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First is the Management Proposal. The management proposal is to describe how the vendor will manage the development and deployment of the solution. It specifies how the client will be involved.
The second part is the Technical proposal. This contains specific requirements that the vendor must address. The RFP often calls for a point-by-point response to this list of requirements. It often expects that the vendor say if he will meet each requirement or why not.
Finally a Cost Proposal tells how the solution will be paid for. It describes all billable services, hardware and software licensing.
The quality of the RFP often determines or limits the quality of the responding proposal. Some RFPs are so specific that a creative response is not possible. Some are so vague that the resulting responses are not comparable. The RFP should identify when and in what form proposals will be accepted. The RFP should tell how proposals will be evaluated. It might include a point system for determining the adequacy of a proposal.