IPA IP 2026 Question 20
A question IPA Japan published in 令和8年度 ITパスポート試験 公開問題 問20, translated into English. ITPEC is based on the same exams.
Which of the following is an appropriate description of an RFP in system development?
Explanation
A document the ordering party gives IT vendors, setting out the procurement conditions — an RFP (Request for Proposal) asks vendors to submit proposals.
In procuring a system, the ordering party usually first issues an RFI (Request for Information) to gather information about technologies and products. It then issues an RFP to candidate vendors with the system overview, the required functions, the procurement conditions such as budget, schedule and delivery, and how proposals will be evaluated. The vendors send back proposals, and the ordering party evaluates them and selects a contractor.
Answer (b)
Why not others:
- •(a) — a document the vendor creates to propose something to the user is a proposal, the vendor’s answer to an RFP, not the RFP itself
- •(c) — specifications agreed jointly after the order has been placed belong to requirements definition and design, which follow the contract
- •(d) — a request from a user department to the information systems department is an internal request for development inside the company, not a procurement document for vendors
Key rule: RFI collects information, RFP requests proposals, both are issued by the ordering party; the vendor answers with a proposal, and the contractor is chosen after evaluating it.
System Planning · AI-written, may contain errors
This question comes from the past questions IPA Japan publishes, translated into English by ITPEC Practice. ITPEC Practice is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with IPA or ITPEC. See the original paper (PDF) or Report an issue.