This document provides guidance on how to write an effective tender for move management services. It discusses including questions that elicit substantive responses, avoiding irrelevant questions, and determining scoring criteria upfront. Key areas to evaluate supplier responses are described, such as company experience and networks, financial stability, capacity, technology, sustainability, operational processes, account management, service level agreements, reporting, quality, and pricing/costs. The document emphasizes asking follow-up questions to avoid superficial responses and gain evidence to properly assess suppliers.

1. GLOBAL
MOVE MANAGEMENT.
HOW TO WRITE THE PERFECT TENDER.

2. There are two elements to
ensuring a tender produces the
right results

3. There are two elements to
ensuring a tender produces the
right results
1 Asking the right questions

4. There are two elements to
ensuring a tender produces the
right results
1 Asking the right questions
2 Correctly interpreting the responses

5. WE WILL COVER…

6. WE WILL COVER…
What topics to include

7. WE WILL COVER…
How to ask the right questions
What topics to include

8. WE WILL COVER…
Necessary breadth and depth
of how to cover each topic
How to ask the right
questions
What topics to include

9. “Respondents to tenders will typically be limited in their responses to the parameters provided by the tender as there is little or no scope for them to step outside this structure. So the questions asked and information
quality of information received.”
UniGroup Relocation Network
“The Perfect Tender for Move Management Services” White paper
requested in the process will determine the

10. 1. ASK QUESTIONS THAT LEAVE NO ROOM TO HIDE Generic questions generate
generic responses from which
little meaning is gained
GENERAL GUIDELINES

11. 2. WORD QUESTIONS TO PROVOKE A SUBSTANTIAL RESPONSE
Use secondary questioning to test
and evidence the initial response
GENERAL GUIDELINES

12. 3. AVOID ASKING QUESTIONS FOR
THE SAKE OF IT
Avoid asking things just because
they’ve been asked in previous
tenders or are in a template. Investigate the relevance for your
current/future requirement.
GENERAL GUIDELINES

13. A note on scoring….
Decide on what are the most important things you’re looking for.
Weight your questions and publish them in the tender request.
Respondents will be
encouraged to provide the appropriate level of
information for the areas that are of particular interest to you.

14. INFORMATION TO GIVE
What to tell potential respondents

15. INFORMATION TO GIVE:
Background
Even though it might be obvious what you
do it’s important to provide background info. The better respondents understand the
rationale behind the tender the more
accurately they can address your specific
needs

16. INFORMATION TO GIVE:
Historical Data
Build up and share a detailed picture of potential service usage. This helps to obtain best value and protect yourself
from hidden costs after signing a contract.

17. INFORMATION TO GIVE:
Historical Data
Build up and share a detailed picture of potential service usage. This helps to obtain best value and protect yourself
from hidden costs after signing a contract.
1 Traffic lanes

18. INFORMATION TO GIVE:
Historical Data
Build up and share a detailed picture of potential service usage. This helps to obtain best value and protect yourself
from hidden costs after signing a contract.
1 Traffic lanes
2 Allowances

19. Which traffic lanes are your employees moving along?
TRAFFIC LANES

20. Which traffic lanes are your employees moving along?
TRAFFIC LANES What is the volume of traffic?

21. Which traffic lanes are your employees moving along?
TRAFFIC LANES What is the volume of traffic?
What is the demographic?

22. EXAMPLE:
In 2014 we saw a total of 30
international moves. 90%
between London and New York of which 40% were couples, 50%
singles and the remaining 10%
families
“
”

23. ALLOWANCES
Detail allowances for your employees

24. ALLOWANCES
Detail allowances for your employees
Include any tiers (e.g. through
demographic, position or
length of assignment)

25. ALLOWANCES
Detail allowances for your employees
Include any tiers (e.g. through
demographic, position or
length of assignment)
Include allowed additional expenses or
exceptions (e.g. dismantling / vehicles
/ packing / pets)

26. EXAMPLE:
Single people have a volume allowance of 25m3, couples
30m3 and families 60m3. We allow full packing services and
assignees may ship up to one vehicle
“
”

27. “Even though history may not
accurately reflect the future it is a potential indication, and of course
it is valuable to provide any additional information on anything major that is changing in your organisation that could affect this area during the contract.”

28. INFORMATION TO GIVE:
Scope
1 Size of outsourcing and supplier model
Do you want a company to carry out a
number of moves in a certain region, are
you looking for move management
services? Do you want more than one
supplier?

29. INFORMATION TO GIVE:
Scope
2 Relocation vs. Moving
Are you just looking for household goods
moving services or do you want to include
some additional relocation services?
Specialist companies exist for both
individually as well as those that provide
multiple services as a single source.

