# Corporate Travel RFP Guide: How to Run a TMC Request for Proposal URL: https://emptvl.vercel.app/travel-guides/corporate-travel-rfp-guide Publisher: Empyrean Travel (https://emptvl.vercel.app/) Last reviewed: 2026-10-19 How to run a corporate travel RFP: the data to gather, questions to ask, a sample scoring model and timeline, and the mistakes that derail TMC selections. **Quick answer:** A corporate travel RFP is a structured process for choosing a travel management company. Gather 12 months of travel data, define your requirements and evaluation criteria, send the same questions and pricing template to a short list of bidders, score responses with a weighted scorecard, then check references and negotiate. Plan on roughly three to four months, plus implementation. - Data needed: 12 months of trips, spend and pain points - Bidders: Usually 3–5 qualified TMCs - Typical timeline: 3–4 months, plus implementation - Score on: Service, duty of care, data and total cost ## Checklist **Before you issue:** Name an owner and a small evaluation team; Assemble the 12-month data pack; Agree scoring weights before reading responses **During evaluation:** Use one pricing template for every bidder; Hold finalist demos with real travelers present; Call references of a similar size **Before you sign:** Measurable service levels; Data ownership and exit terms; Written implementation plan ## When does a company need a formal travel RFP? Run a formal RFP when travel spend is significant, procurement rules require competitive bidding, or several departments must agree on the outcome. It documents why you chose a provider and makes bids comparable. A small company with a handful of travelers can usually reach the same answer through structured conversations and a scorecard, as outlined in how to choose a travel management company. ## What data should you gather before writing the RFP? Bidders can only price what they can see. Pull the last 12 months from your current agency, corporate card statements and expense reports, and assemble a short data pack. - Trip counts by type: domestic air, international air, hotel-only, rail, groups. - Top city pairs and top hotel cities by nights. - Number of travelers, frequent travelers and executives needing extra care. - Office locations and where bookings are made from. - Current fees, negotiated airline and hotel agreements, payment methods and open unused ticket credits. - Pain points in your own words, from travelers, finance and leadership. ## What should a travel management RFP include? Keep it focused. A long questionnaire produces long, generic answers. Include a company overview, scope of services, mandatory requirements, a pricing template every bidder must use, evaluation criteria and weights, a timeline, and your key contract terms, such as service levels, data ownership and termination rights. Ask scenario questions rather than yes-or-no ones: “Describe exactly what happens when 30 of our travelers are stranded by a hurricane,” not “Do you offer emergency support?” Share your travel policy so bidders can explain how they would apply it. ## How long does a corporate travel RFP take? A typical sequence is two to three weeks to prepare, three to four weeks for bidders to respond with a question-and-answer window in the middle, two weeks for scoring, then finalist presentations, reference calls and negotiation. Implementation follows, commonly taking several weeks to a few months. Avoid a switch during your busiest travel season or just before a large company event. If your hotel program is negotiated in the fall for the following year, align the timing so the new provider can load those rates. ## Which RFP mistakes lead to the wrong choice? Most poor outcomes trace back to a handful of avoidable errors. - Scoring on transaction fees alone and ignoring total program cost. - Leaving travelers and executive assistants out of finalist demos. - Not testing the service: ask finalists to price and book a real, complicated itinerary. - Forgetting transition details: open bookings, traveler profiles and unused credits. - Signing without service levels you can measure. ## A sample RFP scoring model - **Service model** (25–30%): Dedicated contacts, after-hours handling, disruption response and VIP care. - **Total cost** (20–25%): Every fee priced on your real trip mix, plus supplier revenue disclosure. - **Duty of care** (15%): Traveler tracking, alerts and a tested emergency process. — https://emptvl.vercel.app/corporate-travel/duty-of-care - **Technology and content** (15%): Booking tool usability, airline and hotel content, mobile itineraries. - **Reporting** (10%): Standard reports, ad-hoc answers and unused-ticket tracking. — https://emptvl.vercel.app/corporate-travel/travel-expense-and-reporting - **Implementation** (5–10%): A realistic plan with named owners, dates and profile migration. ## Frequently asked questions **Q: What is a corporate travel RFP?** A: A corporate travel request for proposal is a formal document and process a company uses to invite travel management companies to bid for its business travel. It sets out your travel data, requirements, pricing template and evaluation criteria so responses can be compared fairly, then leads to finalist presentations, reference checks, negotiation and a contract. **Q: How many questions should a travel RFP include?** A: As few as you need to decide. Many companies over-ask, producing hundreds of pages nobody reads. Focus on mandatory requirements, a handful of scenario questions about service and disruption, duty of care, reporting, implementation and a standard pricing template. If an answer wouldn’t change your score, leave the question out. **Q: Should we include our current travel agency in the RFP?** A: Usually yes, if they meet your requirements. Including the incumbent gives you a true comparison and often prompts improvements. Give them the same documents, deadlines and scoring as everyone else, and avoid sharing other bidders’ pricing. If the relationship has clearly broken down, it is fairer to tell them than to invite a bid you won’t consider. **Q: Is a hotel RFP the same as a TMC RFP?** A: No. A TMC RFP selects the company that manages your travel. A hotel RFP negotiates room rates and amenities directly with hotels in the cities where you spend the most nights, usually in an annual cycle in the fall for the following year. Your travel management company often runs or supports the hotel RFP and loads the agreed rates. **Q: How should we score TMC proposals?** A: Agree weighted criteria before reading any response, then have each evaluator score independently and compare. A common model weights service most heavily, followed by total cost, duty of care, technology, reporting and implementation. Price every bid against the same sample year of trips so total cost is comparable, and confirm scores through demos and reference calls. ## Sources - [Global Business Travel Association (GBTA)](https://www.gbta.org/)