Introducing RFP Manager
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our latest tool, RFP Manager, the freight procurement solution within the Transfix Shipper App, designed to streamline RFP and mini-bid processes. How? RFP Manager offers teams a simple-yet-powerful centralized dashboard that automates bid management and acceptance workflows. With our automation and data analytics, it's easier than ever for shippers to work with their preferred carriers at a fair market price, then immediately begin executing freight, all within the same system!
Transfix has been working closely with shippers and carriers for more than 10 years, and along the way, we have learned how time-consuming and inefficient freight procurement can be. Transportation teams are left using spreadsheets and email, or procurement technology built for everything except logistics. Recognizing the challenges logistics leaders faced, Transfix set out to build RFP Manager with the shipper experience front and center.
Before bringing RFP Manager to you, we put it to the test with a diverse group of beta testers. Our beta group represented a range of shippers from enterprise to SMB, a multitude of verticals, and shippers employing differing spot/contract strategies. Their feedback and experiences played an instrumental role in refining the tool to meet the unique needs of shippers across the board.
“It was fascinating to learn about the different challenges the process poses today for shippers across our beta program, and how more data could help them each step of the way," said Savar Sareen, Transfix’s Senior Product Manager, “We set out to create a solution that can empower any shipper to move as quickly as the market and source capacity more intelligently.”
We built RFP Manager to give shippers a best-in-class freight procurement experience and modernize their processes. Unlike other general procurement softwares, Transfix’s RFP Manager was made specifically for freight procurement and is designed to handle the complexities of logistics.
RFP Manager is now live. To learn more, click here.
With RFP Manager, it’s easy to turn around an RFP in as little as a few hours.
RFP Manager’s End-to-End Process
- RFP Creation: Get an RFP or mini-bid started in just a few clicks. To get started: simply create an RFP and input contract terms, add your lanes and carriers, define the bidding window, and add any other bid-specific information. Our platform remembers shippers’ historical lanes and carriers, making it easy to add them to RFPs. And, because RFP Manager is designed for freight, users can easily communicate their equipment needs, drop type, volumes, and more, without having to attach multiple documents.
- One-Click Distribution: With RFP Manager, there’s no need to individually send invitations to carriers. Upon creation, shippers can distribute their RFP to all selected bidders with one-click. Users can plan RFPs in advance, but carriers will only gain access when the bidding window opens.
- Bidding: Carriers/Brokers will receive invites via email after they’re added to an RFP event. Upon opening, they’ll be directed to submit rates through RFP Manager’s bidding platform. Bidders stay informed, receiving confirmations after bidding and notifications if they are awarded a lane(s). Any bidder will only receive information approved by the shipper and will not have access to bid data from other bidders.
- Bid Review & Award: Upon receiving bids, shippers can navigate to the RFP Bids Table tab, a powerful dashboard for reviewing bids and award decisions. Find service metrics, lane-level market price insights, average bid price, and more all in one, easy-to-navigate dashboard. Further, award decisions can be made directly in the dashboard
- Award to Routing Guide Conversion & Tendering: As a part of the greater Transfix Shipper App, RFP Manager seamlessly connects to the rest of our Shipper App. Upon completing an RFP, Transfix automates routing guide creation, allowing users to effortlessly find their sourced lanes and tender freight.
Transportation Teams’ Newest Member
RFP Manager is more than just a tool; it's your partner in streamlining freight procurement, providing you insights to make the best decisions for your business, and source coverage like a procurement pro. RFP Manager helps teams:
- Efficiently Turnaround RFPs: With RFP Manager, shippers can publish an RFP in minutes, and makes it easy to communicate all the intricacies of their bid, saving time with creation and communication. One of our beta users said "I had never used contracts before, but with RFP Manager it was so easy to get started and supported my workflow." RFP Manager’s streamlined approach to procurement allows shippers to consider new sourcing strategies. Shippers can stay agile and source contract lanes quickly when the need arises.
- Get Meaningful Insights: Have the insights needed to balance cost and service. The RFP Bids Table provides shippers with lane-level data to source more strategically than ever before. A current Emerge customer told us “I like that you have carrier metrics here; tender acceptance, bounce rate, and OTP/OTD. These are things that we don’t have in the Emerge RFP tool.”
- Centralize Data: Shippers can say goodbye to team bottlenecks like error-prone bid compilation, siloed data, or burnout of a single person responsible for an RFP. RFP Manager centralizes lane and rate data in the Transfix Shipper App, making it accessible to the entire team. And, with our lane-level analytics, anyone can work like a procurement expert, helping teams share the load (pun intended).
- Seamless Conversion & Tendering: Gone are the days of compiling lane data from disparate spreadsheets and emails to build a routing guide. Shippers can use our software to quickly tender loads with their sourced rates, allowing them to stay focussed on what’s important.
Transfix’s RFP Manager is here to help. And in case you missed it, it’s free! In creating RFP Manager as part of the Transfix Shipper App with and for our beta users, we took their pain points and feedback into constant consideration – and will do the same for you. The Transfix Team has the tech and data to streamline your procurement process. You can learn more here, or get started today by visiting this link.
