Table of Contents
Section 2: Instructions for Response
Section 3: (Company Name) Requirements
Section 3a: Requirements for Services
Section 4: Pricing for Services
Section 5: Contract Terms & Conditions
Section 8: Carrier Authority Statement
Section 1: Overview
1.
Procurement Policy:
It
is (Company Name’s) policy to reduce current and future business costs whenever
possible. Due to (Company Name’s)
internal policies and other operational considerations, the most economically
attractive proposal may not be the most suitable for (Company Name’s)
needs. The cost benefits must be
economically justifiable after the objectives for Services have been met. Individual Carriers’ overall operations will
be considered in determining which Response is the most appropriate for
(Company Name’s) needs.
(Company
Names) reserves the right to reject any or all responses or portions
thereof. (Company Name) makes no
guarantee of any minimum or maximum amount of Services to be procured.
2.
Liability:
(Company
Name) shall incur no obligation or liability whatsoever to anyone by issuance
of the Request or action by any party relative hereto.
3.
Notification of Intent:
On or
before (date) each Carrier receiving this Request must notify (Company Name
Contact), in writing or by facsimile, of its intention to submit a Response.
4.
Request for Response:
Sufficient
information must be provided to allow a thorough evaluation of the Carrier’s
position. Carrier must furnish all
information in the format and order requested, and complete all forms according
to the instructions contained in each section.
Any deviations or exceptions to (Company Name’s) requirements must be
noted. Incomplete proposals that do not
comply with (Company Name’s) requirements may be disqualified.
5.
Term of Validity:
All
Responses must be valid for a minimum of 180 days from the closing date of
(response date). All responses must be
in Company Name’s possession by closing date.
6.
Price Quotes:
A
detailed price list on all Services required must be provided in the format set
forth in Section 4. If Carrier wishes
to propose an alternative pricing format, in addition to the formal given, it
should be identified by the Carrier with reasons stated. Carrier must still present a quotation in
(Company Names’) pricing format in order for any alternative pricing format to
be considered.
7.
Condition/Assumptions:
Carrier
is required to clearly explain any assumptions or conditions it imposes on or
includes in its Responses to the Request.
8.
Questions/Clarification:
Each
Carrier is under an obligation to ask questions and/or clarify any issues that
the Carrier does not fully understand or believes may be interpreted in more
than one way. All such questions must
be submitted in writing no later than (question due date).
(Company
Name) will make every attempt to answer all questions from Carriers; however,
(Company Name) is not required to do so.
To assure consistent interpretation of the Request, all questions and
answers will be made available in writing to all Carriers no later than (answer
date).
9.
Non-Conforming Responses:
Responses
must be orderly and complete in all respects.
Responses with deviations in format may be disqualified. Responses must be signed by a duly
authorized representative of Carrier.
Incomplete, conditional, non-responsive or non-complying responses may
be rejected by (Company Name).
10.
Unsuccessful Responses:
(Company
Name) will use its best efforts to notify each Carrier in writing prior to
(date) whether it is the Award Recipient.
(Company Name) has no obligation to make the detailed results of
Response evaluations, the reason a Carrier was not successful, or the name of
the Award Recipient. At its discretion,
(Company Name) may conduct debriefings for those Carriers whose responses were
unsuccessful.
11.
Disposition of Responses:
Response
openings will be conducted privately.
All materials submitted in response to this Request will become (Company
Name) property and shall be retained by (Company Name).
12.
Carrier Qualifications:
During
the time (Company Name) is evaluating Responses, Carrier should be prepared to
demonstrate that it can meet all the proposed requirements detailed
herein. (Company Name) or its
representative shall have the right to conduct a facility visit to verify
Carrier’s ability to meet the requirements of the procurement.
13.
Carrier’s Cost:
Any
costs incurred by the Carrier in responding to this Request or in support of activities
associated with the Response to this Request, are to be borne by the Carrier
and are not reimbursable by (Company Name).
14.
Contractual Commitment:
Should
Carrier be the Award Recipient, the contents of its Response (including any
material submitted in response to requests for additional information) may be
incorporated by reference or integrated as obligations in the formal contract
between Carrier and (Company Name). Any
formal contract entered into between (Company Name) and Carrier will be in
accordance with Section 5. Terms
including detailed provisions on price, delivery, warranties, specifications,
testing, training, maintenance and support will be agreed to between (Company
Name) and Carrier prior to execution of a formal contract.
15.
Code of Conduct:
It is the objective of (Company Name) to obtain the best services possible by giving fair and impartial consideration to all Carriers invited to submit a Response. Every potential Carrier will be qualified on fair and equal basis. Carriers will be given the same information and treated equally with respect to the selection process. The granting of any advantage to one while excluding others is not permitted.
16.
(Company Name) Contact:
Any
questions, clarification or other communications concerning this Request must
be directed to:
Name
of Logistics Manager Title
(Company
Name)
Company
Address
Telephone Facsimile
1.
Response Requirements:
The
following conditions apply to the manner in which Carrier’s response is to be
made and must be strictly adhered to.