30. INFORMATION TO GIVE:
Scope
2 Relocation vs. Moving
Are you just looking for household goods
moving services or do you want to include
some additional relocation services?
Specialist companies exist for both
individually as well as those that provide
multiple services as a single source.
Click here to view a list of possible additional relocation services you might want to consider including

31. INFORMATION TO GIVE:
Scope
3 Geographical Area
Understanding your organisation structure
will drive which outsourcing approach and
processes work best. Is global mobility centrally controlled or
handled by local entities? Or regionally?

32. COMPANY QUESTIONS
How to assess company characteristics

33. INFORMATION TO GATHER:
COMPANY QUESTIONS
Areas of information to evaluate if a supplier is
right for you
Experience
Network
Financial stability
Capacity
Technology
Sustainability
1
2
3
4
5
6

34. COMPANY CHARACHTERISTICS
Experience
What experience does a supplier have in
providing the services you’re looking for, for
similar organisations?
Follow up with secondary questions to gain
evidence:
 Case studies
 References

35. AVOID MISLEADING OR ‘SALES’ ANSWERS:
Q: Do you have experience with
managing similar customers?
A: Yes

36. AVOID MISLEADING OR ‘SALES’ ANSWERS:
Q: Do you have experience with
managing similar customers?
A: Yes
Q: Illustrate your experience working with similar
contracts. Include details on
size and scope of contract

37. COMPANY CHARACHTERISTICS
Networks
All relocation providers operate a network of some shape or form to service global requirements.

38. COMPANY CHARACHTERISTICS
Networks
Find out about the nature of the network, how it is structured
what extent the supplier will be able to ensure quality and service delivery.
Look for suppliers with a compares well to yours.
and operated to understand to
geographical footprint that

39. AVOID MISLEADING OR ‘SALES’ ANSWERS:
Q: Describe your global network
A: We have a network of dedicated and certified worldwide partners

40. AVOID MISLEADING OR ‘SALES’ ANSWERS:
Q: Describe your global network
A: We have a network of dedicated and certified worldwide partners
Q1: How are agents selected? Is there freedom to select the best-in-class / our preferred suppliers in any region?
Q2: Who supervises and manages the network?
Q3: What procedures are in place to ensure
consistent quality and service delivery?

41. COMPANY CHARACHTERISTICS
Financial Stability
Many tenders just ask for the last 3 years financial
accounts. This could be misleading because it:
 Is only historic information
 May only address financials of holding corporation and not signing entity
 Can be up to 18 months out of date

42. COMPANY CHARACHTERISTICS
Financial Stability
Many tenders just ask for the last 3 years financial
accounts. This could be misleading because it:
 Is only historic information
 May only address financials of holding corporation and not signing entity
 Can be up to 18 months out of date
 Ask for more detailed information about ratios and guarantees
based on information no more than 3 months old.

43. COMPANY CHARACHTERISTICS
Capacity
Relate capacity questions to the
size of the contract.
1

44. COMPANY CHARACHTERISTICS
Capacity
Relate capacity questions to the
size of the contract.
Ask about the process for out of the ordinary situations i.e. short
notice moves
1
2

45. COMPANY CHARACHTERISTICS
Capacity
Relate capacity questions to the
size of the contract.
Ask about the process for out of the ordinary situations i.e. short
notice moves
Find out how suppliers address peak season demands
1
2
3

46. COMPANY CHARACHTERISTICS
Technology
 How are systems integrated within the bidders
organisation? Are they used worldwide?
 What technology exists to support the assignee?
 What technology exists to support your offices?
 Is data real time or is there a delay?
As well as finding out what
move management systems
are utlised also obtain information regarding:

47. Screenshots or better still a live demo as
part of the tender process can help evaluate areas like move authorisations, inventories, tracking and tracing,
invoicing and reporting

48. COMPANY CHARACHTERISTICS
Sustainability
Understanding a company’s approach
to sustainability and corporate
responsibility can help you identify if
your organisations are a good cultural fit and ensure you are
meeting your own
sustainability goals..

