Response Templates (RFP)
Six (6) valuable tips you can use when responding to a RFP. As a Supplier, the more jobs you bid on the more likely you are to achieve an award.…
RFP for Freight Services
5 Keys Areas to Focus on for your Freight Services RFP
Importance of Tendering Freight Transportation Requirements
Should you tender your freight transportation requirements and if so how do you generate a RFP to cover this vital piece of your business? Like it or not your transportation service provider is an arm or is an extension of your business. Picking the right vendor to move your product to and from your business should garner more attention from the purchasing department than what it typically does.
Common Oversights in Vendor Selection
Many organizations just go with the company that has always managed their freight and often very little due diligence has been completed to determine the most suitable carrier for their business. Poor quality service for incoming freight can hurt or shutdown your business if it is not delivered on time and in one piece. If your goods are sensitive to the environment you will want to do everything you can to mitigate liabilities and show due diligence in the event you are included in a legal battle as to who was and is responsible for the goods while in transit. Two helpful freight related articles on IncoTerms and FOB Points.
Significance of the Trucking Industry
On our arterial roads and highways, the trucking industry moves million of tons of merchandise daily. It is truly one of the largest and most important industries to our economy. The scope or significance of this industry is staggering and yet many companies do not give it a second thought or serious consideration when it comes to who they should partner with. Part of this might be the buyers uncertainty on how to tender or quote this service.
Providing a Snapshot of Freight Requirements
To properly quote your freight requirements your RFP should include a section which provides the bidders a decent snapshot of the amount and type of freight you move in any given year or during a twelve (12) month period.
EXAMPLE:
The estimated annual LTL (Less than Truckload) tonnage is
RFQ Templates
The Request for Quote (RFQ) process varies from company to company depending on your spend and the amount of staff designated to the procurement function. If you are lucky enough…
RFP Checklist
The RFP checklist for the Buyer will differ from the checklist a Vendor would use when they are responding to your proposal. The Buyer will focus on the scope of work detail, compliance, selection criteria and commercial pieces. The Vendor may want to include related success stories or work history as part of their response and a third checklist might be one provided by the Buyer which is often called a proposal checklist or a list of items they want to be included in a supplier response. Seasoned Vendors will pay close particular attention to this checklist.
Confused? Let us elaborate – we have the Buyer checklist (1), proposal checklist supplied by buyer for the vendor (2) and last we have the supplier or offeror’s checklist (3).
- Buyer checklist: The owner of the RFP will have a checklist which they will use to ensure they have included all necessary components for the document to be considered sound. Some of these necessary components would be a Scope of Work, Technical Requirements, Project Timelines, Budget, Business Requirements, Regulatory and Environmental Requirements, Selection Criteria, Submission Timetable and others.
- Proposal checklist: As a buyer or as the owner of the RFP we recommend you include a checklist of deliverables for your suppliers. Bidders will find this beneficial as it will ensure they do not miss providing any of the required information in their bids. Typically this checklist will form part of the owners evaluation matrix and as a vendor you want to make sure there are check marks in these columns. To win your business, be clear as to what you expect them to include with their RFP response. Some items on a proposal checklist might include – Completed Bid Form, Bidder Qualifications, Staff or Project Personnel CV, References, Company Profile, and necessary Insurance Coverage.
- Vendor or Offeror checklist: As a Vendor you will have your own checklist of items you will want to include with your RFP response to help you improve your chances at being awarded the bid. Some items on your checklist might include – Did we use the forms provided? Did we respond to all items in the RFP and in any Addenda? Did we follow the format required in the RFP? Who are the contacts? Are there any meetings we are required to attend? Is our insurance and work coverage policies current? Nothing more embarrassing than providing expired documentation. These are just some points to consider.
If you are looking for a sample RFP checklist (more…)
More RFQ Tips
Part 2 This post is a continuation of Part one of our RFQ Tips segment. A RFQ is all about the competitive bidding process however competitive bidding is no guarantee…