SAMPLE RFP TEMPLATE D SECTION 1 General Questions 1.1 Where is your company headquartered? 1.2 Is your company privately held? If so, describe the ownership structure. 1.3 Describe the financial backing of your company. 1.4 List your company s core competencies. 1.5 What differentiates your company from your competition? 1.6 Provide a copy of your company s organization chart. 1.7 Please identify the names and titles of your Executive team. 1.8 List the number of employees in the following departments, break down by location if applicable: a. Freight payment transaction processing b. Customer Service c. IT d. Audit e. HR/Training 1.9 How long has your company been providing freight payment services? 1.10 If your company has a specialty within the freight payment industry, please describe. 1.11 Describe the areas in which your company has been identified as having weaknesses and how improvements are being implemented. 1.12 Is your company bonded to protect against employee dishonesty? If yes, how much is your bond? Please provide a certificate of insurance noting the amount of coverage and any exclusions from coverage. 1.13 Describe your company s short and long term strategic plan. 1.14 Provide a copy of your latest annual report or any published financial information. If your company is privately held, please submit 2001 audited financial results. 1.15 Is your company involved in any lawsuits? If yes, please explain. 1.16 Has your company won any quality awards for business processes, products and/or services? If so, please list. 1.17 Does your company have multiple processing centers? If so, provide contact and address information for each processing center and identify which processing center will handle COMPANY Corporation freight invoices.
SECTION 2 Reference Questions 2.1 Provide contact information for three (3) of your freight payment customers that COMPANY may contact. (One (1) should be a recent/new customer and two (2) should be established customers.) Provide the following information for each reference: a. The primary contact name and phone number b. List of service(s) provided by your company to each customer c. How long the company has been a customer d. Processing center where the company s payments are processed 2.2 Include a list of accounts, if any, that you have lost in the last twelve (12) months. State why each account was lost and include contact names and telephone numbers. 2.3 List your five (5) largest customers and the corresponding percent (%) of business they represent. 2.4 Provide contact information for three (3) Carriers that you currently work with and that COMPANY may contact. (One (1) should be a recent/new customer and two (2) should be established customers.) Provide the following information for each reference: a. The primary contact name and phone number b. How long the company has been a customer c. Processing center where the company s payments are processed 2.5 Include any other information concerning your company that you feel would be beneficial for COMPANY to know as it relates to this RFP. SECTION 3 Freight Invoice Payment 3.1 What is the total number of freight payment invoice transactions your company processes annually? Include a description of the different transaction types and their accompanying process. 3.2 Provide an example of your company s demonstrated ability to generate a single invoice from multiple feeds. Provide the name of the example client and their contact information. 3.3 What percent of the transactions were processed via EDI in 2002? 3.4 What is the total dollars paid by your company to carriers in: a. 2000 b. 2001 c. 2002 3.5 Does your system have a specific day-of-the-week close out? If so, describe. 3.6 Are you currently doing multiple close-out days for any of your clients? 3.7 Describe the flexibility your system has to accommodate special close-out dates and modified schedules due to holidays and plant closures. Would this request result in an additional charge? If so, describe. 3.8 Provide a detailed description of the time lapse between funding from COMPANY Corporation until funds are wired or checks are mailed to carriers. Does your system allow for different payment cycles from carriers? If so, describe. 3.9 List the top ten (10) carriers your company pays on behalf of your customers. Include the following information: a. Number of freight bills paid b. Total dollars paid
3.10 Describe the approval process for payment to the carriers. 3.11 What remittance advice do you provide to the carriers? 3.12 Identify the transportation modes (LTL, small package, rail, air, etc.) that you currently process and pay. 3.13 Can you capture multiple modes for the same carrier? If yes, please describe your process. 3.14 What accessorial charges do you currently capture? Are you capable of adding to this list? 3.15 How are accessorial charges tied back to the original document? 3.16 Do you offer a no float program? If not, please explain your company s float adjustment program. 3.17 Describe the process for carrier (or customs broker) invoices containing tariffs, duties or taxes (GST). 3.18 Describe the process by which your company handles claims against a carrier for damaged or lost freight. Have you ever withheld funds upon a client s request? If so, describe the circumstances. 3.19 Are payments to carriers made on behalf of clients (COMPANY Corporation) or in your company s name? 3.20 If payments are made to carriers on behalf of clients (COMPANY Corporation) describe your company s 1099 reporting process. SECTION 4 Freight Invoice Audit 4.1 Describe your pre-audit process for correct rates and other charges. 4.2 Describe how rates are verified against customer s service contracts and agreements. Is it an automated process? 4.3 Describe the process used to verify that carrier service guarantees have been met. 4.4 Describe your company s audit control procedures. Describe the controls you have in place to ensure the proper COMPANY Corporation location is charged and how you redirect charges to the correct location in cases of mistakes. 4.5 What audit trails are available? 4.6 Do you double-key any data fields to ensure data accuracy? If so, which ones? 4.7 How does your company detect duplicate freight bills or provide protection against duplicate payments? 4.8 How are overpayments to carriers handled? Describe how the credit passed back to the client (COMPANY Corporation). Has a client ever discovered an overpayment made on their behalf? Please describe the circumstances. 4.9 Discuss your company s process for handling suspended invoices (due to account coding problems). How does your company ensure all payments are made timely and accurately? 4.10 Can you re-rate freight bills against a historical database? 4.11 What is your process for notifying carriers/brokers/forwarders of short payments made against their invoices? 4.12 What is your cycle time of audit-to-payment processes for both electronic and manual bills? 4.13 Describe your process for handling disputes from clients and carriers. 4.14 Discuss your ability to handle tiered pricing agreements. 4.15 Identify the person/people in your organization that is/are responsible for identifying logistics savings opportunities for your clients. What is the communication process?