49. COMPANY CHARACHTERISTICS
Sustainability
What is the company’s approach to supporting and developing it’s employees and ensuring their wellbeing? 1

50. COMPANY CHARACHTERISTICS
Sustainability
What is the company’s approach to supporting and developing it’s employees and ensuring their wellbeing? What is their approach to reducing impact on the environment?
1
2

51. COMPANY CHARACHTERISTICS
Sustainability
What is the company’s approach to supporting and developing it’s employees and ensuring their wellbeing? What is their approach to reducing impact on the environment?
How do they support the community? 1
2
3

52. COMPANY CHARACHTERISTICS
Sustainability
What is the company’s approach to supporting and developing it’s employees and ensuring their wellbeing? What is their approach to reducing impact on the environment?
How do they support the community? How does their strategy extend to their own suppliers or partners?
1
2
3
4

53. COMPANY CHARACHTERISTICS
Sustainability
What is the company’s approach to supporting and developing it’s employees and ensuring their wellbeing? What is their approach to reducing impact on the environment?
How do they support the community? How does their strategy extend to their own suppliers or partners?
How else are they considering the future? 1
2
3
4
5

54. Do they practice what they
preach? Look for substantiation of any claims with
regard to sustainability.
 Case studies or examples
 Copies of policies or procedures
 Certifications
 Audit results/statistics

55. PROCESS QUESTIONS
How to assess a respondents processes

56. INFORMATION TO GATHER:
PROCESS QUESTIONS
Areas of information to evaluate if a supplier is
right for you
Operational Management
Account Management
Service Level Agreements
Reporting and Quality
1
2
3
4

57. PROCESS CHARACHTERISTICS
Operational Management
Ask in detail about the service delivery model.
What is the process of a relocation?
Who is in communication and control at each stage?
Avoid questions that can be answered with just a simple flow chart response.

58. AVOID MISLEADING OR ‘SALES’ ANSWERS:
Q: Describe your operational process from
initiation to invoicing
A: We have a single point of contact responsible from start to finish with full control over every aspect of the move

59. AVOID MISLEADING OR ‘SALES’ ANSWERS:
Q: Describe your operational process from
initiation to invoicing
A: We have a single point of contact responsible from start to finish with full control over every aspect of the move Q1: Who will be in control at each stage and why?
Q2: Who is initiating and monitoring activity?
Q3: What communication channels are open to the assignee?
Q4: Who has overall responsibility?

60. PROCESS CHARACHTERISTICS
Account Management
 How will they accommodate your
structure?  How do multiple coordination centers
work?
 What about implementation?
 What about complaints/claims
handling?

61. Address your concerns
If there is something you have had problems with in the past, or that is particularly important to you from experience or research, use your questions to find out how the supplier would handle a similar situation or aspect of your account.

62. PROCESS CHARACHTERISTICS
Service Level Agreements
Define the levels of performance you
require.
Select KPI’s that are important to you Ask how the supplier ensures these are achieved
Get evidence of performance with existing contracts
Specify how you will monitor KPI’s and the implications if not met.
1
2
3
4

63. A good SLA can reduce direct, indirect and hidden costs of an assignment

64. A good SLA can reduce direct, indirect and hidden costs of an assignment
Examples: Frequently delayed shipments mean increased temporary accommodation costs
High % of insurance claims create opportunity cost of lost productivity & employee satisfaction

65. Suggested KPI’s
As with all KPI’s those used in your SLA must
be SMART*
* Specific, measurable, acceptable, realistic, time bound
• Time limits for initial contact
• Time limits for proposals (budget and schedule)
• Accuracy of quotes
• Maximum transit times
• Assignee satisfaction
• Proportion / severity of
complaints
• Insurance claim value/ratio

66. PROCESS CHARACHTERISTICS
Reporting & Information
What information is important to
you and why?
Specify what reports you would like to have and how frequently
Ask about suggested or existing reports the supplier would recommend/ provide as
standard Find out how you obtain reports. Can you
run reports yourself on demand?
1
2
3

67. Ask to see sample
reports so you can evaluate if the
information and
format suits you.
If not, can they be customised?

68. PROCESS CHARACHTERISTICS
Quality
Quality standards like ISO and FIDI FAIM are a
great place to start as certification is a good independent indication of overall approach to
quality, but make sure to use secondary questions to dig deeper.

69. AVOID MISLEADING OR ‘SALES’ ANSWERS:
Q: Describe your quality management system
A: We are ISO and FAIM certified.

70. AVOID MISLEADING OR ‘SALES’ ANSWERS:
Q: Describe your quality management system
A: We are ISO and FAIM certified.
Q1: Does the certification apply to the
whole organisation or just parts? Q2: How are quality control ideals
implemented throughout the company?
Q3: To what extent is the quality of
subcontractors or partners controlled?

71. COST QUESTIONS
How to evaluate pricing and other costs

72. INFORMATION TO GATHER:
COST QUESTIONS
Areas of information to evaluate if a supplier is
right for you
Pricing (Rates)
Cost Savings
Invoicing
1
2
3

73. Ask for costs in a way that enables you to make like for like
comparisons.
Give exact criteria and instructions on
how to base costs to reduce risk of
additional costs.

