Moving Beyond the RFP Template

Let’s be honest: many RFPs look the same. They follow the same format, ask the same questions, and often receive the same polished answers. But that’s a missed opportunity, because your program, your team, and your definition of success are anything but templated.

And yet, this one-size-fits-all approach is still the norm, even when the stakes are high.

Selecting a global mobility partner isn’t just a sourcing task; it’s a strategic decision that impacts your employee experience, internal bandwidth, and long-term goals.

The Problem with Templates

Generic RFP templates are tempting. They’re easy to reuse. They check the compliance box. And they can help you move quickly when time is short.

But here’s the catch: they rarely reflect what your organization truly needs today. They often lead to broad questions that sound reasonable but don’t reveal much, questions like:

• “What services do you offer globally?”
• “Describe your customer service model.”
• “What technology tools do you provide?”

As one client recently told us,“Everyone looked good on paper. But once we got into implementation, it became clear they weren’t the right fit.”

Customize to Prioritize What Matter

A stronger approach starts with customizing the RFP to reflect your program’s culture, goals, and pain points. This means asking more targeted questions like:

• “What specific practices do you use to collaborate effectively with in-house teams that retain some mobility execution responsibility?”
• “Can you walk us through a real example of how your reporting supported a client in surfacing a compliance issue or gaining executive buy-in for a policy change?”
• “How do you scale service while preserving consistency in experience and responsiveness when volumes fluctuate seasonally or unexpectedly?”
• “What’s your approach to transparency when service delivery falls short of expectations, even if the client hasn’t raised the issue?”

These questions don’t just validate capabilities, they test mindset, agility, communication style, and how the provider might operate in your world.

Go Beyond the Written Response

Don’t stop at the RFP document. Use the next stages, like demos, orals, and reference calls, to dig deeper into whether a provider is truly the right fit

• Scenario-Based Tech Demos: skip the pre-scripted flows. Instead, ask for a live walkthrough using your real-world use cases, ideally shared on the spot. That way, you see what’s actually live in the system, not mocked-up functionality or rehearsed workarounds. It also gives you a sense of how confident the team is with their own tech and how well it supports your day-to-day needs.
• For Orals: Save a few of your more revealing or scenario-based questions for the live session. Written answers often reflect internal collaboration, editing, and positioning. But asking those same questions in real time, whether about service recovery, communication style, or onboarding approach, shows how well the actual delivery team thinks on their feet, and how aligned they are with what was promised on paper.
  It’s in these unscripted moments that provider fit often becomes crystal clear.
• Reference Calls with a Twist: Don’t just ask for satisfaction scores. Instead ask, “If you could change one thing about the provider, what would it be?” Or, “When things went wrong, how did they respond?” These questions reveal the true quality of the relationship.
• Assess Team Stability: Who’s pitching—and who’s delivering? Ask for the bios of the team that would actually support you and request to meet them.

Relationship Fit > RFP Response

It’s easy to focus on who writes the best proposal. But that’s not the team you’ll work with. And it’s not what determines partnership success.
One thing we’ve seen resonate with clients is creating a "fit profile" checklist that your team can use during demos, orals, and reference calls. It’s not meant to be a scorecard, but instead a conversation guide. Things like:

• Did the provider understand our team’s role and goals?
• Did their responses feel tailored or templated?
• Did they bring ideas, or just answer questions?

These small cues reveal the chemistry (or lack thereof) that no PDF can show.

One thing I’ve seen resonate with clients is using a simple ‘fit checklist’ during orals. It keeps the conversation grounded in what matters most—team chemistry, delivery style, and shared values.

Final Thought

Templates can be a helpful starting point, but they shouldn’t be the finish line. A more tailored process uncovers what really matters and helps you move beyond “checking boxes” to making a choice that fits.

Next up on AIRSHARE: We’ll talk about what happens after you make your choice. How do you build a partnership that grows with you—and doesn’t fizzle out post-implementation?

Want to learn more?

Download our paper: Beyond the RFP: How to Find and Keep the Right Global Mobility Partner

Want help with your own RFP?

Check out our RFP Consulting Solution Sheet to see how AIRINC can support your next search—end-to-end or just where you need us most.