Fulfillment
[Date]
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO
Dotcom Distribution
Fulfillment
[ Street Address ]
[ City, Street, ZIP ]
p. [ telephone number ]
f. [ fax number ]
email [ email ]
website [ web address ]
Table of Contents
I.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Company Background
RFP Response Guidelines and Response Contents
Selection Criteria
Overview
Project Objectives
Requirements
Receipts
Orders
Volumes
Characteristics
Pack Slip
Packaging
Carriers
Gift packaging and messaging
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
2
Fulfillment
Inventory
Product characteristics
SKU’s
Units
Transfers
Interfaces
II.
QUESTIONNARE FOR VENDORS
Contact Information
General Company Information
Customer Information
Fulfillment Center Capabilities
Inventory Information
Labor Management
Employee Recruitment
Retention Management
Training
Certifications
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Program
References
Pricing
Requests for Clarification
Details of Proposed Solution
Company Background
<Company> has been in business for <XX> years and is evaluating its long-term business plan. Part of the plans
it to outsource its current fulfillment operation as anticipated growth is expected to be above and beyond what
its current fulfillment center can handle.
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
3
Fulfillment
Proprietary Nature of the Request
All bid-related information provided by the Vendor in conjunction with proposals received during the RFP
process will be handled with confidentiality for a period of three years.
All information provided by the Vendor as part of the RFP process should be considered proprietary to
<Company> and Vendor shall use such information only in conjunction with <Company> requirements and shall
not disclose any such any such information.
A Non-Disclosure Agreement has been sent to you under separate cover. This agreement must be signed by the
appropriate individual within your company for your proposal to be considered.
RFP Guidelines
Costs incurred to prepare a proposal, including the procurement of materials and services, if any, shall in no way
be deemed or construed as an obligation to enter into an order. Subsequent to contract award, no proposal
costs shall be charged to the contract.
It is anticipated that an award and/or decision will be made within 30 days of receipt of proposals. Your proposal
shall be valid for a period of 90 days from proposal due date specified in the Deadline for Submissions section
of this document. <Company> reserved the right to negotiate changes, to reject any proposal or parts thereof
received as a result of this request, to negotiate separately with any vendor, or to not make any award.
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
4
Fulfillment
RFP Response Contents
The goal of this RFP is to perform a side-by-side comparison of the services from several vendors. The proposal
should contain the following sections:
1.
Contact Information
a.
2.
Primary contact information including phone, fax and email address
Company Overview including, but not limited to:
a.
Current Vision/Mission
b.
Current customer list
3.
Answers to questions per section 1&2.
4.
Pricing proposal.
5.
A minimum of three (3) client references that are of relevant size and scope to
<Company>. References should be using the same or similar services to those being
recommended, and will be contracted.
6.
Service Level Agreement and other related agreements you would ask your customers to
sign such as Standard Terms and Conditions and/or Professional Services Agreement.
7.
System interface specification document for exchanging data such as orders, receipt data,
SKU catalog, etc.
8.
Detailed description of services being proposed.
9.
Electronic responses should be submitted in Microsoft Word. Any brochures or marketing
materials may be presented in Adobe PDF format.
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
5
Fulfillment
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
6
Fulfillment
Selection Criteria
Your responses to this RFP will be judged on:

Ability to completely answer all questions

Ability to perform the required functions

Cost of services
Questions & Answers
Additional inquiries regarding this correspondence should be directed to:
<Contact Name> @ <XXX-XXX-XXXX> or <[email protected]>
Deadline for Submissions
Completed electronic proposals are due no later than 5 p.m. EST on Friday, <Day/Month, Year>.
Response Format and Submission
Please submit your proposal electronically via e-mail to <Contact Name> at <[email protected]>.
Definition of “Non-Responsive”
Vendors will be considered “non-responsive” and therefore subject to dismissal without full evaluation for the
following reasons:

Failure to comply with submission criteria (time, date, format)

Failure to answer all required questions
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
7
Fulfillment

Evaluation Process

RFP issued ---------------------------------------- Date 1

Questions due ------------------------------------ Date 2

Proposals due ------------------------------------- Date 3

On-site visits -------------------------------------- Date 4
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
8
Fulfillment
Overview
Background
(Provide a detailed account of your company background, profile, key goals, etc.)
Current Situation
(Describe your “current situation” – Volumes, concerns with current model, desired logistics model, eCommerce
platform, ERP system, data flow and desired outcome from the RFP process)
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
9
Fulfillment
Project Objectives
Key Objectives
<Company Name> wishes to enter into a relationship with an experienced partner that has a proven solution to
meet the following objectives:

Partner with best-in-class fulfillment services provider with a strong background in (enter your product
categories) and eCommerce (add multi-channel, omni channel as applicable) distribution.

Achieve industry leading KPI’s for both same day shipping and order accuracy.

Utilize a distribution partner that can easily scale its operational capacity to meet the needs of
<Company>’s growing business.

Maintain a close working relationship with its selected partner to achieve mutual trust and cooperation
Functions to Outsource
<Company Name> requires an off-site, logistics solution for (eCommerce/Multi Channel/Subscription) storage
and fulfillment per requirements in Section 5. Pricing should be provided on a variable or activity cost basis per
requirements in Section 8.
Ownership of Key Tasks:

Inventory purchasing and ownership – <Company Name>

Advise of inbound shipments – <Company Name>

Customer Service to consumers – <Company Name>

Storefront development and design – <Company Name>

Order Management & Payment Processing – <Company Name>

Marketing and Merchandising functions – <Company Name>

Inventory receipt at Vendor’s facility – Vendor

Inventory control and cycle counting – Vendor

Order fulfillment including gift packaging and messaging – Vendor
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
10
Fulfillment

Information visibility and reporting to <Company> – Vendor

Monitoring inventory of, and ordering shipping cartons and gift packaging supplies from nominated
suppler – Vendor
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
11
Fulfillment
Requirements
Logistics Functions (examples – include specific requirements)
Receipt:

Product receipt of imported containers, floor loaded cartons

Reconciliation and reporting of quantity back to <Company>

Carton Marking – all inbound cartons are marked with:
o
Human readable label indicating UPC number, style number, size, style name, product type,
color code, color name, quantity, and factory purchase order number.

Retail United Marking – all units are ready for distribution and marked with:
1.
UPC – a barcode
2.
Human readable label indicating the product description, SKU number, product type, size, color
name, material content, RN #, and country of origin.
3.
Quality checks are performed in Asia prior to container loading and therefore no special Q/A/
processes are required domestically. However, if product is received in questionable condition,
Vendor shall advise <Company> before receiving into inventory.
4.
See Appendix A for samples.
Orders:

Orders to ship will be transferred in batch at least once daily.

<Company> policy does not allow order amendment after transmitting the order for fulfillment.
However, on exception, order amendments and address corrections may be requested post transfer of
the order. Cancellations may also be requested.

<Company> does not currently follow a back-ordering process, so every delivery request should be
shippable immediately from existing stock. Future strategies may incorporate pre-orders or back-orders.

Occasionally, <Company> may perform fulfillment of some items from its own warehouse facilities.
These orders will not be transmitted to the third party distributor.

Payment capture and refunds are handled directly by <Company>.
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
12
Fulfillment

Taxes, discounts, and email notifications are managed by the storefront and
do not require any further calculation or handling by the third party distributor.

Product picking and shipping of custom orders.
Packing Slip & Packaging:

Specialized paper stock with <Company> logo.

Include customer address, items shipped, and quantities.

Peel off “repaid” return label on bottom.

Return instructions on reverse side.

Exact format to be supplied by <Company> and mutually approved.

Insertion of promotional card.

Wrap tissue paper around all products with sticker affixed before placing in shipping or gift carton.

Shipping containers should be sealed with clear packing tape.

No void filling material is required.

Carrier compliant shipping label must be printed and applied to the exterior of the carton.

See Appendix E for samples.
Carrier:

Shipments will be made utilizing <Company>’s (FedEx or UPS) account.

If vendor has competitive agreements already in place, then rate sheets for <Company> to utilize these
services should be included with the pricing requested in Section VII.
Gift Packaging and Messaging:

Gift packaging includes xx different box sizes and tissue paper and sticker.

Each unit in the order has the option to include or not include gift packaging.

Configuration of gift packaging will be passed per unit in the order delivery request.

Printed gift message cards should be printed dynamically containing a custom message that is passed
with each order. One message per order.

Multiple gift packages can be placed inside the larger, shippable carton.

Prices are never included on products or packing slips, so no special action relative to pricing visibility is
required on gifts.
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
13
Fulfillment
Inventory

Maintain inventory storage by SKU.

