RTLS & RFID vendor selection, on your side of the table
Independent vendor selection and RFP support for RTLS and RFID: requirements, shortlist, RFP, scoring, TCO, reference calls, proof-of-concept design and contract review. We sell no hardware and no platform, and take no vendor commission.
Delivered by Dylan Austin, founder of TRACIO. Fixed fee, typically 3–6 weeks.
Why RTLS and RFID selections go wrong.
Demo-day accuracy
Vendors show accuracy and read rates from a clean demo room. Your metal racking, density and people are not in the demo.
Requirements written by the seller
When the only technical adviser in the room sells one technology, the requirements quietly fit that technology.
Price without the whole cost
Tags and anchors are rarely the biggest line. Integration, batteries, support, recalibration and change management decide the five-year cost.
What vendor selection covers.
Requirements & use cases
Workshops with operations, IT/OT, procurement and safety. Use cases, accuracy and latency needs, systems of record, constraints and what success means.
Long-list to short-list
A market scan across technologies and vendors, narrowed to a short-list with the reasons written down, including why others were dropped.
RFP pack
Built from our RFP template: requirements, integration and security questions, acceptance criteria and pricing schedules that can be compared line by line.
Scoring
Weighted scoring in the vendor matrix, agreed with you before responses arrive, so the scores are not reverse-engineered.
Five-year TCO
Hardware, licences, integration, network, batteries, spares, support and internal effort in the TCO model, per short-listed vendor.
Reference calls
Structured calls with vendor references running a similar environment, with questions on what failed, not only what worked.
PoC or bake-off design
Where needed, a scripted test on your site with written pass/fail criteria, measured under real interference and load.
Contract & SLA review
SLA, support escalation, data ownership and export, exit terms and price protection, reviewed before you sign.
Deliverables
| Deliverable | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Requirements specification & use-case catalogue | One agreed statement of need that every vendor answers against |
| Short-list rationale | A written record of why each vendor is in or out, for procurement and audit |
| RFP pack | Comparable responses instead of brochures |
| Scored vendor matrix | Weighted, evidence-based scores agreed in advance |
| Five-year TCO per short-listed vendor | The whole cost, not the tag price |
| Reference-call notes | What comparable sites say when the vendor is not on the call |
| PoC / bake-off test plan (where needed) | Pass/fail criteria written before anyone sees results |
| Contract & SLA review notes | Negotiation points on support, data ownership and exit |
| Recommendation report | A board-ready summary with the evidence behind it |
Engagement shape, duration and fee
Vendor selection and RFP support is a fixed-fee engagement, typically 3–6 weeks, indicatively £6k–£19k. It runs in order: requirements and use cases; long-list and short-list; RFP issue and clarifications; scoring, TCO and reference calls; then the recommendation and contract review.
Many clients start with a discovery and scoping sprint (1–5 days on site, indicatively £3k–£9.5k). If the selection ends in a proof of concept or pilot, pilot design and oversight typically runs 4–10 weeks, indicatively £9.5k–£30k. A senior advisory day is £1,200.
Indicative ranges from How we work & fees. Fees are confirmed in writing after scoping, and exclude hardware, software licences, third-party costs and travel & expenses, which we never mark up because we do not resell them. You can stop at any gate and keep the artefacts from that stage.
What we need from you
- A named sponsor who can make the decision, and an owner for the system of record the locating data will feed.
- Two or three hours each from operations, IT/OT, procurement and health & safety for the requirements workshops. Include your DPO if people will be tracked.
- Floor plans or CAD drawings, and a list of the systems the data should feed (for example WMS, MES, ERP, CMMS).
- Site access for a walkthrough and, where the environment is uncertain, an RF survey.
- Your procurement rules, contract templates and any budget envelope, so the RFP fits how you actually buy.
Independence
- We sell no tags, readers, anchors or software, and take no reseller margin, referral fee or commission from any vendor.
- You buy direct from the vendor you choose, on your own paper, at supplier cost.
- We say "do not buy yet" when the evidence is not there.
How this holds in practice is set out in our independence policy. For when to use an independent advisor rather than an integrator, see RTLS advisor vs integrator.
Proof and further reading
Our case studies describe engagements Dylan led before founding TRACIO (incorporated May 2026); client names are withheld under NDA. To prepare before a call, work through the RTLS vendor selection checklist and the pilot success criteria guide.
Frequently asked questions
What does an RTLS or RFID vendor selection engagement include?
Requirements and use cases, a long-list and a reasoned short-list, an RFP pack, weighted scoring, a five-year TCO, reference calls, a proof-of-concept or bake-off design where one is needed, and a review of the contract and SLA before you sign. You finish with a written recommendation you can take to your board.
How long does vendor selection take, and what does it cost?
Vendor selection and RFP support typically runs for 3–6 weeks on a fixed fee, indicatively £6k–£19k. If you then run a proof of concept or pilot, pilot design and oversight is typically 4–10 weeks, indicatively £9.5k–£30k. Ranges are on How we work & fees and exclude hardware, licences, third-party costs and travel.
Do you take commission or referral fees from vendors?
No. TRACIO does not resell hardware or a location platform and takes no referral margin or commission from any vendor. You buy direct from the vendor you choose, on your own paper. See our independence policy.
Can we use your templates without hiring you?
Yes. The RFP template, vendor scoring matrix and TCO model are free to use. The engagement adds the judgement: which requirements matter for your site, how to weight them, and how to test vendor claims.
Do we need a proof of concept or bake-off?
Not always. We recommend one when accuracy, read rates or battery life in your environment are uncertain, or when two vendors score too close to call. We script it on your floor with written pass/fail criteria, so it tests production conditions rather than a demo.
What happens if no vendor meets our requirements?
We say so. The options are usually to rescope, phase the requirements, or not proceed yet. You keep the requirements, shortlist, scoring and TCO whatever you decide.
Do you negotiate the contract for us?
We review the contract, SLA, support terms, data ownership and exit terms, and give you the points to negotiate. You contract directly with the vendor; we do not sit in the supply chain.
Which technologies and vendors do you cover?
RTLS (UWB, BLE, Wi-Fi and hybrid), passive RAIN RFID, active RFID, and GNSS or LoRaWAN for outdoor assets. We assess vendors on your requirements rather than a preferred list; see our vendor profiles. Calls and engagements are run in English.
Dylan Austin · Founder & principal advisor
Two decades in RTLS and RFID, including BLE, UWB, Wi‑Fi and industrial IoT, on both the vendor and the buyer side, from technical sales through implementation. Dylan founded TRACIO Limited in May 2026 to offer that experience independently, and leads every engagement personally.
Background and engagements before TRACIO → How the independence holds →
Last updated: