What to Include in an FF&E Logistics RFP
Structure the request so the bids you get back can actually be compared to each other.
Why FF&E bids are hard to compare
FF&E logistics bids arrive in incompatible shapes. One is an hourly rate with a crew size. One is a per-room number that quietly excludes receiving. One is a warehouse rate with delivery priced separately. None of them are wrong, but no two of them can be laid side by side.
The fix is on the request side. Specify the scope segments and the pricing units you want quoted against, and the bids come back comparable whether or not the bidders would have structured them that way.
Scope sections to define
- Inbound receiving: expected containers, trailers and skid volume, and the receiving window.
- Inspection: whether standard receiving or open-box quality control applies, and to which vendors or SKUs.
- Exception handling: the OS&D process, notification expectations and who authorizes disposition.
- Warehousing: square footage, contiguity requirement and storage duration.
- Inventory: what the system must track and what visibility the project team gets.
- Allocation: by room, unit, floor, room type or project phase.
- Delivery: sequencing requirements, truck sizes and site access constraints.
- Installation: assembly scope, placement basis (plans, renders or designer direction) and punch-list support.
- Decommissioning and disposal, if existing furniture is being removed.
- Packaging removal and any recycling or waste-stream requirements.
Pricing structure to request
Ask for pricing in units that map to the scope sections, not a single lump sum. This is what makes the difference between comparing bids and comparing marketing.
- Receiving priced per container, per trailer and per skid.
- Enhanced quality control priced per labour-hour, with an estimate of hours for the specified scope.
- Warehousing priced per square foot per month, with the assumed footprint stated.
- Delivery priced per run, with the assumed truck size and load.
- Installation priced per room or per unit.
- Decommissioning and disposal priced per room, separately and combined.
- Travel, accommodation, mobilization, specialized equipment and facility costs stated separately for out-of-market work.
- A clear statement of which lines are flat-rate and which are hourly.
Capability questions worth asking
These separate providers who run the full chain from providers who subcontract the parts they do not do.
- Is receiving, warehousing and installation performed by one organization or subcontracted?
- What inventory system is used, and can the project team see its own inventory directly?
- Can merchandise be placed on hold so it cannot be picked into an outbound load?
- How is inventory allocated to rooms, floors and phases, and when is that allocation made?
- Can crews present in neutral, unbranded attire when the project requires it?
- What is the maximum crew scale, and can multiple crews run in parallel across floors?
- Can night and weekend work be supported, and with how much notice?
- How are schedule changes handled once labour, trucks and facilities are committed?
Compliance and confidentiality
- Certificates of insurance and any additional-insured requirements.
- Applicable provincial workers’ compensation documentation for crews assigned to the project.
- Confidentiality terms and any NDA to be executed.
- Site-photography restrictions.
- Data handling for inventory and project documentation.
What to attach
Bidders can only price what they can see. Attach the furniture schedule or specification package, the inventory list with SKU quantities, floor plans, the room matrix or DSR if one exists, the vendor list with expected ship dates, and the construction schedule. Where the package includes high-value or specialty pieces, flag them explicitly rather than leaving them to be discovered in a line item.
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Four things a good bid will tell you unprompted
Which lines are hourly
A provider quoting everything flat-rate including inspection is either guessing or excluding it.
The assumed warehouse footprint
A per-square-foot rate without a stated footprint is not a price, it is a rate card.
What happens to a damaged piece
A specific hold-and-disposition process, not a general assurance about care and attention.
What is out of scope
Licensed trades, specialty rigging, cranes and unusual access should be named as separately reviewed rather than silently absorbed.
Frequently asked questions about What to Include in an FF&E Logistics RFP
What should an FF&E logistics RFP ask to be priced?
Receiving per container, trailer and skid; enhanced quality control per labour-hour with an hours estimate; warehousing per square foot per month with an assumed footprint; delivery per run; installation per room; decommissioning and disposal per room; and travel and mobilization stated separately.
Should FF&E work be quoted hourly or flat-rate?
Defined FF&E scopes are generally quoted flat-rate so the price is known before execution. Inspection is the reasonable exception, because inspection time depends on the contents of the shipment.
What documents should be attached to an FF&E RFP?
Furniture schedule or specification package, inventory list with SKU quantities, floor plans, room matrix or DSR, vendor list with expected ship dates, and the construction schedule.
How do you compare bids that are structured differently?
Specify the scope segments and the pricing units in the request itself. Bids priced against the same units can be compared line by line regardless of how each bidder would have structured them.
Plan your move next
Continue into the service, pricing, and local details that fit this move.
See also
Writing an FF&E logistics RFP?
The FF&E logistics page publishes baseline rates by unit, sets out both receiving levels, the OS&D process, project warehousing and installation scope — enough to build a comparable request.