Transportation Request for Proposal (RFP) Sample

Transportation Services for Georgetown Games

Georgetown Games invites your company to submit a proposal to provide transportation services for shipments of game products from our warehouse to distribution centers across the United States. This is a year-round, long-term contract. Your company is a well-respected member of our community with known experience in the fields of transport and shipping of goods. You will find all the information you need included in this packet.

Georgetown Games is accepting proposals from qualified companies from now until February 15. We look forward to receiving your proposal and bid. Georgetown Games, a new manufacturer of video games for all ages, needs to contract for transportation and shipping services from our factory in Portland, OR to Walmart, Amazon and Best Buy distribution centers across the United States. Georgetown Games is accepting proposals from qualified companies from now until February 15.

Georgetown Games manufactures five different video game packages in our facility in Portland, OR. We have contracted with Walmart, Amazon and Best Buy to sell these games, and are now in need of shipping services to deliver game packages to warehouses across the United States. Companies wishing to apply for this contract should consider two factors in their bids.

Amounts of items to be shipped will vary throughout the year, with maximum numbers shipping during the Christmas sales season from September 1 through January 15 of the following year. Additional games are in development at Georgetown Games, so volumes of shipments are likely to increase in the coming years. Key deadlines for shipments are outlined below.

Note that Georgetown Games needs the winning bidder to begin transportation services within one week of notification of the contract award.

Deadline

Georgetown Games will be shipping game products to locations across the nation, and at times may require expedited shipping to various locations, or divisions of big loads of packages. Please describe the methodology you would use to handle the following. Overnight shipment of 200 games approximately 200 lbs to New York City. Shipment of 12,000 games approximately 12,000 lbs in 12 packages going to three different destinations in Chicago area, due at destination within seven days.

Shipment of 100 games approx 100 lbs going from Portland warehouse to Atlanta, GA, due at destination within five days. Please provide any additional experience you have with handling expedited and divided loads for long-term clients. Every proposal submitted should adhere to the following format guidelines.

Submission Format

Submit proposals both in printed form and in PDF file form. Printed forms must be on 8.5 x 11 size pages with margins of at least 1 inch. Two print copies must be submitted, as described on the Evaluation page.

The PDF must be attached to a responding email sent at the time the proposal is submitted. Proposals of up to 25 pages will be accepted. We expect most proposals to be in the 10-15 page range. All proposals must include the following sections in the following order.

Title Page, Contact Information with signature of authorizing company official, Capabilities, Vehicles, Logistics, Management, and Budget. Additional sections may be included. Each section may consist of one or more pages. See the Capabilities, Vehicles, Logistics, Management, and Budget pages in this RFP for more details on information to include in those sections.

Fonts used should be Times New Roman or Helvetica no smaller than 11 point type. See the Evaluation page in this RFP for criteria on which each proposal will be evaluated. Companies must meet the following requirements to submit a proposal and budget in response to this RFP.

Bidders must have a minimum of three years of experience in transportation and shipping services Describe your experience transporting goods. Include pickup and delivery locations, clients, and types of goods transported. Bidders must have a satisfactory safety record Provide your safety record for all vehicles on the road for the years you have been in business. Bidders must be able to transport payloads of different sizes Describe your capabilities and methodology for handling loads of different sizes, either by combining with other partial loads on a large vehicle or by arranging for transportation by vehicles of different sizes.

Bidders must be able to ship payloads across the United States within one week of leaving our manufacturing facility Bidders may combine methods of shipping such as trucking, rail, or air freight, but must be able to transport our loads from our manufacturing facility within seven days from the initial load time. Exceptions may be allowed during foul weather periods when vehicles cannot travel in specific regions. Bidders must provide shipping insurance Our transportation partner must insure our payloads while in its possession, and reimburse Georgetown Games for any damage to or loss or theft of game packages while in transit.

Explain your capabilities to carry out our transportation requirements. Provide the following information.

Describe your fleet of transportation vehicles and volume and types of payloads each can carry. Box trucks Describe the numbers, ages, and make of box trucks, their load capacity, and the routes these trucks generally travel. Semi-trailer trucks Describe the numbers, ages, and makes of box trucks, their load capacity, and the routes these trucks generally travel. Cargo Trailers Describe the numbers, types, and sizes of cargo trailers available for transportation.

In addition to describing your vehicles, please provide your maintenance schedules and your plans for retiring older vehicles and updating your fleet in the future. Georgetown Games is a manufacturer. We expect our transportation partner to handle all logistics required to ship our games across the country.

Your description of logistics should include. Scheduling Describe your process for scheduling drivers and deliveries. Tracking Describe your process for tracking shipments from loading to final destinations. Quality Control Describe how you ensure on-time delivery with minimal loss or damage, and what you do if damage or loss occurs.

Shipping and Transportation Methods Describe your experience in and your process for using a variety of shipping methods, such as air and rail freight when needed for expedited or long-distance shipping. Billing and Reporting Methods Describe your billing schedules and methodology, as well as describing how and when you report to clients on deliveries. Problem Handling Describe what you do in the event of a scheduling issue or a vehicle breakdown. As discussed in Logistics, Georgetown Games expects its transportation partner to handle all aspects of moving our shipments to various locations in the United States, including coordination and scheduling with us, and billing and payments to any other entities needed to move goods from one place to another.

Describe your general experience and management policies dealing with moving goods across the United States, and then describe your management personnel below. List names, titles, and responsibilities of your current managers. Describe how managers are evaluated on performance. Describe any plans you have for hiring additional managers in the future.

Georgetown Games expects the winning bidder to handle all management aspects of transporting our products. Two 2 printed copies of your proposal must be delivered by 5.00pm PST, on February 15, 20xx to Jean-Louis Gallet, Distribution Manager, Georgetown Games. Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria.

The contract will be awarded on March 10, 20xx. This decision will be posted on our corporate website, www.GeorgetownGames.com, and will also be communicated by email to all project bidders. The following criteria must be met in order for the bid to be accepted. The winning bidder will sign off on the following acceptance criteria at the start of the contract.

Project Qualifications and Capabilities All project qualifications must be verifiable as outlined in the proposal. Contractual Obligations All contractual obligations must be met as outlined in the contract and addendums. Documentation Completed All required documentation must be completed and delivered. This includes license information for all drivers, vehicle registrations and records, and insurance records.

Provide a budget for transportation services. Please include the following information. Please describe how you bill for shipments by weight, volume, distance, etc.

Provide an example of a typical cost per shipment size as listed in the table below. Please describe ongoing costs if any for maintaining this contract, such as a minimum "stand-by" fee per month. Please describe any miscellaneous costs that might be added to the shipping bill.

Cost of shipping 5,000 game packages approx 5000 lbs packed on ten pallets. Cost of shipping 1,000 game packages approx 1000 lbs packed on two pallets. Cost of shipping 500 game packages approx 500 lbs packed on one pallet.

Georgetown Games will use your estimated costs to determine the winning bid. We understand that costs may be slightly altered as shipment sizes change, but we expect the resulting cost to be close to the estimates provided above, or contract may be cancelled.