SECTION 5 - Account Support 5.1 What is your account support structure? Do you have client-dedicated resources available? 5.2 What are your customer service procedures? 5.3 What are the respective hours of operation for your customer service department? During Holidays? 5.4 Who do the carriers call with payment issues? 5.5 Describe the support your company will provide to accommodate a client s request for custom reporting? 5.6 Describe your company s escalation process for problem resolution as it related to freight payment service. 5.7 Provide example quality/performance metrics that your company uses to measure success for other customers. 5.8 Describe the process for obtaining support (BOL, carrier invoice) for a charge that appears on an invoice. SECTION 6 Management Reporting 6.1 Describe all standard reporting that are available. Include the following information: a. Format options b. Timing On a monthly basis, when can COMPANY Corporation expect to receive reports? c. Real time information available to key COMPANY team members; is it accessible on-line? 6.2 Describe your ability to provide COMPANY Corporation required reporting (driven from actual, not rated information) including, but not limited to: a. A reconciliation of what the provider expects to be paid versus what COMPANY Corporation sees in their Transportation Management System database b. Expense per van (full truckload) c. Freight per shipment (cost per hundred weight - CWT) d. Freight per capital expense e. Percentages (%) of shipments by state f. Freight per mile; based upon destination g. Fuel surcharge h. Stopover charges i. Trailer drop charges j. Line item detail (goods on board) 6.3 Provide copies of all standard reporting your company s customers use to evaluate service level performance. 6.4 COMPANY Corporation requires a user-friendly and intuitive reporting tool that is flexible enough to build and save ad-hoc reports. Can you meet this requirement? If so, describe. 6.5 Can you meet COMPANY Corporation s requirement that reporting results be downloadable in Excel spreadsheet format? 6.6 Provide copies of all customized reporting your company s customers use to manage your service performance. 6.7 Describe the kind of accrual reporting your company can provide.
6.8 Explain the process by which your company ensures receipt of accurate data from carriers, for reporting purposes. 6.9 Submit copies of all standard report and optional reports that may assist COMPANY Corporation s Transportation Managers. 6.10 Can your company provide periodic reporting, e.g. thirteen (13) four week periods per year? If so, describe. SECTION 7 Technology Requirements 7.1 Describe your system capabilities. Is it web based? 7.2 Does your system require any software to be installed on user hardware? If so, describe. 7.3 Describe your database capabilities. How far back does your online payment history extend? 7.4 What type of operating platform/communications strategy do you employ? 7.5 Describe your capabilities to transmit/receive data via FTP as well as high-speed modem connections. 7.6 Describe your ability to return data for completed (paid) loads to COMPANY Corporation in a format that can easily be loaded into an Oracle database. 7.7 What is your application software and at what point are received bills visible to clients/carriers? 7.8 What is the availability of accessing processed data online via modem access or the Internet? 7.9 Discuss current and planned technologies, including database development, enhancements and maintenance of applications. 7.10 Describe your abilities to marry U.S. domestic and international data together in a unique database for efficient analysis from global sites. 7.11 How do international sites access their data? Direct modem connection? Internet? Availability of systems? Describe your global connection capabilities. 7.12 What EDI versions are you capable of handling? 7.13 Will you continue to support non-y2k versions of EDI translations? 7.14 Do you provide support for UN/EDIFACT data receipt and translations for EDI processing? 7.15 Identify your procedures to ensure that all EDI batches are received. 7.16 Do you process UPS via EDI at the package level? 7.17 What type of system controls/security do you employ? 7.18 What is your process for protecting systems? 7.19 What is your process for backing up data? How often do you back up data? 7.20 What is your turnaround time on programming requests? 7.21 Do your applications handle multi-currency? If no, what are your plans for supporting international currencies? 7.22 Describe your abilities to convert multiple-currency payments to a standard or normalized currency for efficient analysis of global payment information. 7.23 Describe your ability to provide General Ledger feeds that show freight per vendor. 7.24 Describe the flexibility of the General Ledger feeds. Please consider the following: a. Multiple platforms b. Frequency
c. Multiple required fields (company code, cost center, location, account string, etc.) d. Data validation 7.25 What is your process for software installation and upgrades? 7.26 COMPANY Corporation requires the ability to test and approve software and subsequent upgrades prior to installation. Can you meet this requirement? If so, describe. SECTION 8 Operations Security, Audit and Controls 8.1 Describe the audit procedures your company conducts on its operations, including the frequency, length and extent of this audit. 8.2 When were you (your company) last audited? What were the results? 8.3 Does your company permit an organization to conduct an on-site audit of your company s procedures and operations? 8.4 Describe your company s formal Quality Program, if any. 8.5 How does your company track performance internally? What are your minimal accepted performance standards for this type service? 8.6 Did your company exceed your performance standards during the last twelve months? 8.7 Describe your company s contingency plan. Detail the conditions that invoke the contingency plan. Provide a copy of your company s disaster recovery plan. Include the frequency the plan is tested and the testing procedures. 8.8 What back-up procedures does your company have in the event of system failure? SECTION 9 Implementation 9.1. Provide a detailed implementation plan, including timeline, resources, communication samples, project team, roles and responsibilities, etc. 9.2. What does your company see as the critical factors to a successful implementation? SECTION 10 Payment 10.1 COMPANY s payment terms will be net thirty (30) for standard payment processes; describe your company s ability to comply with this requirement. 10.2 Describe your company s billing cycle and payment options. 8700 W Trail Lake Drive, Suite 100 Memphis, TN 38125 Tel: 901-759-2966 Fax: 901-759-2966 info@a3freightpayment.com www.a3freightpayment.com