It is (Company Name’s) policy to evaluate all responses fairly without
prejudice to any one Carrier.
a.
Five
Responses must be submitted with one Response clearly marked MASTER. If discrepancies between the five copies are
found, the Master will be considered as the only response document. Response packages must be mailed or
delivered to
(Company Name)
Street Address
City, State, Zip
b.
Responses
must be received no later than (response due date). Responses received after this time will not be considered. Extensions to the due date will not be
granted and responses may not be modified after submission.
2.
Supplemental Information:
Carrier
may provide any supplemental correspondence or information in the format of
Carrier’s choice. (Company Name)
welcomes general business and services information from Carrier as a complement
to the Carrier Response.
3.
Response Format:
The
Carrier’s Response should consist of the following sections:
Part 1 – Carrier’s ability to meet
(Company Name) requirements
Part 2 – Pricing
Part 3 – Carrier’s Comments to
(Company Name’s) Terms and Conditions
Part 4 – Carrier’s Financial Data
(and Business References)
Part 5 – Responses to (Company
Name’s) Questions
Part 6 – Carrier Authority Statement
1.
Specifications:
Section
3A contains (Company Name’s) minimum requirements and/or specifications. These requirements should be carefully
reviewed to ensure that Supplier fully understands the requirements for the
Services described. Clarifying
questions should be directed to the (Company Name) Contact as described in
Section 1.
2.
Response Conventions:
In
responding to the requirements, the following conventions must be used:
a.
Complies
– Carrier’s product or service completely satisfies the stated condition or
need.
b.
Partially
Complies – Carrier’s product or service only partially satisfies the stated
condition or need.
c.
Does
Not Comply – Carrier’ product does not satisfy any part of the stated condition
or Carrier does not or cannot provide the services needed.
d.
Noted
– where a clause only provides general information
e.
Alternative
Proposed – Carrier’s product can be modified to meet the stated condition or
Carrier can provide an alternative to the services needed. When the Carrier’s election is Alternative
Proposed, Carrier must provide details for the proposed alternative including:
(1)
estimated
costs for such modification or service alternative;
(2)
time
required to perform the alternative proposal;
(3)
limitations,
drawbacks, shortcomings or collateral issues to the alternative proposal; and
(4)
any
other considerations that are essential to support (Company Name’s)
consideration of the proposed alternative.
1.
Certification:
Carrier
must be qualified, by previous experience, to provide the services
required. As evidence of such
qualification, Carrier should submit a brief history of the extent of
experience Carrier has had in providing such services. (Company Name) reserves the right to request
resumes of key personnel who would be providing such services to (Company Name)
or business references of former clients who have knowledge of Carrier’s
expertise. Any services provided to
Company name by Carrier, under contract resulting from this Request, which are
found to be substandard or beyond Carrier’s ability to perform, shall
constitute sufficient cause for termination of the contract.
2.
Service Definition:
A. Include a detailed description of the service required of the Carrier. An example can be as follows:
Carrier
shall provide freight forwarding services to (Company Name). (Company Name) facilities located in the
Denver Tech Center and Lakewood shall be considered one stop with no extra stop
fee charged. Product shall be picked-up
daily from (Company Name) facilities no earlier than 2:30 pm at the Denver Tech
Center and 4:00 pm in Lakewood. Product
picked up from the Colorado facilities shall be sorted by Carrier based upon
country destination and packed in an Overpack container. Carrier shall verify box count with the
Commercial Invoice and notify (Company Name) when a discrepancy exist. (Company name) will provide Overpack
containers to Carrier. Carrier shall
pack Overpack container in accordance with sound commercial practices to obtain
the lowest transportation rates, comply with requirements of common carriers,
and insure arrival at the intended destination without damage. Carrier shall mark each container with
necessary lifting, loading and shipping information. Carrier shall prepare the Airway Bill and SED. Carrier shall ensure timely and quality
pick-up and delivery of freight. Carrier
is wholly responsible for all aspects associated with providing this
service. (Company Name) will not
furnish any equipment, tool, supplies, nor personnel; unless specifically
stated otherwise hereinafter.
B.
Carrier
shall process 90% of all claims filed by Customer within 45 days of Customer
filing date. The remaining 10% shall be
processed within 60 days.
C.
Carrier
shall ensure a claims ratio of less than 1% compared to the total revenue
provided to Customer.
D.
Carrier
shall provide proof-of-delivery information to Customer as requested at no
additional cost.
E.
Carrier
shall provide reports such as the following to Customer in content, time
frames, media, quantities as acceptable to Customer:
·
In-Transit
Shipment Tracking Report Upon
request
·
Import
Customs Report Monthly
·
Transit
Interval Report Monthly
Number of Shipments Report
·
Claims
Ratio Report/Loss Ration Report Monthly
Section 4: Pricing for Services
Carrier
may quote on any and all lanes provided on the pricing matrix. In addition, Carrier must provide transit
time demonstrated in hours for each lane, door-to-door. Prices proposed must be valid for a minimum
of 180 from (date of closing date).
