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The Shortlist

Welcome to The Shortlist! We are exploring all things AEC marketing and answering listener questions to provide best practices and fresh ideas for marketing strategies to help your firm win the shortlist. New episodes drop each Wednesday. Listen as the team from Middle of Six shares their thoughts on proposals, interviews, websites, social media, marketing planning, business development, and countless other tactics that architecture, engineering, and construction firms rely on to grow their businesses and build strong brands.

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The Short(er) List: Asking Strategic RFP Questions

March 25, 2026 • Middle of Six • Season 5 • Episode 85

0:00 | 16:10

Most firms treat RFP questions as a formality—a quick clarification before the real work begins. But what if the questions you ask (and how you ask them) could actually give you the answers you want?

In this episode of The Short(er) List, Becky and Melissa are back with their eagle eyes fixed on the details, cutting through the noise on one of the most underutilized tools in the AEC pursuit process: the RFP clarification question. We dig into strategic phrasing and considerations, air a few grievances, and talk about how to use questions to uncover hidden value and efficiencies. Did you even read the RFP? After this episode, there will never be any doubt.