?
February 25, 2015

Makes my job easier!

Susan Madden | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Qvidian is a key tool used in our Business Development process to respond to customer RFQs (Request for Quotes). We use Qvidian to create business proposals and to answer customer questionnaires.
  • Usability: Qvidian is a mature product. The visual layout is organized in an intuitive manner. The underlting structure is logical and efficient.
  • Meta Data: With each file that you load into the Liberty, you can add Meta data such as owner, comments (which I use to record a brief history of the changes that have been made to the file), search terms, expiration date, and alerts. You can even define your own Meta data fields. You can also define specific security permissions to the file or at the folder level.
  • Search Function: Qvidian makes it easy to find files by offering basic searches and numerous custom search options that are flexible and easy to use. I have never seen so many search options offered in a program before. In addition to searching for strings in the title or content, you can also search the metadata (for example: comments and specific user-defined search terms). A few examples of advanced search functions include searching by file type, date created or modified, and the person who modified or created it. You can search the entire Library or searches can be defined per specific Library folders.
  • Architecting Documents: Defining the document architecture is logical and very flexible. The structure of your document is defined independently of the actual files. This means that you can define the outline of your document first, and then later populate your outline with actual content as it is written. This is a huge help in planning your document structure. Once you load a document into the Library, you then link your document into the architecture. The added benefit of this arrangement is that when you update the document, you do not have to re-link the document back into the architecture. This makes it possible for users who are not knowledgeable about architecting documents to still keep the content current. This is a huge time savings as well as avoids human error.
  • Multiple File Formats: Word and Power Point: Qvidian allows you to build documents in Word or PowerPoint. In the Library, you can load almost any file format: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio, PDF, jgp, png, etc. You can also specify additional file formats as needed.
  • Qvidian has an excellent support staff. I have called them many times and they are always professional, knowledgeable, and friendly. They are very responsive to any bug fixes and enhancement requests. Qvidian is always working diligently to improve their product.
  • There are no major issues that I see at this time that need fixing.
  • There is one enchancement that I would love to see... an "Undo" button when working in the Architecture.
For each product that you are considering, ask for a demo on how to search for and maintain your files. Your initial file load and defining of the document architecture is only the beginning. You also need to easily find these files when you need them, and then update them - that will be the majority of your usage.
Amy Stiver, CF.APMP | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Bright Horizons utilizes Qvidian in the sales and account management departments to manage our template library, as well as create responses to RFPs, RFIs, proactive proposals, RFP templates, and presentation slide decks. The system is customizable to our needs and allows the user to efficiently pull together desired materials, and allocate more time to customizing to meet the needs of the prospect/client. This 'one-stop-shop' of library and project build have increased my personal productivity and time saved. As a result, our company is now expanding the use of the program to another department.
  • One example of time saved is a request I received from one of our sales people, who needed to reply to a RFP in three days. By using Qvidian, I was able to build a first draft in four hours. Without the program, this feat averages 8-10 hours to pull template, and then another 1-2 hours to do basic customization. With time saved, I was able to review for additional edits, and send of to the sales person by the next morning - leaving her more time to review and edit, and back-end time for me to finalize. Not only did we meet the client's deadline, but we responded a few hours early.
  • I constantly receive requests from all areas of my department and the company for template language regarding all of our services. By doing an advance search of our template library, I am able to identify the best response and send it out quickly. For our sales team, this means they are able to respond quickly to a prospect's request, and supports our claims of strong customer service and responsiveness. Personally, it positions me to be a go-to person and reliable teammate.
  • Our company has a lot of great data behind our claims, and the ability to create set responses for our merge codes is priceless. I add the information necessary for the merge code and it automatically populates in the project I'm building. As information changes (e.g., number of years in service), as the architect, I edit the data once without having to search through all of my templates.
  • Per the merge codes, I recommend having the ability to pull a report that includes the merge codes with their assigned values so that as the architect, I can review a spreadsheet of what information I have, and what needs to be updated.
  • Some of the appendices we typically use in RFP responses are in pdf format. The system is unable to combine word and pdf files into one, so adding those pieces are still manual.
This system is perfect for building multiple word documents (RFPs, RFIs, proactive proposals, RFP Q&A templates, etc.), as well as functioning as a library of responses. Additionally, it's great for building slide decks. The auto-evaluate data feature is a great tool - as the architect, I can enter set values for specific data, so that any piece (Word and/or PowerPoint) that has that merge code populates with the appropriate value. All users have up-to-date information. This creates consistent information to be used across teams and reduces the time the user would otherwise need to find the current data.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use Qvidian in our proposals department as a depository of technical, operational, and corporate information for preparation of RFPs. We also utilize the automation tools to some extent to build corporate overviews and executive summaries.
  • Easy to organize the content library and move things around.
  • Ability to put expiration dates on content that needs to be reviewed.
