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Posted Sept 20, 2011
Having designed, managed and worked with hundreds of requests for proposals over the years, I have some ideas, based on painful experiences, that suggest more efficiencies are within reach.
Posted Aug 3, 2011
Let's face it, it's just a matter of time before hotels start offering non-refundable rates to corporations. And you thought the hotel RFP process was already a pain in the butt. Just wait until buyers have to try comparing a 10-day advance booking for a 20% discount at one property to a 25% discount for a 14-day advance booking at the hotel across the street. Will this really happen in the corporate space? Oh yes. Maybe not soon, but eventually.
Posted Dec 28, 2010
This is an excellent article by Ms. Salcito. I work for a technology company that serves 350 TMCs worldwide. We are often asked to assist with responses to RFPs and many times are asked to speak directly with the issuer of the RFP. Several times the issuer has confided to us that they have no intention of changing and that they are conducting the RFP in order to strengthen their negotiating power with their existing TMC or to meet a mandatory supplier review policy. Neither of these reasons seem to be a good primary reason to issue a TMC RFP. Additionally, a lot of people's time and talents are wasted in an endeavor that will provide no measurable benefit.
For those TMCs who are considering responded to the multitude of unsolicited RFPs, I offer this advice. Do not agree to respond until you can get a two hour meeting with the appropriate decision makers so you can identify the reason for the issuance of the RFP and the measurable outcomes the issuer would like to achieve. If the corporation won't agree, chances are they already have a winner selected and you should spend your time on more profitable ventures.
~ Cornerstone Information Systems SVP of marketing Alan Minton
Posted Sept 21, 2010
Are there any better ways to buy business travel, other than the standard RFP/tender?
Posted Jun 28, 2010
I think one of the most disappointing outcomes from contract negotiation is that between corporations and TMCs. You can practically guarantee that one side or the other, or in time both, are not enamoured with the end results. The corporation wants total priority and service delivery at the lowest unit price whilst the TMC spends its time trying to figure out how to comply whilst clawing back profitability elsewhere in the deal or through caveats.
Posted Jun 15, 2010
Last week I delivered an NBTA training course to Delta Air Lines. The workshop was geared to Delta’s global corporate sales team, and naturally we had some good give and take about trends in airline RFPs. Three things puzzled me, and so I throw these mysteries out to you, valued reader, for your insights.
Posted Sept 15, 2009
I’ve consulted for few clients on travel agency selection process, and I must tell you …There are many agencies out there who would inflate their claims of how wonderful their agency is. It is really difficult to differentiate true claims to false ones.
Posted Aug 24, 2009
The National Business Travel Association's Technology Committee had some fun today spicing up the otherwise dry topic of request for proposals templates for corporate online booking with a live " Family Feud" game show. Based on a survey of 100 travel managers, the panelists dinged and buzzed the crowd to online booking enlightenment.
Posted Jun 30, 2009
[UPDATE: Mary Ann McNulty conducted a fascinating interview with IHG SVP Stephen Powell on this topic. See it here if you're a subscriber to The Beat. Thanks for Stephen Boggs for helping arrange...]
InterContinental Hotels Group last week issued a press release and then declined to set up a phone interview for one of our reporters to discuss it with an executive. While other companies have done this, they usually don't also do what IHG's press contacts did next, which is to argue with us about why we're not willing to provide questions by email. An "interview" (duh!) is conducted in real time. Yes, reporters may sometimes ask questions by email, but for us that's normally just a matter of fact checking. It's not an interview. All of this makes me wonder what IHG is hiding after a press release (which is not posted to its Web site) indicated that the company is pushing "preferred business accounts" in the Asia-Pacific region to adopt dynamic pricing, which it said provides an "alternative" to annually negotiated rates.
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