Getting started with a parking management RFP

Parking management RFP – where to start?

Whether you’re looking to put together your first parking management RFP or you’ve done this before, starting with a review of best practices is always a good idea.  After all, the quality of your RFP is often reflected back to you in the quality of the proposals you receive.

We’ve responded to a few RFPs in our time, and based on our experience, there are some qualities of an RFP that make it easier to reply with a very specific proposal that reflects exactly what your parking department wants and needs.

1.      Be clear about your objectives, goals, and targets

• You’re better off defining the details of the problem you’re trying to solve than you are trying to define the solution you want. Let the proponents match their features to your needs.
• Define your ideal outcomes with numbers if you can. For example, if you want a parking management system to create efficiency so you can reduce your human resource budget by 15%, or if you hope that an LPR system can improve the area your patrol team covers by 50%, include those numbers.
• Prioritize your desired features and consider categorizing them as Priority 1, Priority 2 etc. This helps proponents differentiate between the “must” have and the “should” have features you’re looking for.  It also helps them understand your timing and if a staged, multi-year approach would best help you achieve your goals.

2.      Don’t ditch the template, but review and reformat it before using it

• Standard statements that often appear in RFP templates from online sources or large procurement departments aren’t always relevant. Proponents might be confused which will lead to questions you’ll need to address later on.  Review the template and question your procurement team about any content that is out of context for your parking management RFP.
• Templates can be huge time savers when it comes to legal information and ensuring you have all the practical details all RFPs should have. Especially if you lack experience with RFPs, you should lean on the structure and content of a suitable template.
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