  • Automation tool is helpful and if used correctly, will save time and formatting issues.
  • Developing an automation template is difficult because of issues of formatting with word and making sure your files are coded right so they pull in.
  • When you have an update, we don't always realize it until some of the functions aren't working correctly.
  • We have to make an effort to add content because of the preparation it takes (using the right formatting template). We do annual reviews of each section, but I know I have to make time to enter new or update information.
I think its a great tool, but is very complex so it would depend on what kind of work the colleague did and how big of a group would be using it. We don't use it outside of our own department so I can't speak to that, but if we expand our team to Europe and Asia, we will appreciate the scope of Qvidian even more.
Brian Kravitz | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Qvidian is used by our Proposal Development department, responsible for responding to RFPs received by the company. It replaced our previous software, Pragmatech's RFP Machine. Qvidian stores all of our commonly used RFP responses so that they are readily available. Along with our department, a select few subject matter experts also have access to the ProSearch version of Qvidian so that they can keep their own records up to date and more easily respond to our requests when needed.
  • Organization: Qvidian uses a folder tree layout with user-created top-level categories that can then be branched out into more in depth subcategories. For our own use, our top level categories refer to the various products our company offers (Medical, Pharmacy, Vision benefits, etc.), with the subcategories narrowing down to more specific subjects, such as condition management for Medical and formulary information for Pharmacy.
  • Searching: Qvidian uses a Google-like approach to searching. When a user searches for a term or phrase, if the correct record is found and used, then the search term the user had typed in is added to the meta data of that record. Then, in the future, when that same term or phrase is searched again, the record(s) containing that search term appears closer to the top of the search results. Note that users have the ability to preview a record without actually using it, so search terms will only be added to records that are specifically used in a response document.
  • Editing: Two choices are offered for editing records, both of which utilize integration with Microsoft Word. In the first choice, records are edited one at a time as separate documents. This allows editing of both the record and its corresponding meta data. For mass record changes, this choice is a bit slower and more inconvenient, since each record can only be seen one at a time, and records can't be compared side-by-side. The second editing choice allows a user to edit multiple records in one document. However, this does not allow a user to edit records' meta data. This trade off does allow for easier editing of multiple records at once, though, since a user can utilize Word's various comparison tools such as a split document screen to see two parts of the document at once.
  • One area where Qvidian occasionally struggles is feature regression. For instance, the editing option that puts multiple records into one document had always been present in Qvidian; however, when the multi-edit feature that only allows editing one record at a time was released in version 9.1, the original editing functionality was removed. This caused me a lot of frustration, as it severely slowed down my work flow since I could now only see and edit one record at a time. It wasn't until a year later when version 10 was released that the old editing functionality was added back. However, one bright spot of version 9.1 was an added feature that allowed organizing records by simply dragging and dropping them into different categories. This was much easier than having to right click on a record, select Move, then right click on a folder and select paste. However, with version 10, this feature was removed and I'm now back to having to right click on records instead of dragging and dropping. It seems that with each release, I never know if something I like will be taken away or if something I don't like will be added -- sometimes it's both.
  • A recent change that was added in version 10.1 that I personally view as a negative is that Qvidian now handles all requests server side instead of on the user's computer. This means that if a user wants to export or edit a large number of records, they have to wait for Qvidian's server to generate a report of those records. Depending on the number of records, this can be very quick (a few seconds) or very long (I've waited up to 20 minutes before) depending on how taxed Qvidian's servers currently are. I understand the reasoning behind the move, in that it takes the load off of a user's computer so that other applications they currently have open aren't affected by added memory usage, but in practice I find that it only slows down my workflow. Any somewhat modern PC shouldn't have any trouble handling a large report request from Qvidian.
  • Although Qvidian is certified for use in several different browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome for Windows), it doesn't offer the same functionality in each one. For instance, in Explorer, when a record is selected for editing or export, it will automatically open in Word. In Firefox, a pop-up dialog appears and a user has to click Open in order for the record to appear in Word. And in Chrome, the file is added to the download bar and a user must click on the file there for it to open, unless they add an exception to .docx file types to automatically open in Word (which I had to do, since I prefer using Chrome). Other simple features such as right clicking on a folder or record to bring up Qvidian's context menu are hit or miss depending on the browser. In Explorer, everything is generally smooth, though the browser itself is slower than the other choice. In Firefox, right clicking generally works but sometimes has some hiccups, and in Chrome, more often than not right clicking brings up Chrome's context menu instead of Qvidian's, which often leads to having to first select a folder and then click the dedicated Actions button in Qvidian to perform the desired action. No matter which browser you use, there will be some sort of functionality that doesn't quite work as expected.
