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Cracking the RFI Codes: Strategies for Mobility Request-for-Information (RFI) Processes
Understand the strategies and priorities to craft a successful Request for Information.
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What is an RFI?
A Request for Information (RFI) is a preliminary document issued by a procurer to gather general insights about products, services, or capabilities in the market. An RFI helps clarify what solutions exist on the market and guides the creation of more precise requirements for subsequent procurement steps. By collecting information, the procurer can reduce risks, refine its scope, and make more informed decisions about whether – and how – to proceed with a procurement project.
Why it matters
By identifying available solutions and how well they align with an organization’s goals, procurers can save time, funds, and avoid misunderstandings later on. It helps both procurers and suppliers detect potential risks early, strengthen collaboration, and decide whether to proceed to a tender.
Recent article from Movability:
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When an RFI Is Needed
If a procurer is not entirely sure what is available – or even what their organization needs may be – an RFI can provide clarification. It is especially necessary for tenders with high risk, such as a new product or service. This makes it relevant to new and shared mobility. However, an RFI is not always necessary. An RFI lengthens the overall process. If timelines are tight and the market is already well-understood, a direct tender may suffice.
Insight: Stakeholders sometimes skip the RFI phase to expedite procurement. Yet, in cases of high risk, large investment, or incomplete market knowledge, an RFI can prevent expensive missteps later.
Proper Preparation on the procurer side
If the procurer decides to go forward with the RFI, the next step should be to define key questions. These questions should help procurers identify what they need to learn from potential suppliers. This can range from technical specs and operating models to compatibility with local conditions.
It is important to map risks. This can involve both climate factors, infrastructure constraints, and financial viability. Timing is key. RFIs should be conducted well before the need to buy, to incorporate insights without rushing.
For new markets a consulting party can support in crafting relevant questions to strike the balance between a) getting enough responses and b) getting the right answers.
Tip: Proper planning prevents too short time-frames and costly mistakes once the formal tender must be issued. The earlier a procurer gathers market intelligence, the more confident they can be in shaping final requirements.
Using the RFI to Foster Dialogue about potential Tender Requirements
Potential suppliers may know more about certain technologies or business models than procurers, and procurers may know market conditions and expectations from stakeholders better than suppliers. A good RFI invites respondents to suggest enhancements to the procurers requirements. This is also a good way of avoiding the risk of a tender that’s too rigid or vague.
The RFI can help both sides establish procurer-supplier fit
Buyers and suppliers alike should optimally be assessing each other to find out if the other party is worth their time. Part of the procurer's discovery should be to find out which supplier can meet their specifications, handle risks, and stay profitable over time. This is particularly important in shared mobility, where several mobility startups have come and gone in the past years. These are also variable factors that might make suppliers opt out if they understand they can’t deliver on the procurer's demands, or if a procurer is unrealistic in their expectations as to what constitutes a profitable delivery of a product or service.
This is where asking each other questions is a good way to find out whether the parties are a good fit. Find out if the procurer has an unrealistic budget or expectations. Dig into accounting data and funding information to identify if the supplier is a sustainable enterprise or not. This is particularly crucial when managing risk in collaborations with startups.
For the procurer, who might not know how to interpret the supplier’s data, it can often be useful to have third-party validation from a consultant that knows the ins and outs of the industry solutions. They can answer questions such as: How viable are the solutions that the supplier is suggesting? Do they have the resources to follow through? Do we understand the full and complex context?
For the supplier, a consultant can support in understanding if the procurer is a good fit and skew the competition their direction through thoughtful data sharing and questions that show we have the procurers best interest at heart.
Example: In public transport scenarios – like introducing electric buses or ferries – RFIs can reveal how charging infrastructure or new operational models affect feasibility.
Using the RFI to Foster Dialogue about potential Tender Requirements
Potential suppliers may know more about certain technologies or business models than procurers, and procurers may know market conditions and expectations from stakeholders better than suppliers. A good RFI invites respondents to suggest enhancements to the procurers requirements. This is also a good way of avoiding the risk of a tender that’s too rigid or vague.
The RFI can help both sides establish procurer-supplier fit
Buyers and suppliers alike should optimally be assessing each other to find out if the other party is worth their time. Part of the procurer's discovery should be to find out which supplier can meet their specifications, handle risks, and stay profitable over time. This is particularly important in shared mobility, where several mobility startups have come and gone in the past years. These are also variable factors that might make suppliers opt out if they understand they can’t deliver on the procurer's demands, or if a procurer is unrealistic in their expectations as to what constitutes a profitable delivery of a product or service.
This is where asking each other questions is a good way to find out whether the parties are a good fit. Find out if the procurer has an unrealistic budget or expectations. Dig into accounting data and funding information to identify if the supplier is a sustainable enterprise or not. This is particularly crucial when managing risk in collaborations with startups.
For the procurer, who might not know how to interpret the supplier’s data, it can often be useful to have third-party validation from a consultant that knows the ins and outs of the industry solutions. They can answer questions such as: How viable are the solutions that the supplier is suggesting? Do they have the resources to follow through? Do we understand the full and complex context?
For the supplier, a consultant can support in understanding if the procurer is a good fit and skew the competition their direction through thoughtful data sharing and questions that show we have the procurers best interest at heart.
Example: In public transport scenarios – like introducing electric buses or ferries – RFIs can reveal how charging infrastructure or new operational models affect feasibility.
Conclusion
An RFI can lay the groundwork for a rewarding partnership, or reveal that the current market offerings aren’t the right fit. By recognizing when an RFI is truly needed, investing in thorough preparation, fostering open dialogue, and staying aware of both parties’ interests, the procurer sets themselves up for a more efficient, informed procurement process. Suppliers and procurers alike benefit from giving thoughtful, well-structured responses that emphasize feasibility. Ultimately, the RFI is about discovering the possibilities – gaining clarity on what’s possible so that any next steps are based on solid insight.
Need help in creating or answering your RFI? Get in touch here.
Here is a testimonial from when Movability helped Kolumbus:
