Navigating the Relocation RFP Process

Sample Questions and Guidance for Relocation RFP Success

Requests for proposals are becoming the norm for any enterprise purchase, and that includes global mobility and relocation services. It makes sense to thoroughly investigate any company you’ll be investing a significant amount of resources into.

When you’re constructing an RFP that works for your organization, though, you need to be thoughtful about what questions to ask. What’s important for your organization? What do you need that might be unique? What have you come to expect from your relocation management provider?

Whether it’s your first time investigating mobility services or you’re a veteran of the process, it doesn’t hurt to consider what questions to ask.

Top 5 Global Mobility and Relocation RFP Questions

Although there are many questions you can ask during the RFP process, regardless of your situation, we recommend you at least ask a version of these five questions:

1. Do you own, or are you owned by, any companies related to the relocation industry? Describe the relationship (ownership stake, etc.) and length of time this relationship has been in place. This can help you determine whether a company can provide independent guidance for your relocation.
2. Provide a statement regarding the financial stability of your company. What is your source of funds for operating the company and funding relocation services on behalf of your clients? This helps determine whether they’re stable and able to service your organization for the long term.
3. Describe your technology for clients and transferring employees. Are you prepared to provide a live demonstration of the technology that’s offered to our internal contacts and their relocating employees? Technology is becoming more important to buyers and users of relocation services.
4. Describe the steps and any technology used to support the policy exception management process. What type of reporting do you provide to track and categorize program exceptions? Many companies have to manage exceptions, and if you manage many moves, you want to know exactly how they’ll take care of these.
5. Describe any practices you use to control the costs we incur in relocating our employees. Has your company taken any recent initiatives to manage or reduce costs for your clients? Some companies want to know how aggressively their provider finds supplier discounts and other cost-saving opportunities for their services.

Next Steps for RFP

Although this isn’t an exhaustive list, you can download a more comprehensive group of questions below. The most important part is to really tailor the questions to your particular needs. This includes asking about servicing specific areas that you typically relocate employees to or from, especially international relocations.

The RFP isn’t the end-all of relocation, either. It’s a good start to help you understand what different providers offer, but it’s also important to get to know relocation providers personally. You’ll be creating a partnership that will hopefully last a long time.