Overall, Qvidian is a great piece of software for those who have need for a robust knowledge database application. Its organization and ability to search for records is fantastic, especially if you have a large amount of information that is commonly used. It also has the ability to build finished RFP documents, though my department doesn't utilize this feature, as it doesn't lend itself well to our already established processes. I know that many other users praise that ability, though. When selecting a product such as Qvidian, you should take a look at the type of information that you will be handling, both in quantity and content. If you only have a couple hundred records, or if your records are mostly number-based, then it might not be worth the investment. However, if you're constantly responding to RFPs with several hundred or thousands of answers, and your responses are often lengthy narratives, then Qvidian will definitely be useful. Like any software, there are areas where Qvidian struggles, but the positives definitely outweigh the negatives compared to other software I've used.
Mark Bushee | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Qvidian Proposal Automation (QPA) is our RFP Team's primary source for standard proposal language. We have one administrator of the tool who interacts with internal Subject Matter Experts to update standard content on a regular basis. We use QPA as a content warehouse, but it does have more advanced functionality that can respond to RFPs in an automated fashion. However, the warehouse functionality has expanded to include our qualitative content for consultant databases.
  • Advanced searching allows users to quickly find exactly what they're looking for.
  • Linking allows for similar content records to be updated at the same time.
  • Metadata is a great way to provide underlying information about each content record.
  • Due to the sophistication of the technology, the tool can be difficult to bring online in a secure network environment.
  • Little opportunity for user interaction or discussion within the tool.
  • Some functionality is only available for the automation function, while it would still be useful for warehousing functions (merge codes, SalesForce integration, etc.).
The tool is well suited for situations where qualitative content needs to be centralized and updated regularly. There could even be opportunities for centralizing quantitative content. When researching similar tools, one should inquire about typical database logic and organization, which Qvidian does well. Technical compatibility and support is also an important consideration.
Michelle Palasek, CF APMP | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Qvidian is being used by two departments within our organization for centralized content management and proposal automation.
  • The search function ranks information based upon usage and is adaptive, learning/improving rankings with every search. This makes finding the right piece of information quick and easy.
  • The tool offers flexibility to build various types of sales documents (proposals, presentations, case studies). This drastically reduces the time it takes to put together a client-facing document.
  • The content management functionality allows for various content formats and related content can be connected. This simplifies tracking content updates by knowing which other pieces of information may also need review and update when a change is made outside the normal update cycle.
  • Qvidian could improve their reporting functionality. Currently, it requires special coding to pull data points into a spreadsheet format and there are no intrinsic analysis (dashboard) views for the user or management.
  • The question highlight then search functionality has not worked for me or my team in MS Excel. We have to actively type key words into the search function to find content. It works but slows the process a bit. Would love to see them remedy this issue as this is a very common format for our commercial opportunities especially with the increased use of online procurement portals.
Overall I believe Qvidian offers one of the best proposal automation tools available and offers companies the greatest flexibility to build sales documents for both commercial and government clients. Additionally, its ability to control content access by user and content record simplifies information management.
Jane Burgess | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Qvidian is being used by the sales department for proposal automation and responding to requests for proposal. Qvidian addresses our need to respond promptly and efficiently to requests.
  • Qvidian has great automation capabilities allowing for increased efficiency and increased output.
  • The merge codes are also a great time saver and ensure variable information is always accurate.
  • The level of customization offered with Qvidian allows us to make it cater to our specific needs, which also allows it to prove itself a valuable tool across a variety of industries.
  • There are times when I search for something that I know is in my database and my search yields no results. After trying again, the same search yields the appropriate results.
  • It would be great if Qvidian could integrate with known proposal submission sites such as ProposalTech.
  • Perhaps this is just because I use Chrome, but sometimes when I'm trying to select things from a dropdown list (like Download>Ignoring merge codes...) I'll hover over my choice, but the box will disappear. It would be nice if even if you hovered outside of the selection box, but didn't click, the box would remain on the screen.
The tool is well-suited to my specific needs as a proposal writer. I'm able to see the response I need in a short period of time, allowing me to be efficient. I'm also able to customize my settings and differentiate among industries my proposals should cater to. This level of sophistication has made my life easier and more stress-free during busy season.
Annie Doyon | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We are utilizing Qvidian by individuals across the organization, primarily in proposal and marketing roles (directly or support roles). We are utilizing it for proposal automation as well as RFP responses. For us, the software addresses the issues of standardization in the production of our responses and the ease of gathering information.
  • It is able to recreate our documents exactly how we want them to look
  • It is a great central database for all of our FAQs and approved RFP responses
  • It has opened up dialogue surrounding document creation and management, what what other template solutions we might want to pursue
  • More maneuverability (easier drag & drop, copy & paste)
  • Frequently, the builds are very slow
  • Library items that are NOT enabled, often still show up in searches
I think just being straightforward, up front and realistic about your goals and expectations is the best approach. This will help both you, your organization and Qvidian guide and reach those goals and will bring the most success for the endeavor. Communication within your organization is also important so that the team is on board during all phases of the implementation.
March 01, 2014

