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The Expert RFP: Starting a New Relationship with a Fulfillment Service Provider

By Connie Hill

Selecting a new partner
The Request For Proposal (RFP) is the first step in the selection of a fulfillment service
provider to be a partner in the distribution of your materials. Careful analysis of your program needs will help you describe in the RFP the results you require. At the same time, a candid and complete description may also help the partner come up with new and innovative ways to achieve those results----using technology or procedures you may not have been exposed to before.

The RFP----
a step-by-step process
The best RFP process is a dialog----a processof give and take that will proceed through several rounds of communication. The initial Request for Proposal document
itself is simply the first step in this dialog. Its goal is to alert prospective partners to a legitimate opportunity----and to supply you with enough information to be able to select those candidates with whom you wish to continue the dialog.

Time and efficiency are of the essence in the RFP process, for all parties concerned. Answering an RFP is a time-consuming and expensive process. It is not untypical for a supplier to invest several thousand dollars in time and research to complete an RFP successfully. Unnecessary questions, or poorly worded questions that are difficult to answer, can delay the process or discourage potentially qualified suppliers from even responding.

Only questions that are necessary, and that will contribute to the process, should be included in the first round of the RFP. Subsequent steps, including a site tour, will enable you ask for greater detail, as required.

Often overlooked----management attitude and capabilities
The physical aspects of the fulfillment process----space, procedures, equipment----are easily catalogued. The intellectual aspects of a successful business match are harder to identify. A complete RFP begins to build the relationship by requesting information about
the management of the potential partner: It asks about the individuals who lead the company and will handle the account, and about their experience in the fulfillment industry. Further, the RFP asks broader questions about the fulfillment company’s direction---- where it is headed and what philosophy it will use to get there.

A wrong match inevitably leads to disappointment, not to mention increased costs and lack of innovation. In fact, most companies considering issuing an RFP find themselves in just such an unsatisfactory situation.

Questions to include in an RFP
Here is the framework for an RFP for a literature distribution or fulfillment program.
Use it as a basis for building the RFP that will help you uncover all you need to know to select the right fulfillment partner for your next project or your ongoing fulfillment program.

Section One:
information about your company

A. Company Profile
B. Program Description
C. Order Activity
D. Inventory Management
E. Special Requirements
F. Pricing
G. Proposal Timeframe

Section Two:
questions about the fulfillment service

A. Company Profile
B. Quality Standards
C. Production Standards
D. Customer Service
E. Inventory Control
F. Computer Systems
G. Reports
H. Storage
I. Obsolete Materials
J. Order Entry
K. Shipping
L. Postage
M. Customization
N. Disaster Recovery

If you would like an expanded list of questions for each category (30 questions in Section One, 115 detailed questions in Section Two), contact Connie Hill at The Fulfillment Center. With over 20 years in direct marketing, and over 10 years as president of an organization devoted exclusively to fulfillment, she has been on the issuing and receiving end of literally hundreds of RFPs. She’ll be happy share her experience. Call Connie Hill at (707)-224-6161 or e-mail your request to info@tfcinc.com.