Reviews
Qvidian vs Responsive: how to compare proposal and RFP software before you buy
A buyer's comparison of Qvidian and Responsive using the vendors' own pages: modules, AI, integrations, security claims, pricing and the contract points to settle in writing.
What to take away
- Both products solve the same jobstore approved answers, draft responses to RFPs, due diligence questionnaires (DDQs) and security questionnaires, and route them through reviewers. The difference is in the detail of integrations, AI, security evidence, pricing and service.
- Responsive publishes a starting price for its entry plan ("Starting from $10,000", in dollars) and asks you to contact sales for the two higher plans. The Qvidian pages reviewed for this article publish no price.
- Both vendors list security credentials on their own sites, and neither is a substitute for your own due diligence. Ask for the certificate, the scope and the date.
- Integrations decide daily use. Check the exact tools your sales and bid teams live in, not the category names.
- For a UK buyer, the contract needs data protection terms and a clear answer on where data is processed.
All product facts below come from the vendors' own pages as read in October 2026. Features, plans and prices change, so treat this as a framework and verify with the vendor in writing.
What you are actually comparing
An RFP tool is a content library with a workflow around it. Answers are stored once, reused, assigned to subject-matter experts, reviewed and exported in the format the buyer demands. The question is not which has the longer feature list. It is which fits the number of bids you answer, the tools your team already uses and the evidence your customers ask you for. Our guide to building a technology shortlist applies directly: write down the must-haves before you open a demo.
Product scope
Responsive describes itself as a Strategic Response Management platform. Its site lists solutions for RFPs, proposals, DDQs, security questionnaires, RFIs and RFQs, and products named Response Projects, Requirements Analysis, LookUp, Trust Center and Request Projects. It says its AI agents draft answers and manage collaborative workflows.
Qvidian, sold under the Upland Software name, positions itself as proposal management and RFP software covering proactive proposals, RFPs, DDQs, security questionnaires, RFQs and RFIs. Its pages describe a central content library, branded templates, automatic questionnaire import and answering, and customizable user roles and permissions. A page aimed at technology companies describes machine learning that suggests the best answers.
Both claims are vendor marketing. The practical test is to run one of your own recent bids through each demo.
AI features
Both vendors now sell generative AI. Responsive's pages describe AI that drafts answers and mention a "TRACE Score" in a customer quote about checking whether each part of a question is answered. Its pricing page says every edition includes "AI-powered response support", that the entry plan has an "AI & automation studio" and that the Enterprise plan adds "Flexible custom AI".
Qvidian calls its feature AI Assist. Its pages say it generates and revises responses, can use prepopulated prompts to reach a first draft faster and lets teams set rules for length, language and tone. The AI Assist page says it extends to Qvidian for Word, Excel and PowerPoint, with current plans to extend it to Qvidian for web.
What to ask both: which model processes your content, whether your content trains it, where processing takes place, and whether AI can be switched off for a project.
Integrations
Integrations are where a demo and a working week diverge. Responsive's integrations page names Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, Confluence, Google Sheets, Zoho, Highspot, Seismic, Whistic and a connector for ChatGPT. Categories such as cloud storage, communication apps and single sign-on appear under a view-more link in the page text, so you need to confirm those with the vendor.
Qvidian's pages describe integrations with Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and with Office 365, Salesforce and Outlook, plus browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. They also describe a Salesforce link that lets you start a proposal from the CRM record.
Make a one-line table of your own tools, then ask each vendor to tick every row in writing:
| Your tool | Responsive | Qvidian |
|---|---|---|
| CRM | Zoho is the CRM named; confirm others | Salesforce is named |
| Document formats | Word, Excel and PowerPoint named | Word, Excel and PowerPoint named |
| Email and chat | Outlook named | Outlook and Microsoft Teams named |
| Single sign-on | Not named in the text reviewed | Not named in the text reviewed |
Security and data protection evidence
Responsive's security page lists GDPR as "Compliant", SOC 2 as "Compliant", and ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and ISO 42001 as "Certified", along with CCPA compliance and Cloud Security Alliance STAR Level 1. It does not state hosting location or data residency in the text reviewed, though its pricing page lists "Flexible hosting options" in the Growth plan.
Qvidian's page for technology companies says the product has multiple standard security and regulatory compliances, including GDPR compliancy, ISO 27001 and SSAE 16 Type II, and security-centric design such as customizable access, multi-step review and approval workflows, version control, change tracking and event auditing.
A web page is not an audit report. Ask for the ISO certificate and its scope, the date of the latest independent report and the list of sub-processors. Then check the data protection terms against the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) guidance for UK organisations:
- A controller and processor contract must include, as a minimum, processing only on documented instructions, a confidentiality commitment, security measures, prior written authorisation for sub-processors, assistance with breaches and impact assessments, deletion or return of data at the end, and audit rights.
- If the provider transfers personal information outside the UK, the transfer must be covered by adequacy regulations, appropriate safeguards such as the international data transfer agreement or addendum, or an exception. Where you rely on a safeguard, the ICO says you must also complete a transfer risk assessment.
Your content library will hold names and contact details of staff, customers and referees, so this applies even to a bid tool. Our note on data recovery privacy and ICO guidance covers the same regulator's view of personal data in a third party's hands.
Price and contract structure
Responsive describes three plans: Emerging, Growth and Enterprise. Emerging is listed as "Starting from $10,000"; Growth and Enterprise are "Contact sales". The page describes a pricing model made of an annual platform fee, user licences, and add-ons and services, and says the platform supports unlimited projects and responses. Professional Services, from APMP-certified experts, is sold as an add-on. The page carries FAQs on contract length, trials and mid-contract upgrades, but the answers were not in the text reviewed, so ask for them.
Qvidian's pages reviewed here do not publish prices or plan names. Expect a demo and a quote. Whatever you are quoted, convert it to a total cost over the contract term, including:
- Platform fee and the number of named users the quote assumes.
- Add-ons such as AI features, extra connectors or premium support.
- Onboarding, training and migration of your existing library.
- Renewal uplift and the notice period to cancel.
- Currency. Responsive's published price is in dollars, so a pound sterling budget needs a currency clause or a sterling quote.
Support and service
Qvidian's page describes a team of experts led by a former chair of APMP who provide technical implementations, onboarding support and ongoing customer support, and its navigation lists Customer Success, Support and Training sections. Responsive's pricing page lists "Admin, reporting, & support" in the entry plan and "Premium deployment & support" in Growth, with Professional Services as a paid add-on.
Ask each vendor for the support hours in UK time, response times by severity, the named contact you would have and whether implementation is included or billed separately.
A scorecard you can use
Score each vendor from 1 to 5 on evidence rather than demo impressions: fit with your bid types, library import, integrations confirmed in writing, AI data handling, security evidence, data protection terms, total cost over the term, support in your time zone, and exit terms (export format and deletion on termination).
Use the pre-purchase technology checklist to keep the process consistent, and the wider technology buying guide for deciding when a tool is worth the spend. Run a trial or pilot on a live bid if the vendor allows it, and write down what you measure before it starts.
Official sources
- [ResponsiveStrategic Response Management platform](https://www.responsive.io/)
- [International transfersa guide (ICO)](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/international-transfers/international-transfers-a-guide/)