Former Qvidian User

Stephanie Valentine | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We used Qvidian in the marketing department to support RFP responses. We did try to implement an organization wide usage but didn't have full management support.
  • Good way of maintaining responses
  • Gave other departments a basis to form their replies
  • General repository which helped with non-RFP content
  • Their over the phone support was very good, but at times there was a bit of a lag getting someone on the phone. When a deadline is looming you really want help at the very moment that you call.
Functionality and support are my two main areas. I want to be able to speak to someone when I have an issue. To Quvidian's defense, my company didn't see the value in sending someone to NH for the training. I'd used an RFP machine before so they thought that was sufficient. It was a poor decision on the company's part because although it was similar, it was not the same.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Qvidian is used by the department only to address the following business requirements: Document Management/Versioning (ie, Conflicts must be resolved when users edit and save content while another using is reading and/or editing content), Searchability (ie, Content must be searchable. Search results must be relevant), Search and Respond to RFPs.
  • Customize the output. Qvidian allows you to place static content into sections that you can define. You can also use customizable content pieces such as client name, etc. through codes.
  • Library and record management. It's not perfect, but you can tag records with metadata, and search using advanced options.
  • Accessible. Online access is a big plus, although, again it's not perfect. But the fact that it's a SaaS cloud-based platform gives you flexibility to use regardless of location and machine.
  • User interface isn't pretty. Nor is it that intuitive. There's a lot of setup to be done, and constant maintenace of the records that is hampered by the user interface. For example, records aren't easily editable from the library. You can have download then edit, and upload back into the library to save changes.
  • Plug-in for Word doesn't function smoothly all the time. There's a lot of deleting existing plug-ins, downloading and reinstalling that goes on when using Qvidian's Word plug-in.
  • Content management philosophy is still Web 1.0. Does not incorporate wiki-based content management philosophy and strategies (Web 2.0), which means that gatekeepers are the bottlenecks for information accuracy and responsiveness. A more modern Content Management philosophy would incorporate specifically defined "Crowd sourcing" to help maintain accuracy of content records. Qvidian is not able to embrace this concept as it is still folder and file based.
For RFPs, it's useful. However, I've found the auto-build feature is not as useful as I thought it was going to be. Content management is extremely laborious thorugh Qvidian - as mentioned, each records needs to be downloaded to be edited. Search functionality is hit or miss; assigning metadata to each recordi is also laborious and requires continual manintenance in itself. Just be sure to have a backup plan when Qvidian goes down or is in maintenance which happens more than you'd like to see from a SaaS, especially if you're on deadline.
February 24, 2014

Qvidian Is Awesome!

