Writing Guide:
responding to Requests for Quote (RFQs)
Selection Criteria
Many government labour-hire roles ask for responses to selection criteria as part of the RFQ process. These criteria outline the skills, experience and capability the agency is looking for, and they’re assessed alongside your CV to decide who gets shortlisted.
In simple terms, your responses need to help the assessor(s) quickly see who you are and why you’re worth a conversation. The aim is for them to read your submission and think, yes, let’s interview this person.
(If your submission does progress, we’ve also put together a practical interview guide to help you prepare for what typically comes next).
The STAR method
When responding to selection criteria, we recommend using the STAR method for each criterion. STAR is a simple framework that helps you present your experience clearly, logically, and with evidence.
We consistently see stronger responses when candidates:
- Use relevant, recent examples.
- Ensure each criterion response can be read on its own.
- Describe the outcome or impact of their work.
- Write responses at the right expertise or SFIA level.
Assessors often review a high volume of submissions. Responses that are clear, relevant and tightly focused on the criterion are easier to assess and tend to rank higher. STAR helps assessors quickly understand how your experience meets the job requirements.
SITUATION
Describe the event, project, or challenge you were involved in. Keep this brief.
TASK
Explain what you were responsible for. This is about your role, not the team’s.
ACTION
Describe what you did, the decisions you made, and how you managed risk, constraints, or stakeholders.
RESULT
Explain the outcome of your actions, including results, improvements, or impact.
Applying the STAR Method
- Identify and understand each criterion. Make sure you understand what the criterion is asking for; it may have multiple parts that need to be answered separately.
- Start by brainstorming examples. Focus on roles that align closely to the criterion, and call out the parts of each example that clearly demonstrate your capability.
- Write your response using the STAR method. Break it into Situation, Task, Action and Result, and flesh out each section using the examples you identified earlier.
- Compile the final response by removing the headings and refining the draft so it reads as a single, well‑structured answer written in the third person.
Before you submit: quick checks
- Does this match the level of the role?
Your examples should reflect the SFIA level of responsibility, complexity, and decision‑making expected for the role. - Have I shown what I actually did well?
Make sure you’re not just describing the role itself. Avoid broad statements about your abilities or language that comes across as overly self‑congratulatory. - Would this make sense to someone outside my organisation? Avoid assuming familiarity with internal language, acronyms, or organisational context.
Common SFIA levels explained
SFIA is an internationally recognised framework used by agencies to describe capability levels for ICT roles. Rather than focusing on job titles, SFIA looks at how you work. Things like your level of autonomy, the complexity of your work, the influence you have, and the depth of your knowledge. When selection criteria reference SFIA, agencies are testing whether your experience aligns to the capability level required for the role, not just whether you have done similar tasks before.
SFIA LOR 3 (Basic) Apply | SFIA LOR 4 (Intermediate) Enable | SFIA LOR 5 (Advanced) Ensure, advise | SFIA LOR 6 (Expert) Initiate, influence | |
| Autonomy | Receives specific direction. | Works under general direction. | Works under broad direction. | Establishes organisational objectives. |
| Influence | Influences colleagues. | Influences end users, client and external stakeholders at the project level. | Influences up to organisation level within own specialism. | Influences policy and strategy formation. |
| Complexity | Performs a range of work, sometimes complex and non-routine. | Work includes a broad range of complex technical or professional activities, in a variety of contexts. | Implements and executes policies aligned to strategic plans. Performs an extensive range and variety of complex technical and/or professional work activities. | Contributes to the development and implementation of policy and strategy |
| Business Skills | Demonstrates effective oral and written communication. | Communicates fluently, orally and in writing, and can present complex information to both technical and non-technical audiences. | Demonstrates leadership in operational management. | Demonstrates leadership in organisational management. |
| Knowledge | Has sound generic, domain and specialist knowledge necessary to perform effectively in the organisation. | Has a thorough understanding of recognised generic industry bodies of knowledge and specialist bodies of knowledge as necessary. | Is fully familiar with recognised industry bodies of knowledge both generic and specific, and knowledge of the business, suppliers, partners, competitors and clients. | Has developed business knowledge of the activities and practices of own organisation and those of suppliers, partners, competitors and clients. |
What if I'm asked for a 'pitch'?
Some RFQs ask you to address all selection criteria in a single one‑page pitch, often with a strict character limit (for example, up to 5,000 characters including spaces). These can feel more challenging than responding to each criterion separately, and that’s normal.
