Corporate Travel RFP Guide: How to Write, Issue, and Score an RFP

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Writing, Scoring, and Sending an RFP

A corporate travel RFP is not just a vendor comparison exercise. It is a structured way to define what the program needs, force comparable pricing, and build a scorecard that makes the final decision easy to defend.

This guide covers when an RFP is worth the effort, how to scope the project, what questions to ask, how to avoid pricing traps, and how to score responses. It is designed for procurement, finance, operations, and anyone responsible for travel policy and traveler support.

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Quick Scan: Corporate Travel RFP

Best for

Teams that need clearer policy controls, cleaner billing, consistent support, and defensible vendor selection.

Typical timeline

8 to 16 weeks from discovery to selection, plus 4 to 12 weeks for implementation.

Must include

Scope, requirements checklist, vendor questions, standardized pricing template, and a weighted scorecard.

Biggest mistake

No apples-to-apples pricing inputs, which makes proposals hard to compare.

When a corporate travel RFP makes sense

An RFP tends to be worth it when at least one of these is true:

Travel spend is growing and leadership wants measurable savings and stronger controls

Too many bookings are happening outside policy, with no reliable way to correct behavior

Finance needs simpler reconciliation, cleaner invoices, and fewer reimbursements

Support quality is inconsistent, especially during disruptions

Duty of care requirements have increased due to risk, compliance, or international travel

The company needs better reporting, cost allocation, or project-level tracking

Existing tools do not integrate well with SSO, expense systems, or internal reporting

If travel volume is low, you can often select vendors with a lighter process. If multiple stakeholders depend on travel, a structured RFP prevents surprises after rollout.

Travel management RFP vs corporate travel agency RFP

These phrases get used interchangeably, but they often refer to different scopes.

Travel management RFP (program scope) This is the right approach when you need a complete program that may include online booking, policy configuration, reporting, payment options, traveler support, and implementation.

Corporate travel agency RFP (service scope) This is the right approach when you mainly need agent servicing, complex itinerary support, exchanges, disruptions, and after-hours coverage, especially if booking tools are already set.

You can ask vendors to propose on both scopes, but your RFP must be explicit so you can compare responses.

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RFP scope: Travel management vs travel agency

Travel management RFP (program scope)

Online booking and policy controls

Reporting and analytics

Billing options and reconciliation outputs

Traveler support and trip changes

Implementation, training, and adoption

Duty of care visibility and escalation

Corporate travel agency RFP (service scope)

Agent servicing and complex itineraries

Changes, exchanges, and ticketing expertise

After-hours coverage and disruptions

VIP support and escalation handling

Service SLAs and quality reporting

Tip: If you want both, ask vendors to respond to each scope separately so pricing and responsibilities stay clear.

Recommended RFP timeline and stakeholder roles

Most corporate travel RFPs fail for one of two reasons: the scope is fuzzy, or stakeholders are not aligned. A simple timeline and role map prevents both.

Typical phases:

Discovery: goals, constraints, must-haves

Draft RFP: requirements, pricing template, scorecard

Issue RFP: vendor Q&A window, response deadline

Review: score responses, shortlist

Demos: scenario-based demos, reference checks

Finalist round: commercials, security review

Implementation: configuration, integrations, training, rollout

Key stakeholders:

Procurement: process owner, pricing template, negotiation, contract terms

Finance: billing model, controls, reconciliation outputs, cost allocation

Program owner (Ops or People): policy rules, adoption, traveler experience

IT: SSO and integrations, access controls, data flows

Security/Risk: duty of care, incident response, vendor risk assessment

Traveler representatives: usability feedback and real-world scenarios

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Corporate travel RFP timeline

Phase 1

Discovery

Align goals, constraints, and must-haves.

Phase 2

Draft RFP

Build scope, questions, pricing template, scorecard.

Phase 3

Issue RFP

Kickoff, Q&A window, response deadline.

Phase 4

Review

Score written responses, shortlist vendors.

Phase 5

Demos

Scenario demos and reference checks.

Phase 6

Finalist

Commercials, security review, final terms.

Phase 7

Implement

Config, integrations, training, rollout.

Scope and requirements checklist

This section is what turns your RFP from “marketing responses” into “usable proposals.”

Program overview (fill in)

Company size: [employees]

Estimated travelers: [count]

Trip types: [day trips, multi-city, international, field work, executive]

Primary regions: [regions]

Approx annual travel volume: [range is fine]

Current booking channels: [tool(s), direct, unmanaged]

Target go-live window: [date range]

Goals (select top 3 to 6)

Reduce total travel cost

Increase policy compliance and reduce leakage

Improve traveler support during disruptions

Simplify billing, reduce reimbursements, improve reconciliation

Enable cost allocation by department, cost center, or project

Improve visibility and duty of care

Must-have capabilities (example list)

Booking with configurable policy rules, guardrails, and traveler groups

Approval workflows for exceptions and restricted bookings

Hotel content appropriate for frequent work trips and longer stays

24/7 support with clear SLAs and escalation paths

Billing options that reduce reimbursements when possible

Reporting exports and scheduled reports

Clear onboarding plan, training materials, and adoption support

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RFP requirements checklist

Policy and booking

Traveler groups and policy by role, region, department

Exception approvals and enforced guardrails

Mobile booking, changes, itinerary access

Support and servicing

24/7 coverage and clear escalations

Defined SLAs for response and resolution

Disruption handling playbook

Payments and billing

Billing options that reduce reimbursements

Incidentals controls and policy enforcement

Invoice detail for reconciliation and audit trails

Reporting and implementation

Scheduled exports and cost allocation fields

Implementation plan with named roles

Training plan and adoption measurement

You can copy this list into the RFP as a must-have section, then ask vendors to answer each item with Yes, No, or Configurable.