Amy Scott, MBA | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use it for answering our RFP requests. We use it exclusively in our proposal management department.
  • It does well at topic searches.
  • It is easy to organize our information.
  • It is easy to add and delete information.
  • We have found blueprints hard to implement.
  • I wish we could upload Excel spreadsheets.
It is well suited for answering question and answer pairs. It does an excellent job of organizing information and allowing for quick deletions and additions. It makes it easy to put together a quick response for simple responses and for more complex responses as well.
February 23, 2014

Solid product

Lila Logue | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 5 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
It was used to track RFP content and manage RFP compilation.
  • Easy to use
  • Easy to manage content pieces/ blocks
  • Easy collaboration
  • Integration with Salesforce
  • Dynamically reading different text type when uploading pieces of content and standardizing them in the UI
  • Make it easier for version management on content pieces
Jeannette Lindsay | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I was the Qvidian Administrator for my team of users and handled user ID's, training, security and so forth. It is used by two departments in our organization. We primarily use the Library function for preparing our RFP's.
  • The simplicity of the app and all it has to offer, especially in the last year, makes them standout from other similar types of apps.
  • Qvidian has a great support site, Qvidian Community, for accessing training live, recorded or documented, posting suggestions/enhancements, and logging issues.
  • Qvidian has joined with the Salesforce app allowing more integration
  • Some of our users have experienced performance issues
  • It would be nice for Qvidian to include onsite visits once per year
  • The app can be clunky but with each release this appears to be getting better
If you use Excel for your RFP's, Qvidian may not be the best choice as there are formatting issues.
Score 4 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
My company uses Qvidian to search for answers to use in responses to RFPs. Mainly it is used by the Proposal Services department, but employees in other areas can use it as well. Only the Proposal Services group and a select group of other individuals can edit the information.
  • You can add a lot of information about each individual record, giving it an owner, expiration date, etc.
  • Expiration dates are clearly seen, and it is easy to tell which records are new (blue) vs. old (red).
  • I like how you can search the entire database, or just specific folders for a word or group of words.
  • It is extremely difficult to move a record from one folder to another.
  • Updating records, as well as adding new records, require many steps and it is not always straightforward.
  • The database uses a natural word search, like Google. If you do not know exactly how the question is worded, you may have to try multiple times to find it. We had a older database that searched using keywords, and we found that it was much easier to find the data you were looking for.
Qvidian is web-based, and sometimes is down for maintenance (although this is usually overnight and/or on weekends). However, if you need a system that is available 24-7, this may not be it.
February 22, 2014

Good Content Repository

Mary Collins Treacy | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
It is used in a couple of departments across our parent organization (Infogroup) and solely by myself in my organization (Yesmail). I can only speak to how I use it on the Yesmail side, not the Infogroup side. It is used primarily as a content repository.
  • It is a very useful content repository.
  • It makes searching for content much easier than other methods I have used at other organizations.
  • It is very laborious process to get the content into Qvidian. Once it's there, it's great - but getting it in is very time consuming.
  • Moving content around is difficult. They got rid of the drag and drop feature so moving content from one folder to another takes much, much longer than it used to.
  • I don't use Qvidian as a project management tool or to send things out to knowledge managers. I am the only one on my side with a license, so I don't use it to the full extent of it's capacity, but the process seams fairly difficult.
I wasn't involved in the selection process, but I think the biggest question is ease of use and intuitiveness. To use it to the full extent of it's features, you really need full buy-in across the organization. I would think that would be the biggest obstacle.
Glenda Nunez | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Instead of using a cumbersome excel workbook, we use Qvidian as our sole database source for responding to RFPs. It is an incredibly robust system that can house endless pieces of data (pieces of data include one question and one answer. We also create our draft Proposal response cover letter and Executive Summaries through the Proposal Automation tool in Qvidian. Qvidian provides merge codes for content that can be edited in one place and will update in all of the areas that you have that content.
  • The ability to use a style template that will have all of the data formatted consistently
  • The ability to have document automation allows you to create cover letters in a matter of minutes
  • Merge codes are an efficient way to update changing content
  • The drop down menus can be difficult to navigate
  • Sometimes the support staff "quizzes" too much about the problem instead of getting on a WebeEx to look at the issue
  • The Community can be difficult to navigate and find your answer
Companies that have a Proposal department should invest in the Qvidian tool. It houses all of your content and it user friendly in terms of editing content and managing content folders. The Proposal Automation is an excellent tool to use for creating on the fly cover letters, Executive Summaries, and even Powerpoint presentations.
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