A transport tender — or request for proposal (RFP) — is how you take an outsourced transport or distribution requirement to market in a structured, comparable way. A good RFP gives every provider the same complete picture, asks the questions that surface real capability and compliance, and is scored against criteria you set in advance. A poor one invites a page of headline rates and leaves you guessing. This template gives you a ready structure you can adapt; the goal throughout is a fair, capability-led decision, not a reverse auction.

1. Introduction and context

Open with who you are, what you do, and why you are going to market — growth, a self-run fleet you want to exit, service problems with an incumbent, or a contract coming up for renewal. Set out the timetable: RFP issue date, clarification window, response deadline, evaluation period, decision date and target go-live. State clearly that award is on best overall value and capability fit, not lowest price, so providers pitch accordingly.

2. Scope of requirement

Describe precisely what you need moved and managed: the goods (including any special characteristics — temperature, hazardous, fragile, high-value), origins and destinations or lanes, frequency and volume profile (including peaks and seasonality), and whether the scope is transport only, transport plus warehousing, or full contract logistics. Be explicit about vehicle and handling types required: artic, rigid, multidrop/van, temperature chilled/frozen, ADR, tail-lift, curtainsider, flatbed, container.

3. Service levels and KPIs

Define the service you expect and how it will be measured: on-time delivery and collection targets, booking-slot adherence, proof-of-delivery requirements, failed-delivery and returns handling, damage and claims tolerances, and the reporting cadence. Spell out the consequences of underperformance and the mechanism for continuous improvement. Providers should be able to commit to these, or tell you honestly where they cannot.

4. Capability and compliance questions

This is where trust is established. Ask for the operator licence number, type and authorised vehicle count; fleet size, age and maintenance regime; depot and (if relevant) warehouse locations and capacity; accreditations (FORS, ISO 9001/14001, BRC, DVSA Earned Recognition) with evidence; IT and tracking capability and integration options; insurance cover; and sector-relevant references. On our platform, operator licences are already DVSA-verified, so you can focus your questions on capability and fit.

5. Commercial model

Ask providers to set out their pricing structure — fixed, per-vehicle, per-drop, per-pallet, open-book — and the treatment of fuel, volume variation, accessorials and annual review. Request a clear, like-for-like cost summary so responses are comparable. Make clear that an unsustainably low price will count against, not for, a bid; you are buying multi-year reliability, not a one-off rate.

6. Mobilisation and transition

Require a mobilisation plan: timeline, resourcing, systems integration, any TUPE implications, parallel-running approach and acceptance criteria. The transition is where outsourcing most often fails, so treat the quality of the plan as a scored part of the evaluation.

7. References and evidence

Ask for sector-relevant references at similar scale, and for evidence behind the claims: accreditation certificates with expiry dates, sample KPI reports, and a sample of the management information you would receive. The strongest providers volunteer this readily; reluctance is itself a signal. Where possible, build a site visit into the evaluation so you can see the operation, the fleet condition and the systems for yourself rather than relying on a polished document. Speaking to a current client about how the provider handled a problem — a missed peak, a service dip, a difficult mobilisation — tells you more than any glossy case study.

8. Scoring framework

Publish your weighting. A trust-led tender might weight capability and service-level commitment most heavily, followed by compliance and accreditation, mobilisation, references and cultural fit, with price as one factor rather than the deciding one. Score each section against defined criteria so the decision is defensible and objective.

Next step

Use the specification checklist to make sure your scope section is complete before you issue the RFP, and read how to choose a provider for the evaluation criteria. When you are ready to find candidates, submit a brief and we will match you to verified providers worth inviting to tender.