Corporate Travel RFP Guide: How to Run a TMC Request for Proposal

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.

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.

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.

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.

Most poor outcomes trace back to a handful of avoidable errors.