RTLS RFP template — free, vendor-neutral.
We've sat on both sides of dozens of RTLS RFPs and seen the patterns that make them work — or fail. This is the vendor-neutral RTLS RFP template we use with clients on real enterprise procurements.
Use it as a starting point, adapt it to your environment, and ask us if you want a review before issuance.
What's in the template
The full template is a Word document (~25 pages) plus a vendor-response evaluation spreadsheet. Section 1 — Business context: problem statement, stakeholders, target outcomes, current state.
Section 2 — Scope: sites, use cases, asset / staff / patient counts, environmental conditions. Section 3 — Technical requirements: accuracy targets at the 95th percentile, update rates, coverage, latency, integration, security, compliance.
Section 4 — Commercials: capex / opex split, year-1 vs steady-state, success-based pricing options, change orders. Section 5 — Service and support: response SLAs, escalation, on-site coverage.
Section 6 — Evaluation: weighting model, scoring framework, decision criteria. Section 7 — Submission: format, timeline, contact, evidence requirements (referenceable deployments, validated accuracy).
The traps the template helps you avoid
Most failed RTLS RFPs share three problems. Vendor-spec-by-stealth: the RFP was written by a vendor or by a buyer who copied a vendor brochure, locking out competition. Our template is technology-neutral and requires vendors to justify the radio choice.
No success criteria: "good accuracy" is not measurable. We require quantified accuracy targets at the 95th percentile, validated in pilot. Capex-only commercials: missing TCO of years 2–5. We require year-1 and steady-state, capex and opex, change orders included.
How we use it with clients
Stage 1 of /method (Scope, Architect, Cost) produces a tailored RFP.
We adapt the template to the specific environment, refine accuracy and update-rate targets from RF site survey, model the commercials based on the actual asset and tag counts, and pre-qualify a shortlist of 3–5 vendors based on reference deployments.
The RFP issues to that shortlist; we run the evaluation as a transparent scoring exercise.
Pre-qualification — saves weeks
Most RTLS RFPs go to too many vendors and produce too many half-fit responses.
Our recommended sequence: 1) state the use cases and environment in a brief; 2) request 1–2-page capability statements + reference deployments from a longlist of 8–12 vendors;
3) shortlist 3–5 based on demonstrable fit and reference quality; 4) issue the full RFP to the shortlist.
This saves your team 60–80% of evaluation effort.
Evaluation framework
The evaluation spreadsheet scores responses across 6 dimensions: technical fit (30%), commercial value (20%), reference deployments (15%), integration capability (10%), security and compliance (10%), service and support (15%).
Weighting is adjustable per engagement. We treat references as a hard gate — no validated production deployment of the same scale and use case, no shortlist.
What you can do next
Download the template, adapt it to your environment, run pre-qualification, and issue to a focused shortlist. If you want us to review the adapted RFP before issuance — or to run the procurement as an independent advisor — book a 30-minute scoping call.
We're vendor-neutral and have no economic stake in the vendor selection. The downloadable template will be linked here when you sign up to the procurement-toolkit list — we ship it after a short qualification email.
Frequently asked questions
Is the template really vendor-neutral?
Yes. We do this for a living and earn our advisory fees from clients, not from vendors. The template is structured to extract genuine capability differences, not to lock-in specific brand answers.
Can we use this for an RFID-only or IoT-only RFP?
Yes — the structure adapts. RTLS, RFID, IoT, AGV/AMR procurements all use the same basic framework with technology-specific sections. We adapt for the specific category in stage 1.
Do you act as an independent advisor on the evaluation?
Yes, regularly. Clients engage us to run the RFP on their behalf — drafting, vendor briefing, evaluation, recommendation. We do not take fees, commissions or kickbacks from vendors. See /about/independence.
What's the typical RFP-to-contract timeline?
Pre-qualification 2–3 weeks; RFP issuance to response 4–6 weeks; evaluation and shortlist 2–3 weeks; vendor demos and references 2–3 weeks; final selection and contract 2–4 weeks. Total: 12–19 weeks. Faster if pre-qualification is done well.
What about commercial RFPs that include pilots?
Many RTLS RFPs now require a paid pilot before commitment. We recommend a structured 8–12-week pilot with pre-agreed success criteria — covered in the template. We design pilots in stage 2 of /method.
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