Inventory cycle counts (all bins counted x times annually)

Responsible for maintaining an adequate supply of shipping and gift packaging materials utilizing
<Company>’s nominated supplier.
Product Information (example – include specific requirements)

Product is primarily imported utilizing one primary supplier and several small suppliers.

One SKU per carton, no mixed SKUs.

Average 6 unites per supplier carton.

Weight 0.5 lbs per unit.

Cubic volume: 0.20 to 4.0 cu ft per carton, average 2.1 cu ft per carton and 0.67 cu ft per unit.
Product Category mix

Blankets – 38%

Throws – 27%

Sheets – 13%

Pillows – 12%

Comforters – 7%

Other – 3%
Volumes
Inbound:

6 inbound containers (FEU) per year’
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
14
Fulfillment

Average 4,000 cartons per container.
Inventory/SKUs

2,000 unique SKUs in assortment.

5 inventory turn per year (anticipated 2+ in 3 years)
Outbound:

Average order = 1.5 units per order, 1.5 cartons per order

50% of annual sales is expected in Q4 of each year.

See Appendix D for volume details.
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
15
Fulfillment
Transfers

Ability to accurately and efficiently transfer merchandise to other <Company> facilities.

Transfers will be requested in bulk as season and business needs require.
SKU Catalog:

All products have a 12-digit alphanumeric SKU and a 12-digit UPC SKU code which is also alphanumeric
– (5 digital style, hyphen, 2 digit size, hyphen, 3 digit color). Example: EOO29-P1-019

The same UPC code can be utilized on several identical products with different packaging. In this case, a
separate SKU is utilized to designate the different packaging style while the UPC is the same.

All eCommerce merchandise utilizes one packaging style and will never actively sell 2 or more SKUs with
the same UPC.

<Company> may occasionally require re-work assistance to transform packaging on newly received
items if they are transferred from another sales channel.
Performance Requirements

