Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of WERC.
On 30 October, during WERC Global 25 in Salt Lake City, Utah, I joined fellow facilitators Christopher Chalk, SCRP, SGMS, director at PZI Group; Dolly Zaharoni, total rewards excellence vendor and relationship management with AbbVie; and Anna Potter, principal consultant and owner of AMP International Consulting LLC, for the session “From Chaos to Clarity: Reimagining the RFP.” It was a strategic discussion and hands-on workshop to change how we think about the process of procuring mobility services. During the session, we shared some of what we’ve learned during our collective experiences participating in numerous employee relocation requests for proposal (RFPs) over multiple years.
Here’s what we could all say with confidence: The best, most strategically managed RFPs enable competitive pricing, clear differentiation, and impactful, value-driven solutions. To get there, every process should consider how to embed:
- A clear understanding of client objectives. Open dialogue allows respondents to align with the issuing company’s goals and support their vision more precisely.
- Tailored questionnaires. Targeted proposals designed specifically for mobility services generate relevant, impactful responses aligned with specific program parameters and goals, rather than risking generic replies.
- Genuine engagement. Enhanced collaboration throughout the entire RFP journey helps respondents match the right account managers and consultants to the internal mobility team, setting the stage for deep trust and lasting partnerships.
Every RFP brings opportunities for growth, learning, and collaborative success. By proactively focusing on these core areas, participants can go beyond generic templates to transform the process in ways that truly drive innovation, unlock creative problem-solving, and deliver greater agility, ultimately elevating global mobility programs.
Reframing the Mobility RFP
One thing we’ve all learned is that many of the challenges around RFPs stem not just from the documentation but also from the typical process. Procurement teams may be new to the mobility category, and mobility teams may not have extensive RFP experience, or often lack the bandwidth it takes to adequately prepare the proposal, identify participants, evaluate responses, and facilitate decision-making. Yet, RFPs are an ideal opportunity to clarify objectives and improve strategic planning—helping to highlight the unique strengths and support that potential partners can offer. It’s well worth getting them right.
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this, and preparing for this session, an idea really struck home with me: Selecting a relocation management company (RMC) is a lot like hiring a new teammate—not just engaging a new vendor. The ideal RMC will understand a client’s strategic objectives, align with their decision-making, proactively bring innovative ideas to the table, and ensure employees experience seamless transitions. The RMC members serving the account should be so closely tied to and aligned with the client’s internal teams and company culture that mobile employees feel like they are interacting with colleagues, not an external provider.
Mobility and procurement leaders can elevate outcomes by applying talent acquisition principles to sourcing RMCs. The new-hire process identifies the business needs, has a clear job description, and outlines required experience and certifications. It shortlists potential qualified candidates, focuses on evaluating their skills, experience, problem-solving approaches, and fit to identify the ideal person who will make the greatest impact.
Building strong partnerships with RMCs should embrace this same thoughtful, strategic, and future-facing approach.
Applying New-Hire Principles to RFPs
With that mindset, we challenged attendees to consider following some critical steps during various phases of the process:
Pre-Launch
- Invest the time to conduct a thorough discovery process to determine business needs and engage with the market to see what innovative solutions are available.
- Consult internal stakeholders to clarify and agree on requirements and expectations, ensuring everyone understands mobility industry nuances.
- Hold open discussions with prospective RMCs in the discovery phase to allow for the sharing of objectives and outlining of tailored solutions. If direct engagement is impractical, use a brief request for information (RFI) to narrow the field to five or six candidates for the formal process. Then move forward with pre-RFP discovery with these short-listed candidates.
Planning and Discovery
- Strategically align RFP questions with organizational objectives and evaluate their relevance. Avoid overwhelming lists of hundreds of questions and responses.
- During discovery, seek answers to strategic questions, tailored pricing matrices, and scoring tools for effective RMC selection.
As Chalk noted, “In my experience, the most successful RFPs always begin with a clear understanding of the organization’s objectives. When we take the time to define what success looks like and plan each step thoughtfully, the process becomes more strategic and collaborative. This approach not only streamlines decision-making but also ensures that the solutions we select truly align with our goals and deliver lasting value.”
Many find it challenging to draft strategic RFPs, but by investing effort in insightful questions, value-based scorecards, and transparent pricing matrices, organizations will find it much easier to select the ideal partner and drive measurable outcomes.
Potter noted that, in her opinion, “The positioning and planning phases of a service provider RFP process are often the most overlooked.” She asked a valid question: “Why does the industry regularly invite companies into multi-year contractual relationships worth hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars without taking ample time ahead of an RFP to qualify them or articulate their own goals and requirements?”
We offered some examples of what a few strategic, specific questions could look like, including:
- Why did you choose this account manager for us? In what ways will their expertise contribute to reaching our goals?
- Could you please elaborate on the distinctive solutions you have provided to your referencing organizations and how they align with our desired outcomes?
- How would you address challenges such as unsold homes in inventory or supporting relocations to remote areas or new countries?
Just as you would with a new-hire candidate, preparing thoughtful, tailored interview questions and allowing the teams who will be working together most closely to interact earlier in the process will help you get to a final decision that will be the right, best fit for you and your business.
Decision-Making
- For “best and final” presentations, consider structuring them as forward-looking workshops, engaging in collaborative dialogue about the program’s future rather than repeating RFP details. This approach shifts the focus from fees or direct costs to impact and value creation.
- Again, include the relevant individuals to explore specific scenarios and consider some of the less tangible things, like “how well will these people fit into our team?”
The session then allowed participants to engage in some interactive table exercises by breaking into groups and asking and answering questions along each of the primary phases of the RFP journey: planning, designing, executing, and deciding. We prompted the group to consider things like:
- What strategic questions could you ask invitees to get the most specific and detailed answers to meet your unique program needs?
- How will you quantify such “intangibles” as cultural fit, innovations, and efficiencies?
- How will you define the value of technology solutions, integrations, and capabilities?
- How can you best engage with and educate all the right stakeholders, such as purchasing, legal, IT, etc.?
Finally, while there wasn’t the time or scope in this session, we wanted to drive home that the next phase—implementation and onboarding—requires just as much careful thought, planning, and collaboration as the RFP process itself.
Unlocking Value With the Right Partner
Our goals were to help companies find better ways to identify their ideal relocation partners, recognizing that they will bring value by:
- Providing expert guidance to keep programs compliant, competitive, and easy to manage
- Minimizing disruptions, allowing your team to focus on strategic initiatives
- Enhancing employee productivity and retention through seamless relocations
- Facilitating technology integrations to streamline administration
- Lowering costs via efficient benefits administration and vendor management
- Delivering extra advantages often overlooked in RFP decisions
Ultimately, strategic alignment and effective execution reduce costs, avoid waste, and optimize program management. We wanted to emphasize that repositioning the RFP process as a strategic, talent-focused partnership delivers greater value for organizations and employees alike.
Zaharoni closed the session by summing it all up quite well: “Transforming the RFP process is about more than just documentation—it’s about building strategic partnerships that drive innovation, clarity, and measurable outcomes for everyone involved.”