74. COST CHARACHTERISTICS
Rate Requests
Comprehensive request of rates for
different traffic lanes
Carefully evaluate your traffic lanes and required services and request rates for the majority. Include additional costs e.g. storage charges, specialist handling equipment or bolt on services which should be itemised on a quote.
Even if you don’t approve them every time you’ll need to understand the bigger picture. 1

75. Don’t leave room for suppliers to quote an attractive rate on a small number of lanes / services to book the contract and make up losses on those you didn’t specify in your request.
Avoid the Trojan Horse….

76. Don’t forget insurance….
Insurance rates can have a considerable
impact on the overall cost of a move. Many suppliers use insurance revenue to subsidise
the cost of a move.
Difference in premium % Cost increase %
0.2% 3.2%
0.4% 6.5%
0.6% 9.7%
1% 16.2%

77. Don’t forget insurance….
Insurance rates can have a considerable
impact on the overall cost of a move. Many suppliers use insurance revenue to subsidise
the cost of a move.
Difference in premium % Cost increase %
0.2% 3.2%
0.4% 6.5%
0.6% 9.7%
1% 16.2%
An increase in premium of just 1% can mean 16.2%
higher overall costs!

78. COST CHARACHTERISTICS
Rate Requests
Levels of Transparency Define the level of transparency you want in breaking down costs, e.g. management fees, freight fees, shipping/air freight costs. Balance the need for sufficient information with what is practical for suppliers to provide remembering all may determine costs in different ways. For example, stipulating labour costs of packing based on hourly rates may be an onerous task for a bidder.
2

79. These rates are variable, so if you demand they are fixed for a long period of time the supplier may charge a higher rate to cover the risk of any increases in these costs. To avoid this shipping and airfreight costs should be quoted separately and reviewed every 6-12 months.
MANAGEMENT OF FREIGHT COSTS

80. COST CHARACHTERISTICS
Rate Requests
Service Levels
Provide info on what service levels rates should be based on. E.g. maximum transit times, notice period. Make sure to ask details about what’s included/excluded in any fixed prices.
3

81. COST CHARACHTERISTICS
Rate Requests
Service Levels
Provide info on what service levels rates should be based on. E.g. maximum transit times, notice period. Make sure to ask details about what’s included/excluded in any fixed prices.
3
Click here to request a list of
Common inclusions and exclusions
for international moving rates

82. Currency rates fluctuate so if a supplier fixes rates in one currency a premium may be added to take account of the risk.
The longer you request rates are fixed for the more the risk and the higher the premium may be. To limit this provide a mechanism within the contract to periodically apply the actual currency level at a particular time OR ask for rates in multiple currencies. A note on currency rates…
£

83. COST CHARACHTERISTICS:
Writing your rate request
Usually comprises a grid showing change in rate
with consignment size. Each mode of transport
(air, sea or road) may have a different grid and set of units – typically: Road ~ volume/distance Air ~ gross size/weight Sea ~ lift van/container size or loose load volume
1
2
3

84. Drawing up a rates grid
It’s best to consult with experts at supplier level when it comes to building your rates grid.  Reduces risk of misunderstandings or future hidden costs
 Helps you build a structure that returns best value for your company requirements
 Makes sure the format is easy to compare responses

85. Drawing up a rates grid
It’s best to consult with experts at supplier level when it comes to building your rates grid.  Reduces risk of misunderstandings or future hidden costs
 Helps you build a structure that returns best value for your company requirements
 Makes sure the format is easy to compare responses
Click to book a FREE CONSULTATION with a
Bournes Relocation Expert to start designing your ‘perfect’ tender

86. COST CHARACHTERISTICS:
Cost Savings
What cost savings will be implemented by the supplier over the term of the contract?  Request case studies or typical cost savings achieved with other clients to enable evaluation of the likelihood and extent of savings being delivered.

87. COST CHARACHTERISTICS:
Invoicing
Control and invoicing affects the ‘real
costs’ of working with a supplier.
Ask questions about ability to invoice accurately, on time and with the appropriate supporting files in line with your own procedures. Specify when invoices should be raised and include accuracy as a Key performance indicator.

88. Click to book a
FREE
CONSULTATION
with a Bournes Relocation Expert
Ready to start writing your
‘Perfect Tender’?
 Make it easier to evaluate
and compare responses
 Maximise value from
your supplier
partnerships
 Improve the satisfaction
of your assignees
 Reduce the time you
spend ‘managing’ moving

89. Bought to you by
GLOBAL
MOVE MANAGEMENT.
HOW TO WRITE THE PERFECT TENDER.
bournesmoves.com/relocation