GLRC - Conducting Effective RFPs

David Salvo was first on the panel to speak and addressed RFI and Pre-RFQ Meetings. Making sure that both parties understand each other’s work/industries was an interesting point. As a provider, I believe to truly be able to help your clients, in any capacity it’s crucial to gain a solid understanding of their industry. You can ask all the right questions and get an understanding of the problems that you are trying to solve as an expert in your field, but truly understanding how your product or service translates to achieving the bigger picture/goals in the client’s industry really makes you more of an asset. I always try to have my clients view me as an extension of their team, rather than just another supplier. ?

Equally, clients should prioritize meeting with vendors and getting to grips with what they have to offer. Anyone can make themselves look good on paper, but meeting with who would be handling your account is a vital step. During the RFI and Pre-RFQ meetings, this also builds relationships. You may not win the bid this year but building this base relationship could improve your chances for the next opportunity. ?

Important Questions that a Corporate Client should ask RMCs

• What makes your company different? Be Specific?
• How will you enhance the service experience for relocating employees and managers??

Jim Schneider went on to explain that RMCs want transparency. What are your demographics of those relocating – what is the volume? Asking questions that matter to your industry is important, as opposed to relying on a standardized approach. Going back to the above points, it’s important that the RMCs understand your industry, so ask those industry specific questions so that they can tailor a product or service that best fits your needs. What do you want the RMC to do: manage lump sum candidates, provide real estate tools, etc. Also, ensure that you are not only communicating what you need, but also the explicit Deal Breakers. Don’t find yourself at the end of the process only to realize that your RMC does not offer a required service that is non-negotiable. Making sure you have all the information upfront ensures that no one’s time is wasted and that the process does not have to be repeated.?

When its comes to technology, consider how mobility managers will use it. Jim made a great point that you should not have Tech just for marketing purposes. Think on that. How many “innovative” products are there, created just to be marketed that you are innovative? ?

One last thought by Jim was, “Don’t base anything on costs”. View costs as a general range - while most companies can provide an accurate representation of a range, in all honesty, those costs just represents one point of time. A thousand factors could manipulate those costs, and by the time the process is over, they are never truly exactly as pitched. ?

Matthew Chic covered Technology. One main issue facing our industry is data security. How would you handle a data breach? What are some innovative ways to protect information? Matt mentioned the technology of Uber and Doordash and how they have created a means of communicating without having to directly share your personal phone numbers. ?

Susan Bianchi, GMS touched on what to do after the process has ended. Whose paper are you using for the contract? This might be a given, but always have a legal review of any document before signing. ?

?At the end of the session, we had some time for discussion. Pam Jacknick CRP, GMS highlighted the debriefing process. When you get to the end of the process, feedback on what the company did well is important. Do not just use the scorecard to provide feedback either but use specifics. Do not skip this part! You can be brief, maybe just 15 minutes -. ultimately it helps raise standards by identifying what processes can be improved. Jim Schinder summarised, “Win debriefs are more valuable than loss debriefs because Loss debriefs tend to spare feelings”. ?

Lastly, the topic of Financial Penalties for not meeting the requirements of the Service Level Agreement (SLA). The room had mixed feelings here whether these penalties are needed. Some pointed out it keeps everyone accountable, but others stipulated that it’s important these penalty fees are reasonable. ?