How do I create a request in Rate Review Pro?

PERSUIT's Rate Review Pro allows you to quickly gather, compare, and negotiate law firm rates at a global scale, achieving transparency and optimization in their legal spend.

The Rate Review Pro might a separate feature from the PERSUIT platform depending on your organizaton’s subscription. If you would like your organization to have Rate Review Pro, please contact your designated CSM.

Creating a request in Rate Review Pro differs from creating a standard RFP/RFI in the PERSUIT platform. For more information on how to create a standard request, please view this article here. 

Creating the Rate Review Pro Request:
There are a couple of ways to begin creating your request. You can begin through a Rate Review Pro Template or from the Start from Scratch option.

Rate Review Pro Templates:

In the PERSUIT homepage, click the Explore Templates in the Rate Review Pro card in the Use Case carousel. 

This is where you can find templates, either created by your organization or PERSUIT, that offer preset rate negotiation frameworks to help you start building.

When you find the template best suited to your project needs, hover over the template to view and click the Use this Template button to take you to the drafting screen.

Another way to find Rate Review Pro templates is through the PERSUIT menu panel which can be found on the left of any page of the platform. The menu panel will expand when you hover over it for you to view the different menu categories. 

After you expand the menu panel, you will see the Rate Review Request button. 

Start from Scratch

In the PERSUIT homepage, you will find the Start from Scratch card at the end of the Use Case carousel. 

In the drafting screen after you've selected the Start from Scratch card, you will be greeted with a Select Use Case pop up. Select Rate Review Pro and click Apply. The sections on the left of the screen will then automatically update to the Rate Review Pro format. 

Drafting the Request:

When in the request drafting screen, you will see three main sections to complete:

1. Content
2. Settings
3. Invite

The Content section gives you the canvas to layout your rate requests and asks starting with a Summary to the project. 

Next is the Locations & Currencies in the content section. This is where you can specify the locations from which you want to receive rates and set your preferred currencies. 

You will find the Practice Areas section after Locations & Currencies. Here you can define the practice areas for which you want to receive rate proposals. You can either create your own custom practice areas or have the firms choose from our predefined PERSUIT practice areas. You can view this article for a full list of practice areas available within the Practice Area filter.

To define your own practice areas, you must turn on the toggle: Define Custom Practice Areas. You will know that it has been turned on successfully when the toggle is purple and when the first Practice Area field appears. 

Note: if the Define Custom Practice Areas toggle is on, firms are not able to add or edit their own list of practice areas. They will only have access to the practice areas defined by your team. If the toggle is off, the firms are able to add the practice areas from the suggested list when drafting their proposal without limitation. 

You can type out your custom practice area directly in the field or choose from a selection using the drop down menu. 

You can add and define as many practice areas as needed using the + Practice Area button. 

The Timekeeper section comes next. Add and define the timekeepers you want the firms to provide rates for - from blended rate structures to named timekeepers. 

You can edit, remove and add preset Rate Card titles by using the drop down menu to view existing titles or by typing in your organization's preferred titles to receive blended rate structures. 

You can also ask to receive individual, named timekeepers. Underneath the rate card titles, you'll see a toggle that allows you to have firms submit individual timekeepers. 

Once it's toggled on, you'll be able to set parameters around the information you're looking for when firms submit named timekeepers. 

The final part of the content section is the Questions section where you can ask strategic questions to help determine which firm is the best fit.

The Settings section allows you to set measures with your firms. You can schedule the timeline of the proposal deadline here. Note: There is currently no reverse auction functionality available in a Rate Review Pro request. Please reach out to your designated CSM if you have any questions on reverse auction best practices. 

You can also track your projects following your organizational processes. For more information on how custom tracking fields work, please view this article here. 

Create a scorecard to collaboratively review firms with your colleagues (this is optional and can be completed after the request is sent). You can view this article here for more information on the scorecard functionality.

The last section is the Invite section where you can invite the firms you want to invite to participate in providing a proposal. You can view this article for more information on how the Invite section works. 

Before you send out your request, you can preview what the view will be for your firms by clicking on the Preview button found at the top right title bar.

Once you have reviewed the request, you can press Send and then confirm your decision before finalizing the process.

If you have any matter specific questions or need help building out the rate review request, please reach out to your designated CSM.