Shipping cycle: Monday-Friday except U.S. government holidays and peak holidays

Ground and Expedited delivery orders fulfilled same day

Shipment accuracy: 99.9%

Inventory accuracy: 99.9%

Receipts processed within 24 hours of receipt

Returns processed within 48 hours of receipt
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
16
Fulfillment
Electronic Interface Functions
Please describe the technical infrastructure currently in place in the operation proposed. [Insert here]
Please include a description of your firm’s present EDI and Internet Technology (web services/xml) capabilities
and provide an example technical workflow used for other retail clients. [Insert here]
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
17
Fulfillment
Questions
Contact Information
Provide the following information:
Main Contact/Title:
Email Address:
Direct Telephone:
General Company Information
Provide the following information:
Legal Company Name:
Doing Business As:
Physical Address of HQ:
(City, State, Zip)
Company Phone:
FAX:
Website URL:
D&B DUNS Number:
Legal Structure:
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
18
Fulfillment
Year Established:
Number of employees:
Is the company private or publically held?
If public, provide symbol and trading
exchange.
Office Locations: Please provide
address/location on all other company
owned locations. (both offices & DCs)
Please provide a brief history of your
company.
How many years has your company been
doing business under its current name?
Has your company ever been involved in
any bankruptcy or reorganizational
proceedings?
Are there any judgments, claims, or
arbitration proceedings or suits pending or
outstanding against your organization or
its officers within the last five years? If
yes, please describe.
Has your organization filed any lawsuits
or requested arbitration with regard to
contracts within the last five years?
Please describe any merger and
acquisition activity your company has
been involved in within the last 10 years,
including relevant details.
Is your company a subsidiary or affiliate of
another firm? If so, what is the parent
company name?
List all subsidiaries of your company:
Please provide a statement establishing
the company’s financial visibility and
forward looking business concerns.
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
19
Fulfillment
Please describe your ability to partner
with diverse suppliers.
Please provide a description of services
provided and areas of specialty.
Fulfillment Center Information
Who is your most similar client in terms of product and business model where you are handling
distribution of eCommerce orders?
[Answer here]
What is your average, daily outbound order volume that is processed at the facility that would be used to
handle this business?
[Answer here]
How many other clients are being distributed from this facility?
[Answer here]
At 2014 projected volumes, where would <Company> fall on the spectrum from your smallest to largest
clients?
[Answer here]
How many distribution facilities do you maintain and where are they located?
[Answer here]
How many active customers do you have for which you distribute product at least weekly?
[Answer here]
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
20
Fulfillment
How many shifts do you operate for distribution processes?
[Answer here]
Do you currently have daily pickups for UPS and FedEx ground and expedited services? What other carriers
and services are available?
[Answer here]
Do you currently process customer returns for all of your clients?
[Answer here]
Describe your return handling process.
[Answer here]
What is the last step in your fulfillment process where an order may be canceled or amended (i.e. address
correction)?
[Answer here]
How do you handle back-orders and pre-orders?
[Answer here]
If selected for this opportunity, are there any limited factors that would cause you to be unable to comply
with a XXXXX 201x start shipment date?
[Answer here]
Describe your monograming capabilities or partnerships that you maintain to handle order
personalization/monogramming?
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
21
Fulfillment
[Answer here]
What is the lead time from order receipt to shipment for personalized/monogrammed items?
[Answer here]
Do you provide “kitting” and “rework” (follow specific steps to re-package or re-label items)? How are
charges for this type of service calculated?
[Answer here]
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
22
Fulfillment
Inventory Information
Are you willing to take responsibility for ordering all consumable supplies such as gift packaging, shipping
cartons, etc.?
[Answer here]
What percentage of your inbound merchandise currently comes directly from foreign suppliers?
[Answer here]
What percentage of your inbound merchandise currently comes from floor-loaded (not on pallets)?
[Answer here]
Do you provide business-to-business/wholesale fulfillment as well? From the same facility?
[Answer here]
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
23
Fulfillment
Labor Management
What is your percentage of temporary to full-time employees in your distribution facility?
[Answer here]
Do you have a formal training process and operating manual for your distribution activities?
[Answer here]
Do you have a dedicated IT team to support production activities? Or is it shared with development and
other IT resources?
[Answer here]
Do you have a dedicated team to support implementation activities including project management,
technical configuration, and warehouse setup?
[Answer here]
Do you have a dedicated quality assurance team for testing new IT functions?
[Answer here]
Do you have a dedicated single contact or team for each account? How is account management structured
and who would be involved in our account?
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
24
Fulfillment
[Answer here]
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
25
Fulfillment
Accuracy
Are you willing to uphold a Service Level Agreement that maintains the performance expectations listed? If
no, please list the performance commitments that can be made.
[Answer here]
Do you enforce a policy of one SKU per bin location in your storage area? If not, please explain how you
maintain inventory integrity where you do not apply this policy.
[Answer here]
What technology do you utilize for automation in the outbound picking and packing process (i.e.
automated sortation, RF devices, print and apply, etc.)
[Answer here]
What core metrics do you monitor daily to ensure success of client operations?
[Answer here]
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
26
Fulfillment
Information Visibility/Exchange
Do you provide a web-based portal for <Company> to view its inventory and order status within your
warehouse management system?
[Answer here]
Are you able to support the request to exchange EDI documents 940, 943, 944, and 945 (section 5.1.2)?
API’s?
[Answer here]
Is secure FTP your preferred method of data transfer? Do you act as the server or the client?
[Answer here]
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
27
Fulfillment
Certification
Please list all certifications such as ISO or PCI Compliance
[Answer here]
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Program
In the event of a disaster, please describe your disaster recovery and business continuity program.
[Answer here]
Have you ever had to enable your disaster recovery and business continuity program? If so, please state
when and what happened.
[Answer here]
References
Please provide three recent references.
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
28
Fulfillment
[Answer here]
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
29
Fulfillment
Pricing
It is <Company>’s requirements to have all costs stated in the below manner. However, please also list any
exceptions or additional fees that may apply in excess of these costs:

One-time, startup implementation costs

Cost per inbound receiving, reconciliation, and put away

Cost per outbound order picking, packaging, labeling, and shipping

Additional fees to perform gift packaging services

Storage costs

Cost for returns processing, disposition, and put away

Cost per house for special projects

Supplies Cost

All other potential costs

[List any additional here]
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
30
Fulfillment
Requests for Clarification
Please note that at any time during the RFP process, the <Company> can reach out to the participant in the RFP
for any clarifications of the information that was presented.
Details of Proposed Solution
Please list below all of the details of the proposed solution.
[Answer Here]
SAMPLE RFP WITH LOGO | DOTCOM DISTRIBUTION - [DATE]
31