Your pitch is a chance to tell the agency why you are the right person for the job. Even though the format is different, the intent is the same: the assessor still needs to see clear evidence that your skills, knowledge, experience and qualifications are applicable to the job.
A strong one‑page pitch typically:
- Addresses all selection criteria across the page, rather than one by one
- Aligns level of experience clearly to what the role is asking for
- Uses short, evidence‑based examples to support key points
You can still use STAR thinking to shape your examples, but in a one‑page pitch the focus should be on clarity, alignment to the selection criteria, and keeping the content easy to read under the character limit.
STAR Examples to Selection Criteria
| Criterion | Good Response |
|---|---|
| Provide Business Analysis support to a multi-disciplined team engaged in the progression of various capability projects from inception to delivery |
Dylan is an experienced Project Manager. Dylan is able to leverage multiple certifications and qualifications with real-world experience across various industries to provide advanced project management services. Dylan consistently demonstrates project management capabilities at or above the SFIA level 4.
In support of her clients, Dylan has initiated and managed multiple ICT, cyber, physical security, and Operational Technology (OT) projects and designed clear Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) for projects ranging from development of information management policies to off-shore server stack upgrades and generative AI app development. Recently, Dylan was engaged as the Cyber Program Manager for a significant expansion and infrastructure development project with Telstra. Dylan identified a major, unmitigated risk in the IT and OT networks of a national infrastructure asset and Origin Energy. If this risk were realised, it could cause significant operational disruption and multi-million dollar delays to the infrastructure development project. Dylan was tasked with managing the risk and mitigating potential impacts by designing a project to assess and address the identified vulnerability. The project required defining a clear approach, aligning with stakeholders, securing funding, and delivering the solution in a time-sensitive environment. Dylan applied PRINCE2 methodology to develop a comprehensive business case, gain the approval of stakeholders within Telstra, Origin and the Federal and State Governments of Victoria and NSW, and secure funding. She created a clear project plan, including a WBS, and developed detailed scope, schedule, quality, risk, and communication plans in a Project Initiation Document (PID). Dylan assembled and led a small team of technical experts, assigning clear tasks with staged work packages in the PID, and tracking activities against the schedule. Dylan led the project through two key stages: Stage 1: Assess the current state of IT/OT controls, identify gaps, and understand the full extent of the risk. Stage 2: Develop a roadmap to enhance existing controls and design new ones to mitigate the risk. She collaborated with Telstra's Head of Legal Services to ensure the project aligned with existing commercial agreements with the third-party. Dylan also led workshops in Sydney, Brisbane and Melboure with technical and non-technical teams to gather data, analyse results, and refine the project approach. Dylan successfully delivered the project on time and under budget. The risk was mitigated through the identification and development of multiple new controls, resulting in a reduction of the risk rating for the asset's development project. The outcome also strengthened the relationship between Telstra and Origin and led to improved ongoing collaboration. |
Feedback from Remote:
Dylan uses the STAR Method to focus on specific examples and her role in the outcome.
Nice job Dylan. If you want to make it to interview …. be like Dylan!
| Criterion | Response needs work |
|---|---|
| Assist in planning, design development and configuration tasks. |
Over 20 years in telecommunications engineering, project engineering and project management, Ryan has consistently worked on high-stakes projects involving fibre network design and deployment for leading firms such as Telstra, NBN, and Optus/Uecomm. Ryan was tasked with overseeing the design, planning, and deployment of complex telecom infrastructure, including large-scale fibre networks, while ensuring projects were delivered on time and within budget. Ryan utilised his expertise in configuring Cisco switches, managing civil works, and leading technical teams. He implemented tools like MS Project and Primavera 6 for efficient project planning, and introduced automation through MS SharePoint, Power BI, and Power Automate to enhance productivity, report generation, and project tracking. His leadership in managing multi-million-dollar projects resulted in the successful, timely deployment of telecom solutions, often exceeding performance expectations. His innovative technical and managerial strategies significantly improved reporting efficiency and resource management. |
Feedback from Remote:
- Ryan doesn’t reference specific Situations.
- Ryan doesn’t explain what he was Tasked to do.
- Ryan doesn’t explain what Actions he took.
- Ryan doesn’t explain what the Results of his actions were.
This kind of response, or worse, is very common when candidates use Large Language Models (AI) to write selection criteria. Because the AI doesn’t know your background, it is inherently limited to motherhood statements and generic descriptions of what a person in a role might have done.