An RFQ addressed to a corporate group should make bidders explain their proposed legal and operating structure. Without that requirement, one group may quote through a holding company, another through several subsidiaries and a third through an external partner network. Their totals will look comparable even though the buyer would be accepting different responsibilities and dependencies.
An RFQ addressed to a corporate group should make bidders explain their proposed legal and operating structure. Without that requirement, one group may quote through a holding company, another through several subsidiaries and a third through an external partner network. Their totals will look comparable even though the buyer would be accepting different responsibilities and dependencies.
Ask bidders to identify the proposed contracting entity, delivery entities, invoicing arrangement and central account owner. Request a diagram if the structure is complicated. Do not prescribe a structure merely for convenience before understanding whether it is appropriate to the services and jurisdictions involved.
Include a mandatory response field for assumptions about parent support, subsidiary obligations and subcontracting. Have legal advisers review material commitments. A bidder should not be able to rely on the group's reputation while leaving the actual counterparty ambiguous.
For every workstream, state the output, location, expected volume, buyer dependencies and acceptance criteria. Require the bidder to name the responsible operating business and explain any shared resources. Identify services that must be delivered together and those that can be awarded independently.
For example, if the package spans several properties, specify whether the group must consolidate reporting while local businesses perform the work. Ask bidders to price the coordination role separately where possible. This makes its cost and value visible during evaluation.
Provide fields for mobilisation, recurring delivery, variable work, travel, group management charges and pass-through costs. Require bidders to state exclusions and the basis for any intercompany allocation that affects the buyer's bill. Do not accept an unexplained management percentage without defining what it purchases.
Include a realistic change scenario, such as adding a site or removing a workstream. Ask for the pricing mechanism rather than a speculative promise that changes will be accommodated. This exposes whether the proposed bundle remains commercially manageable when demand changes.
Ask for comparable subsidiary references, a sample consolidated report and a mobilisation plan. Limit the request to evidence relevant to the contract; collecting a group's entire corporate brochure adds review work without improving the decision. Close the RFQ with a clarification process, response date and evaluation method. The resulting submissions should allow the buyer to compare accountability, delivery and cost on the same basis before negotiating final terms.
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