A ground transport RFP, field by field.

What the RFP is for

You are not asking for a price yet. You are asking every bidder to describe the same job, so that the replies can be set side by side. A vague brief gets vague answers, and the shortest reply is usually the one that left things out.

This page is about what the buyer asks for. What a good reply should list is covered in our guide to what is in a bus rental quote. Use the two together: this one to write the request, that one to read the answers.

Part A: the event

Part B: every movement as a row

List each movement separately, because each one needs a different vehicle and a different clock. For every row give the date, the start and end points, the number of people, the number of bags, the time window and how often it repeats. Typical rows are arrivals, hotel to venue each morning, the return, a gala dinner, speaker cars, a tour day and departures.

If you can, say how you expect the movement to be run: vehicle per flight, scheduled departures, or a loop. The shuttle service page explains the loop, and the airport transfer page covers arrivals.

Part C: what you ask each bidder to commit to

• The vehicle for each movement: type, seat count and bag capacity, and how many vehicles.
• Whether a spare vehicle is included, and where it waits.
• The hours included for each day, when the clock starts and stops, and the overtime rate printed on the page.
• The waiting allowance, then the rate once it runs out.
• Fuel, Salik and Darb tolls, and parking, each shown as included or listed. The Salik and Darb guide explains the gates.
• VAT, shown as its own line, at 5 per cent, with the total.
• Whether flights are tracked, and who moves the pick-up when a flight is late.
• Whether a coordinator is on the ground for larger events.
• Change and cancellation terms, written on the document before you accept.

Part D: evidence about the supplier

Ask each bidder for the same short list, in writing. The rules are set by the authorities and change, so confirm the current position with the Roads and Transport Authority if you need certainty.

• A copy of the trade licence, with the same legal name as on the proposal.
• Whether the company owns the vehicles, and whether any part of the job will be subcontracted. Ask for notice if a partner’s vehicle will be used.
• A certificate of insurance for commercial passenger use.
• How drivers are briefed: pick-up points, timings and the group leader’s name.

The guide to choosing a bus rental company sets out why each of these is worth asking.

A filled-in sample

The event here is invented, to show the shape. A conference of 250 delegates over three days, in two hotels, at one venue. Bags are 1.2 per delegate, an assumption you should replace with your own.

Every bidder who receives this table can answer row by row. A reply that skips the gala dinner, or folds the return into the morning rate, shows itself.

Part E: how you want the answers

Tell bidders the shape of the reply. One table, one row per movement, with vehicles, hours, inclusions and the total with VAT in fixed columns. Ask for a fixed written price per movement and per day, shown on the same basis by everyone. Do not ask for a single lump sum for the whole event, since you cannot see what is in it.

Give a reply date, a date by which prices must hold, and the name of the person who answers questions. Share every question and answer with all bidders.

A simple scoring sheet

Score before you look at the price column, so the plan is judged on its own. The weights below are an example. Change them to suit the event.

Only then compare totals, with VAT against VAT. We reply to a request like this with a fixed written quote. See our event transport page for how a multi-vehicle plan is quoted, or use the booking page to send the movement table.

Related: What’s in a bus rental quote · Choosing a bus rental company · Event & conference transport · Shuttle service · Dubai airport transfer for groups · Corporate Chauffeur · Get a quote

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