How many questions should an LMS RFP include?

Include only the questions you will actually use to decide, which for most institutions means somewhere between 40 and 80. Fewer than that usually misses important areas such as data export and exit terms; many more leads to rushed, copied answers. Start from this checklist, remove what does not apply and add questions specific to your curriculum.

Should we send an LMS RFP to every vendor?

No. Send it to a shortlist of three to five vendors that already pass your knock-out criteria, such as language support, hosting requirements and budget. A long distribution list creates more reading for your team without improving the decision, and serious vendors put more effort into RFPs they have a real chance of winning.

How should we score vendor answers to an RFP?

Use a simple 0–3 scale for every question: 0 for not supported, 1 for partial or a workaround, 2 for supported as described and 3 for supported and shown in a live demo. Weight each group by your priorities before reading responses, and have two people score independently, then compare.

What is the most overlooked question in an LMS RFP?

The exit question: how you get all your data out at the end of the contract, in what format, how quickly and at what cost. It is easy to forget when you are focused on features, but it protects you if the platform stops meeting your needs. Ask for the answer to be written into the contract.

LMS RFP checklist: 60 questions to ask vendors

An RFP is only as useful as its questions. Yes-or-no questions such as “Do you support quizzes?” get a yes from every vendor and tell you nothing. Questions that ask how, ask to be shown and ask about limits separate products that do the job from products that tick the box.

Below are 60 questions grouped into nine areas, each with a note on what a strong answer looks like. Copy the ones that matter to you, delete the rest and add your own.

How to use this checklist

Choose, do not copy everything. A focused RFP gets careful answers; an enormous one gets rushed ones. Remove what does not apply to your institution.
Ask for status, not just yes or no. Ask vendors to mark each answer as available now, available through configuration, on the roadmap with a date, or not supported.
Ask for evidence. Screenshots, links to documentation, or a commitment to show it in the demo.
Score every vendor on the same scale, ideally with two evaluators working independently.

Teaching and course content

#	Question	A strong answer
1	How does a teacher build a lesson with text, video, files and an embedded quiz? Please show it.	A short live build with no workarounds
2	Can teachers copy a course to next year and keep a version history?	Course versions, not manual duplication
3	How are maths equations and science notation entered and displayed?	An equation editor or LaTeX, rendered correctly
4	Which interactive activities are available besides quizzes?	Activities students actually use, with scores
5	How are students enrolled automatically by grade, section or cohort?	Rule-based enrolment that handles mid-term changes
6	Can courses run self-paced, on a schedule, or both, with start and target dates?	Both models, set per course
7	How are live classes scheduled and linked to timetables?	Zoom, Meet or Teams links and a weekly student timetable

Assessment and academic integrity

#	Question	A strong answer
8	Which question types are supported? Please list them all.	A full list, including numeric, matching, ordering and essay
9	Can you set time limits, attempt limits and randomised questions for each quiz?	Per-quiz settings and question pools
10	When can students see results: immediately, after the deadline or never?	Release controlled by the teacher
11	How are written answers marked, and what does the teacher see while marking?	A marking queue with the answer key or rubric
12	How do you detect and flag suspicious exam attempts?	Clear signals for teacher review, not automatic penalties
13	Is there an approval step before final exam grades are released?	A configurable approval workflow
14	How are rubrics, late policies and resubmission limits set?	Per-assignment settings, applied automatically

Grading and records

#	Question	A strong answer
15	How does the gradebook handle weights, late and missing work, and teacher adjustments?	Adjustments logged with notes
16	How are final course grades confirmed, overridden and locked?	Clear roles, recorded reasons and locking
17	Which letter-grade scales and GPA rules can we configure?	Your scale, not the vendor's
18	How are transcripts generated, approved and issued?	From final grades, with approval and locked PDFs
19	How are certificates produced, and how can a third party verify one?	Serial numbers and a QR verification page
20	Do you support competency or mastery tracking and student portfolios?	Linked to assessments and visible to students
21	Can we export all grades and records in a standard format at any time?	CSV or API export without vendor help

