What critical questions are being missed in RFPs?

RFPs typically contain fairly basic questions, but they can uncover a lot more if you know what to ask. Director of Business Development Darrah O’Brien has more in this Relo Tip Tuesday.

***

Complete transcript: “Hi, I’m Darrah O’Brien, and welcome to Relo Tip Tuesday. My question is: ‘What critical questions are being missed in RFPs?’

A request for proposal, or RFP, is how organizations typically select relocation management companies. Most RFPs contain fairly standard questions about a relocation management company’s history, structure and service capabilities, but an RFP can uncover a lot more if you’re asking the right questions. Here are three critical areas that often go overlooked.

First, are you asking anything about your prospective partner’s corporate culture? Of course, it’s useful to know if an RMC is capable of simply meeting your service needs. But over the course of a partnership, it’s important that the company that you’re working with is more than just a service provider. To really move your mobility program forward in an innovative way, you’ll want a partner that shares a similar vision, mission and set of values. Be sure to target some questions in this area.

Second, consider asking about the RMC’s own supplier relationships, and request supplier references. It’s pretty common to ask for client references. But how an RMC treats its supplier partners says a lot about what your relationship might be like.

Finally, ask the RMC to answer questions about where the industry may be headed. A lot of RFPs look backwards: How many years have you been in business? What was your revenue the last 24 months? And so on and so on. But, to get a better sense of where your prospective partnership could go, ask an RMC to identify what they think is around the corner. You’ll be happy in the long run to have a forward-looking partner.

By focusing some questions in these three areas, you should have a more thorough RFP process. Thanks for watching!”