Vendor questionnaire (copy and paste)

Use a question bank like this so vendors have to answer directly.

A) Company and product fit

Describe your solution in one paragraph. What is included by default?

Are you a travel management platform, a corporate travel agency, or both?

What customer profiles do you serve best (SMB, mid-market, enterprise)?

Provide three references with comparable program size and complexity.

B) Booking and policy controls

How is policy configured (rules, exceptions, traveler groups)?

Can policy differ by department, cost center, role, region, or traveler type?

What controls exist for hotel rate caps, refundable rates, preferred suppliers?

What approval workflows exist, and what can be enforced automatically?

C) Support model and SLAs

Support channels offered (phone, chat, email), and coverage hours

SLAs for first response and resolution, plus escalation process

How disruptions are handled (airline cancellations, storms, outages)

Are changes self-serve, agent-assisted, or both?

D) Payments and billing

Billing options (invoice, centralized payment, traveler cards, mixed)

Can you reduce reimbursements? If yes, how?

How are incidentals handled, and what controls exist?

Can billing be segmented by department, cost center, or project?

What invoice detail is available for reconciliation?

E) Reporting and analytics

Sample reporting: spend, compliance, adoption, savings signals

Scheduled exports, APIs, or integrations into BI tools

Cost allocation support and required data fields

F) Implementation and change management

Implementation plan, timeline, dependencies, and staffing

Supported integrations (SSO, expense, HRIS, ERP)

Training plan for admins and travelers

Pilot and rollout options

G) Security and compliance

Security documentation and controls, including access controls and encryption

Data retention policy and incident response approach

Support for SSO, MFA, and role-based access

Pricing models and how to force apples-to-apples comparisons

Pricing is where proposals become hard to compare. Your RFP should include a standard pricing template and a usage scenario that vendors must price against.

Common structures include subscription fees, per-transaction fees, change fees, support tiers, and implementation costs. Some vendors bundle services, others itemize heavily. A template prevents hidden costs.

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Pricing template (require vendors to fill this out)

Add this table to your RFP and require each vendor to complete every row. Pair it with a monthly usage scenario so proposals are comparable.

Line item Unit Vendor response Notes Platform subscription Per month Include base tier details Hotel booking fee Per booking Clarify included vs add-on Air booking fee Per booking Include ticketing assumptions Car booking fee Per booking If applicable Change or exchange fee Per event Define what counts as an event After-hours support Included or per event State SLAs and escalation Implementation One-time Include timeline and staffing Reporting and analytics Included or add-on Include export formats Duty of care Included or add-on Include traveler visibility features

Implementation requirements that actually matter

A strong RFP includes implementation expectations, not just features.

Ask vendors to provide:

A project plan with milestones and client responsibilities

Named roles (implementation lead, support lead, program owner)

A testing plan for policy, approvals, billing, and reporting

Training materials and rollout approach (pilot vs phased vs big bang)

Post-launch check-ins and adoption reporting

A simple requirement that helps: vendors must provide a draft project plan within five business days of selection, and weekly status until go-live.

Scoring matrix and sample weights

Scoring is what makes selection defensible. Use a clear rating scale and weighted categories.

Rating scale:

1: Does not meet requirement

2: Partially meets requirement

3: Meets requirement

4: Exceeds requirement

5: Best in class

Suggested weighted categories:

Booking UX and adoption: 15%

Policy controls and approvals: 15%

Support and SLAs: 15%

Payments and billing: 15%

Reporting and analytics: 15%

Implementation plan: 10%

Security and compliance: 10%

Commercials and total cost: 5%

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Sample weighted scorecard

Use a 1 to 5 rating scale for each category, then multiply by the weight to compute a total score.

Booking UX and adoption

15%

Policy controls and approvals

15%

Support and SLAs

15%

Payments and billing

15%

Reporting and analytics

15%

Implementation plan

10%

Security and compliance

10%

Commercials and total cost

5%

Rating scale: 1 does not meet, 3 meets, 5 best in class.

Common RFP mistakes

No standardized pricing template, which makes costs impossible to compare

Demos that are feature tours, not scenario-based evaluations

Too many “nice to have” requirements, not enough must-haves

Underestimating implementation complexity and dependencies

Not defining support SLAs, escalations, and after-hours coverage

Stakeholders disagreeing late because weights were never aligned up front

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