International Change Country Search Menu Home Articles Tender Management An inside look at International Tender Management Colleague Valerie Van Hoof and her team are the force behind the Athlon Global Coordination Center (GCC). GCC participates in tenders, provides customer reports, manages implementations and is the single point of contact for all international customer requests. Valerie has extensive experience in International fleet and mobility management. Ride along with this expert on the path of International Tender Management. What are the different phases of an inte... What are the different phases of an international tender for fleet and mobility management? There are three main types of request in relation to a tender. In a Request For Information (RFI), the (potential) customer wants high level information about Athlon as a supplier, as part of an exploration of the market. A Request For Proposal (RFP) is an in-depth questionnaire about Athlon’s services, capabilities, products and solutions. Thirdly, a Request For Quotation (RFQ) is basically the (potential) customer asking for our prices. There are buyers who prefer to go through each stage. Others will combine two types of requests in a Request for Tender (RFT). But in every case, the most important phase for all buyers is preparation. What would be your top tips in tendering from a customer perspective? As profound preparation is key, it’s probably not surprising that my tips relate to that topic. I always advise to make a list of ultimate goal(s), must haves and the criteria you’ll use to assess and decide on a supplier. Focus in your questionnaire on these topics. And finally, define the tender strategy. Is your main goal to save on costs? Focus on the RFQ. But if your goal is to switch your fleet to electric vehicles, your approach will be different. There is no one size fits all. And never underestimate the engagement and involvement of all local stakeholders in relation to your goals. So make sure everyone is on the same page early on in the process. Have you seen an evolution in the way organisations tender? Absolutely! About 10 years ago, we had to prepare hard-copy responses that needed to be delivered to our (potential) customers by registered mail. Oh wat a great time it was for our creative minds! But nowadays digitisation has become prominent in procurement. Meaning, we usually have to respond using the (potential) customer’s sourcing tool. Companies have also become more and more regulated. There are NDAs, Integrity Codes, Codes Of Conduct and CSR policies. What was rarely requested 10 years ago is almost standard now. Deadlines have also sharpened over time. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always improve the quality of responses. No tender is the same. No company is the same. At Athlon we put all our energy in finding the best fitting solution for our customers. There is however one thing that hasn’t changed over time. For some reason operational lease quotes still remain popular. Is there an ideal frequency for tendering? We see about 75% of our customers tendering every 4 to 5 years. Whether this is ideal, I’m not quite sure. A tender process consumes time and resources from all parties involved. Even more when awarding a tender to a new supplier. This means you have to balance the cost of performing a tender—and of potentially working with a new supplier for 4 or 5 years—with the benefits. Nevertheless, my team welcomes all tenders. They keep us sharp. Every tender that lands on our desk will receive our full attention. It keeps us awake and makes us a benchmark in the market of Fleet and Mobility. How can Athlon support organisations in tender management? I can’t stress it enough, preparation is vital. It’s good to know that Athlon has all the experience to give assistance in that area. We can help in setting goals, from going electric to increasing fleet size. We help define awarding criteria, whether they’re based on preferred suppliers, pricing, mobility range, or sole supply. And we work with our (potential) customers to ensure they have up-to-date relevant car baskets available— the lists of vehicles for which they want to receive quotes. My team also offers tips and tricks to smooth the process. We’re a partner. Not only in the preparation and tender phases, but also when it’s time to implement. Because this is possibly even more important; conducting a tender is one thing, but having it implemented, as awarded, in every country in scope is definitely a different story. It requires special skills and know-how. But not to worry. Just leave it to Athlon. Our enthusiasm for mobility is immense. And we gladly show and share it. Stay on track Dive deep into these articles. You’ll be inspired by new approaches and solutions for your mobility challenges. Athlon Charge takes the hassle out of the transition to electric driving Electric cars are here to stay, and at Athlon we want to ensure that our customers can make the transition from ICEs (internal combustion engine) to EV (electric vehicles) without the slightest hitch. However, customers often have a lot of practical questions. Ronald Van Slooten, Athlon International’s e-mobility specialist, tells us more. Read more Whitepaper 'The true cost of an EV' Is electric driving expensive? The true cost will positively surprise you when you go TCO. Just make sure to tailor your approach to every specific European market. Read more A beginner’s guide to TCO Finding out the purchase or lease price of a vehicle is easy enough, but what about the total cost of running and maintaining that vehicle throughout its life cycle? What different factors do you have to consider, and how do they vary from place to place? We talked to Pedro López Business Analyst e-Mobility of Athlon International about how this information can help fleet managers make decisions to make their fleet and mobility more cost-effective, the pitfalls they should avoid and how Athlon can take this complex process off your hands. Read more Load more About Your challenges Our solutions We are Athlon Corporate Social Responsibility The network Other pages Articles News Contact us Working at Athlon Find us on social media Follow on Youtube Connect on LinkedIn getting you there Contact us Terms of Use-Disclaimer Privacy Statement Cookies Feedback Athlon Car Lease International B.V. uses cookies and similar technologies Athlon uses cookies and similar technologies, such as HTML5 web storage and local shared objects (all referred to as 'cookies' below), to record the preferences of users and optimize the design of its websites. It increases the user-friendliness of the website. 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