The following is an example of a pricing matrix:
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Monthly Volume International Air |
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Bid |
Bid |
Bid |
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Origin |
Destination |
Current Avg Monthly Volume (Kilos) |
Current Avg Monthly Shipment Count |
Transit Hours |
Broker Clearance |
Minimum |
*Flat Rate per Kilo |
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Example: |
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CO |
Netherlands |
9100 |
8 |
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*All rates door-to-door, excepting
import/duties/taxes only. |
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Section 5: Contract Terms and Conditions
1.
New Contract:
Section 5 contains the terms and conditions that will be required by (Company Name) should Carrier be the Award Recipient. The agreement contained in this Section is (Company Name’s) standard Service Agreement. Carrier is requested to review the agreement and express any concerns it has regarding the terms of the agreement using the following conventions:
a.
Agreed – where the term is
acceptable as stated.
b.
Modification Proposed – where Carrier is unable
to accept the term as stated but will accept a modification of the term. Carrier must provide: (1)
the reason for its inability to accept the term as stated, and (2)
modified language which would be acceptable.
c.
Not Agreed – where the term is
completely unacceptable to Carrier and no modification is possible. Carrier must state the reason such term is
unacceptable.
(Company
Name) reserves the right to negotiate changes to any language proposed by
Carrier.
2.
Existing Agreement:
In the event that Carrier is the Award Recipient and a Service Agreement already exists between (Company Name) and Carrier, the existing agreement will be modified to include: (1) any additional terms and conditions necessary, and (2) the Service described in this Request.
(Attach the Contract Terms & Conditions under Section 5 of the RFQ. See sample of Contract)
Section 6: Financial Data
1. Carrier Requirement:
Providing
current financial statement is a condition of continued involvement in this
procurement process. Carrier, and any
subcontractors (excluding transportation carriers) who would be directly
involved in providing the Services to (Company Name) as a result of this
Request, must submit the following:
a.
a
current, audited income statement and balance sheet (with any appropriate
notes). Both documents should cover the
same reporting period of up to two years but not less than six months.
b.
An
audited income statement and balance sheet (with any appropriate notes) for the
Carrier’s last fiscal year.
2.
Business References:
If
Carrier has not previously provided Service to (Company Name), please list
three business references. Be advised
that (Company Name) will call at least one and probably all of the references
given; therefore, if it is necessary for Carrier to secure permission from its
references to use their names, please do so before submitting your
response. Carrier’s business reference
listings should include the following information:
a.
Name,
address, phone number of reference;
b.
Name
and phone number of a contact within the reference company who will speak on
Carrier’s behalf;
c.
Services
provided to the reference;
Section 7: Questions
(The
following are suggested questions to include in the RFQ).
In responding to this Section, Carrier should reply to each question and incorporate them into its Response. If Carrier chooses to answer the questions in its own format, please reproduce the questions in Carrier’s document and follow the questions with the appropriate answers.
1.
Please
describe how you will structure your organization to support transition and
implementation on-going business of the (Company Name) regions.
2.
Briefly
describe your capabilities for the following service, identify whether they are
location specific or global and define the meaning of the service as it
pertains to your operation.
3.
Indicate the methods of communication between
offices and agents, i.e., systems, e-mail, faxes, inter-net, etc.
4.
Provide
an overview of the business processes for timely tracking: provide on-board confirmations; post changes
in routing or flight details; reporting of bumped freight.
5.
(Company
Name) requires a single tracking system that can be accessed by a 3rd
Party Logistics provider at all of its locations. Please explain how you can provide this.
6.
(Company
Name) has specific requirements for pre-alters that may vary according to ship
to locations. These include, but may
not be limited to the following:
a.
pre-alerts
for air and ocean shipments must be made 1 day prior.
b.
information
sent must include invoice number, b/l or awb, freight charges and commercial
invoice number of shipper.
c.
Immediate
notification of any changes.
Please describe the methods utilized to provide
pre-alert information to shippers and consignees.
7.
Are
you certified to handle hazardous materials?
8.
If
you are certified to handle hazardous material, are you willing to manage the
labeling, packaging and sign off on the dangerous goods certification?
9.
List
any customized services your company may provide in support of a major national
account.
10.
Please
provide any additional information you feel is pertinent to this proposal.
11.
Are
you capable of transmitting ANSI edi transaction sets?
12.
Are
you capable of transmitting customer defined data fields with delimiters?
13.
What
relational database are you using to maintain shipment tracking, purchase
orders, inventory control and distribution functions?
14.
Are
you inter-net capable?
15.
Are
you capable of electronic freight invoicing?
16.
Can
customers track shipments via the inter-net?
17.
Can
customers query shipment tracking via purchase order number, part number and/or
supplier name, origin and destination?
18.
Are
you an integrator or freight forwarder?
19.
Please
indicate your freight forwarding services (i.e, hand carry, overnight, etc).
20.
Are
your freight invoices generated manually or by computer?
21.
Do
you have a centralized billing function?
22.
Indicate
your ability to provide supporting documentation for services provided in
support of auditing and payment of invoices.
23.
Is
you process capable of generating electronic invoices?