Parents and communication

#	Question	A strong answer
22	What can parents see for each child, and can one parent follow several children?	One login for all children
23	How do parents contact teachers or the office, and who sees those messages?	Categorised conversations routed to the right staff
24	Can staff close, reopen and track parent conversations?	Conversation status and history
25	Which notifications do parents and students receive, and can they control them?	Clear notification settings
26	Can parents see invoices, receipts or official documents?	Optional and controlled by the school
27	Is the parent experience fully available in Arabic and English?	The same features in both languages

Administration and admissions

#	Question	A strong answer
28	How do we run several schools, campuses or departments from one account?	Separate data and branding, with central reporting
29	How are applications, documents and admission tests handled?	Online applications with review statuses
30	How are enrolment documents and e-signatures tracked?	Status per student, visible to student affairs
31	Can administrators see exactly what a user sees, to solve problems?	Log in as a user, with an audit trail and time limit
32	How are academic years, terms, breaks and withdrawals managed?	Calendar and enrolment status controls
33	Which reports are available out of the box, and can we build our own?	Reports across schools, with export
34	How do we import users, courses and grades in bulk?	CSV templates with validation and error reports

Security and privacy

#	Question	A strong answer
35	Where is our data hosted, and can we choose the hosting region?	A clear answer, written into the contract
36	How is data encrypted in transit and at rest?	Specific methods, not general reassurance
37	How is our data kept separate from other customers' data?	A clearly described isolation model
38	Which roles and permissions exist, and can we customise them?	Roles with the least access needed
39	What is recorded in audit trails, and for how long?	Grade changes, sign-ins and admin actions
40	How often are backups taken, and how quickly can you restore?	Stated frequency and tested restore times
41	How do you handle requests to export or delete data?	A documented process with timelines
42	Which independent security assessments or certifications can you share?	Current reports with their scope stated

Integrations and technology

#	Question	A strong answer
43	Which sign-in options do you support: Google, Microsoft, SAML?	Works with your identity provider
44	Is there a documented API and webhooks? On which plans?	Published documentation and clear plan limits
45	Which standards do you support today (LTI 1.3, OneRoster, SCORM, xAPI), and which are on the roadmap?	An honest split between available and planned
46	How would you integrate with our SIS, finance or HR systems?	A named method and a named owner for upkeep
47	Does the platform work fully on phones and tablets? Is there an app?	A tested mobile experience and clarity on web app versus native app
48	Which browsers are supported, and what happens on slow connections?	Modern browsers and usable performance on weak connections

Implementation and support

#	Question	A strong answer
49	What does a typical implementation plan look like, and who does what?	Named phases and owners
50	How will you migrate our existing courses, users and grades?	Method, cost and what cannot be moved
51	What training do you provide for administrators, teachers, students and parents?	Role-based training in your languages
52	Which support channels and response times do you commit to?	A written service level in your time zone
53	Is support available in Arabic and English?	Native speakers, not translation
54	How do you release updates, and how are we told about changes?	Release notes and no surprise changes mid-term

Pricing and contract

#	Question	A strong answer
55	What is the pricing model, and how is a billable user defined?	A clear definition of active or enrolled users
56	What does each plan include, and which features cost extra?	A complete list with no hidden add-ons
57	What is the total cost over three years, including setup, training and add-ons?	An itemised three-year quote
58	How are price increases handled at renewal?	A cap on increases written into the contract
59	Can we run a pilot before we commit?	A defined scope and success criteria
60	How do we exit: data export format, timeline and cost?	A full export with no exit fees

Turning answers into a decision

Weight each group by what matters most to you before you read any responses. A K-12 school may weight grading and parents more heavily; a university, records and integrations; a corporate training team, administration and reporting. Agreeing the weights first keeps the decision tied to your priorities rather than to the most polished response.

Use the scores to pick two or three vendors for scripted demos, then confirm the top scores in person. A written answer should only earn a 3 once you have seen it working. Our guide on how to choose an LMS covers demos, pilots and total cost in more detail.

Keep every response on file. The answers vendors give in an RFP are useful when you negotiate the contract, and you can ask for the most important ones to be written into it.

Next step: score vendors side by side

If Ilmoria is on your list, we will answer every question here in writing and then show you the answers in a live demo. Book a demo when you are ready.

To compare vendors consistently, download the LMS evaluation scorecard. It turns these questions into eight weighted groups with a 0–3 scale that your whole evaluation team can use.

Want to see this guide applied to your institution? We will walk you through it on Ilmoria.

Book a demo